Biochemistry

Question 1

What is matter?

Answer 1

Anything that has mass and takes up space

Question 2

What is an atom?

Answer 2

The smallest unit of matter and is the basic building block of everything on Earth

Question 3

What is matter made up of?

Answer 3

Atoms

Question 4

What is found in atoms?

Answer 4

Subatomic particles (neutrons. protons, and electrons)

Question 5

What is an element?

Answer 5

Made entirely of one type of atom

Question 6

What is a molecule?

Answer 6

A group of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds

Question 7

What are chemical bonds?

Answer 7

Electron interactions between atoms (ionic, covalent, and hydrogen bonds)

Question 8

What determines the type of bond formed between atoms?

Answer 8

Their difference in electronegativity

Question 9

What is electronegativity?

Answer 9

The ability of an atom to attract electrons

Question 10

What does it mean to be highly electronegative?

Answer 10

Electrons are kept close to the nucleus (pulls electrons more tightly to itself)

Question 11

What does it mean to have a low electronegativity?

Answer 11

Electrons held further away from its nucelus

Question 12

What is an ionic bond?

Answer 12

There is a complete transfer of electrons from one atom to another. A bond forms from a difference in charge between atoms

Question 13

Which atom pulls electrons away from the other atom in an ionic bond?

Answer 13

The more electronegative atom pulls an electron away from the less electronegative atom

Question 14

What is a covalent bond?

Answer 14

Atoms with similar ENs share electrons (can be nonpolar or polar sharing of electrons). Bonds can be single, double, or triple

Question 15

What is a nonpolar covalent bond?

Answer 15

Equal sharing of electrons (no one atom has a greater pull). Forms between atoms with identical (or nearly identical) ENs

Question 16

What is a polar covalent bond?

Answer 16

Unequal sharing of electrons (there is a difference in charge), which forms a dipole (electrons closer to the more EN atom)

Question 17

What is a hydrogen bond?

Answer 17

A weak bond that forms between a hydrogen atom that is (1) covalently bonded to a highly electronegative atom and (2) is also attracted to a negative charge on another highly EN molecule. Can be intramolecular or intermolecular

Question 18

What is an intramolecular hydrogen bond?

Answer 18

Hydrogen bond within a molecule

Question 19

What is an intermolecular hydrogen bond?

Answer 19

Hydrogen bond between separate molecules

Question 20

What are Van der Waals interactions?

Answer 20

Weak (and temporary) attractions between any atoms or molecules in close proximity

Question 21

How do Van der Waals interactions form?

Answer 21

Electrons are always moving around the center of the atom, and so their charge distributions are always changing (changing areas of positive and negative charge). This difference in charge between molecules leads to a weak attractive force

Question 22

What makes a strong Van der Waal interaction?

Answer 22

Many interactions add up to a powerful force