Atoms, Elements and Compounds Flashcards
What are the 3 principle components (or particles) of an atom?
Protons, Electrons and Neutrons
What type of electrical charge does each of these particles possess (e.g. positive, negative or neutral)?
Protons have a positive charge, electrons have a negative charge and neutrons have no charge.
What is the difference between an element and a compound?
An element is composed of either a single atom or a number of atoms of the same type.
A compound is composed of a combination of two (or more) different atoms.
What are the periodic table symbols for Hydrogen, Oxygen, nitrogen, iron, calcium, water, carbon dioxide, sodium chloride and hydrochloric acid ?
H, O2, N, Fe, Ca, H2O, CO2, NaCl and HCl.
What is the difference between covalent and ionic bonding?
Covalent bonding occurs when atoms share one or more electron. The force of attraction is strong in these bonds since both atoms complete their outer shell of electrons. Ionic bonding occurs when an electron is ‘transferred’ or ‘donated’ from one atom to another. This creates an attraction between the atom that has lost one or more electron (a negatively charged anion).
What is an ion and what is an electrolyte?
An ion is an atom that has a positive or negative charge (cation or anion).
Electrolytes are substances that separate (dissociate) into ions in solution and acquire the capacity to conduct electricity.
What is the chemical symbol for the following ions: hydrogen, sodium, potassium, calcium and chloride?
H⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Ca⁺ and Cl⁻ .
What is meant by the term diffusion?
Diffusion refers to the process where molecules (e.g. O₂) move from an area of high concentration (until equilibrium is achieved).
What is meant by the term osmosis?
Osmosis refers to movement of water from a high concentration to an area of low concentration through a semi-permeable membrane.
What does pH stand for?
Percentage of power of Hydrogen (H⁺).
What is measured by the pH scale?
The pH scale measures acidity (low pH) and alkalinity (high pH) in relation to the concentration of H⁺ in solution.
Put the following into ascending order of pH (from most acidic to least): water, bicarbonate, hydrochloric acid, ammonia, and urine.
Hydrochloric acid (pH 1-3), urine (pH 6), water (pH 7), bicarbonate (pH 9), ammonia (pH 11).
What is the pH of blood plasma? is it acid or alkaline?
7.35 - 7.45 (slightly alkaline).
What is the difference between anabolism and catabolism?
Anabolism is the phase of metabolism in which simple structures are transformed into complex molecules (e.g. amino acids into proteins).
Catabolism refers to the breakdown of complex molecules into simple structures (e.g. proteins into amino acids).
How many litres of water does the average human contain?
40 Litres.
