biochemistry Flashcards
the study of matter and the interaction of atoms
chemistry
the building blocks of matter, the smallest piece of an element that still has properties of that element
atom
Name the three major particles in an atom. Give their charge, location, and mass.
proton - positive, in nucleus, 1amu
neutron - neutral, in nucleus, 1amu
electron - negative, outside nucleus (electron cloud), 1/1836amu
the amount or matter in an object
mass
With what unit is mass measured?
kilograms
the amount of space an object takes up
volume
With what unit is volume measured?
liters or cubic meters
mass/volume
density
What is the density of water?
1 gram/milliliter
If something is more dense than water, it…
sinks
If something is less dense than water, it…
floats
a pure substance made of only one type of atom
element
atoms of the same element with an unusual number of neutrons and a different mass
isotopes
isotopes that are unstable and emit particles
radioisotopes
What is the difference between boron 10 and boron 11?
Boron 11 has an extra neutron and a mass of 11
What are some uses of radioisotopes?
diagnose and treat diseases
find the age of artifacts
our chart of the elements
periodic table
How are the elements on the periodic table arranged?
increasing atomic number or number of protons
Who named the atom, and what does the word mean?
Democritus - unable to be cut or divided
two or more different atoms chemically combined to make a new substance with new physical and chemical properties
compound
the force that holds atoms together
chemical bond
a bond formed by the transfer of electrons
ionic bond
a bond formed by the sharing of electrons
What are the types?
covalent bond
- share 1 pair - single
- share 2 pair - double
- share 3 pair - triple - basically as high as it goes
a charged atom
ion
What are the two types of ions? How do they form?
cations - positive ions - lose electrons
anions - negative ions - gain electrons
What happens to oppositely charged particles?
attract
What happens to like charged particles?
repel
the smallest piece of a covalent compound
molecule
a weak bond formed by a polar hydrogen bonding
hydrogen bond
a bond formed by the unequal sharing of electrons
polar covalent bond
a solution with more hydrogen than hydroxide, sour, corrosive
acid
a solution with more hydroxide than hydrogen, bitter, and caustic
base
the ion in acids
hydrogen + (hydronium)
the ion in bases
hydroxide
another term for basic
alkaline
a heterogeneous mixture where the particles don’t settle but can be seen
colloid
a heterogeneous mixture where the particles are extremely large and settle out upon standing
suspension
a homogeneous mixture of a solute in a solvent, the particles are extremely small and can’t be seen, don’t settle
solution
a solution where water is the solvent
aqueous
a radioisotope commonly used to find the age of fossils
carbon-14
a reaction where you mix acids and bases (3 terms)
neutralization
exchange
double replacement
a major type of chemical reaction where large molecules are broken into smaller ones
decomposition (catabolic)
a major type of reaction where small molecules are joined together to build larger ones
synthesis (anabolic)
characteristics observed and measured without permanently changing the matter
physical properties
characteristics which describe matter’s ability to react and change into new substances
chemical property
unstable isotopes which break down or decay into smaller materials
radioisotopes
the general area outside the nucleus where electrons are found
electron cloud
the more specific areas in the electron cloud where electrons are found (4 terms)
energy levels
shells
orbitals
rings
the outer most ring of electrons
valence
How many electrons can each of the first three energy levels hold?
2-8-18
the rule that describe what makes a stable outside ring of electrons
octet rule - the outer ring needs to be full or have eight electrons to be stable
the general term for all the particles within an atom
subatomic
the meaning of the arrows in a chemical reaction
yields
the most important polar covalent compound to life on Earth
water
one of the three basic states of matter with the most kinetic energy
gas
one of the three basic states of matter with the most potential energy
solid
the part of a solution present in greater quantity
solvent
the part of a solution present in lesser quantity
solute
the scale for measuring acids and bases
pH scale
below 7 on the periodic table
acid
above 7 on the periodic table
base/alkaline
7 on the pH scale
Why is water neutral?
neutral - pure water
equal amounts of H+ and OH-
the state of matter with a definite shape and volume
solid
the state of matter with a definite volume but no definite shape
liquid
the state of matter without a definite shape or volume, can be compressed
gas
the term that means a state of matter
phase
a bond that holds amino acids together
peptide bone
a long chain (polymer) of monosaccharides
polysaccharides
a long chain (polymer) of amino acids
polypeptide
a long chain of monomers
polymer
a large chemical compound made of repeating units
macromolecule
what carbohydrates are used for
What 3 elements make up carbohydrates?
energy
C, H, and O
two amino acids held together
dipeptide
the organic compound with C, H, O, and N, the preferred building material or structure of body
Give examples and what they do.
proteins
- hemoglobin - carries oxygen
- enzymes - catalyze reactions
the organic compound which stores genetic information
nucleic acids
the organic compound which includes fats, waxes, oils, and steroids
What is their function?
Why are they good at being a barrier to water?
lipids
store energy, insulate, cushion, make membranes, send messages
hydrophobic - no magic ratio of C to water
the names of monosaccharides
Which is the most important, and why?
