Bio-Pac 01 Flashcards
Biology
the study of life
Organism
a living thing that can move, grow, and reproduce
Development
rapidly or slowly occurring changes due to growth in an organism
Species
population of interbreeding organisms capable of producing fertile offspring
Growth
process that results in structural changes and increased living material in organisms
Response
reaction to an external or internal condition
Adaptation
evolution of structural, internal, to behavioral features that help an organism better survive in an environment
Homeostasis
equilibrium of an organism’s internal environment that maintains conditions suitable for life
Element
One of the simplest chemical substances. A substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances. There are 90 natural occurring elements, 25 of which are essential to living. The most essential are Oxygen, Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Sulfur. There are also trace elements.
Molecule
A molecule is a group of atoms held together by covalent bonds and have no overall charge. (Because a molecule is a group of atoms held together by covalent bonds, a molecule can be a compound or an element.)
Compound
A substance that is composed of atoms of different elements that are chemically combined, meaning it will not have the same properties as the elements that were used to make the compound.
Solution
A mixture, combinations of substances in which individual substances retain their own properties, in which one or more substances are distributed evenly in another substance (dissolved). Can be heterogeneous or homogeneous.
Solute
The substance being dissolved.
Solvent
The substance that dissolves the solute.
Metabolism
All the chemical reactions that occur within an organism.
pH
The measure of how acidic or basic a solution is.
Acid
Any substance that forms hydrogen atoms (H+) atoms in water (0-6).
Base
Any substance that forms hydroxide atoms (OH-) in water (8-14).
Isomers
Compounds that have the same simple formula different three dimensional structures. (Isotopes are elements with different numbers of neutrons.)
Polymer
A large molecule when many smaller molecules bond together, usually in long chains.
Hydrolysis
The breaking apart of a polymer by the addition of water.
Amino Acids
The basic building blocks of proteins, a large complex polymer composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sometimes sulfur.
Peptide Bond
The covalent bind formed between amino acids.
Nucleotides
The smaller subunits that make up the polymer nucleic acids (DNA, RNA).
Enzyme
A protein that speeds up chemical reactions, by increasing the speed of the reactions, lowering the reaction temperature, or making a solution less acidic or basic.
TEM
Transmission electron microscope. Aims a beam of electrons through an object in a vacuum. The more dense portions allow less through, and cause that area to be dark on the screen. These images are only two-dimensional. TEM is used to study the parts of cells at hundreds of thousands times.
SEM
Scanning electron microscope. Sweeps beams of electrons over the specimen, which then causes electrons to be emitted from the specimen. This microscope produces a three dimensional image. It is able to produce 60, 000 times of magnification of a specimen without losing clarity.
STM
Scanning tunneling microscope. Can show the arrangement of atoms on the surface of a molecule.
Resolution
The minimal distance that two points can be separated and still be seen as two separate and distinct points. If the two details inside are closer than the resolution of a microscope, they will be seen as one product.