Give the 3 major polysaccharides and their function.
glucose, fructose, maltose, galactose
Glucose is most important because it is made by photosynthesis, and it is blood sugar.
1. cellulose - fiber - in cell walls of plants
2. glycogen - stored sugar in animal muscles
3. starch - stored sugar in plants
the general term for a building block of a large organic compound (polymer)
monomer
the building blocks (monomers) of a protein
amino acids
some simple names for carbohydrates
sugars and starch
small chemical compounds which do not have repeating carbon units
inorganic
Give an example of physical properties.
melting point
boiling point
color
texture
Give an example of a chemical property.
the ability to rust
flammability
Name, and describe the 3 isotopes of hydrogen.
H-1 - protium - 1 proton, 1 electron, and 0 neutrons
H-2 - deuterium - 1 proton, 1 electron, and 1 neutron
H-3 - tritium - 1 proton, 1 electron, and 2 neutrons-
What about atoms makes them combine?
their outer valence ring of electrons isn’t stable (no octet rule)
What do me mean by saying water is an excellent solvent?
many things dissolve in it
Why is it important that blood is mostly water?
It can flow and carry dissolved nutrients, hormones, wastes…. It helps us maintain our temperature homeostasis.
What happens to ionic bonds in solution? Use NaCl as an example.
They ionize or dissociate which means they separate into charged particles called electrolytes Na+ and Cl- so they will conduct electricity.
What happens to covalent bonds in solution?
They stay together as molecules and won’t conduct electricity.
What two products do you get when you mix an acid and a base?
salt and water
the number of protons in an atom
the number of electrons in an atom
What do we know about the number of protons and electrons?
atomic number
- protons equal electrons
the number of protons plus the number of neutrons in an atom
mass number
Why is atomic mass a fraction?
It is an average of all the isotopes of that element.
an abbreviation for an element
chemical symbol
Most of the time what is the element’s symbol?
1st one or two letters of the name
Where do Na, K, Pb… get their chemical symbols?
Latin names
Is HCl an acid or a base? How do you know?
acid - H+ at the beginning
Is NaOH an acid or a base? How do you know?
base OH- at the end
Why is NaCl not acid or base? What is it?
neither H+ nor OH-
salt
What term means adding more solute in a solution?
concentrated
What term means having less solute in a solution?
dilute
the chemicals that go into a reaction
reactants
the chemicals made by a reaction
products
What is the difference between a saturated and an unsaturated fat?
saturated fats have no double bonds between carbons making them solid at room temperature and more likely to cause heart disease
What are isomers?
compounds with the same chemical formula but a different structural formula
WHere do most saturated fats come from?
animals
Where do most unsaturated fats come from?
plants
What is the difference between monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats?
mono have 1 double bond while poly have more than one double bond
Is C6H12O6 organic or inorganic? How do you know?
organic - carbon
Is CaCl2 organic or inorganic? How do you know?
inorganic - no carbon
What are the building blocks of lipids?
fatty acids and glycerol
What is the term for three fatty acids hooked to one glycerol?
triglyceride
What are the building blocks of nucleic acids?
nucleotides
What are the two major types of nucleic acids?
DNA and RNA
special protein catalysts that work in living things
What is a catalyst?
enzymes
cause chemical reactions to occur at a lower activation energy and therefore faster - not used up in the reaction
what an enzyme works on
What happens if we don’t have a particular enzyme?
Why can’t we digest fiber?
Why are some people lactose intolerant
substrate
- Without the necessary enzymes, reactions can’t occur.
don’t have the enzymes
the typical ending for a sugar
the typical ending for an enzyme
example
-ose
-ase
lactase breaks down lactose
What can cause an enzyme to change shape and not work properly
change in pH or temperature
What is the term for an enzyme changing shape?
denaturing
water sticking to water
cohesion
water sticking to other materials
adhesion
water climbing up narrow tubes against gravity
capillarity
water requires a large amount of energy to change temperature
high specific heat
high heat capacity
the film on the surface of water caused by water molecules bonding together
surface tension
What type of bond holds water molecules together to other water molecules and causes surface tension
hydrogen bond
chemicals that neutralize strong acids and bases to maintain pH homeostasis
buffers
Why is it better to eat complex carbohydrates that simple carbohydrates?
more energy released over a long period of time
How are glucose and starch related?
Glucose is made by plants and stored as starch which is a chain of glucose.
What are the four levels of protein complexity?
primary - order of amino acids
secondary - folded into pleats or coiled into helix
tertiary - more complex folding
quaternary - more than one chain
the energy needed to get a reaction started
activation energy
a chemical that helps lower activation energy to get a reaction started - not used up during the reaction
catalyst
the place on an enzyme where it attaches to the substrate
active site
What makes up a molecule of water?
2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen
What makes carbon such an excellent element to be the building block of life? Why are we carbon-based?
Carbon can make 4 bonds with itself and many other elements to make chains, branched chains rings…
a reaction where water is added to split large molecules into smaller ones
hydrolysis
a reaction where water is removed to hook smaller molecules together into larger ones
dehydration synthesis
