BIOL235_Chap2 Flashcards
all living and nonliving things consist of?
matter
matter is
anything that occupies space and has mass
mass is
the amount of matter in any object which does not change
weight is
the force of gravity acting on matter and does change
all forms of matter are made up of a limited number of building blocks called
chemical elements
chemical symbol
1 or 2 letters of the element’s name in englishk latin or another language
chemical element
a substance that cannot be split into a simpler substance by ordinary chemical means
lesser elements
8 elements in the body that contribute about 3.6% to the body’s mass
4 major elements of body
oxygen carbon hydrogen nitrogen
major elements
4 elements that constitute about 96% of body’s mass
atom
smallest unit of matter that retains properties and characteristics of the element
trace elements
14 elements that are present in tiny amounts in the body, about 0.4% of body mass
Carbon
18.5% body mass
forms backbone chains and rings of all organic molecs: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, + nucleic acids (DNA + RNA)
Hydrogen
9.5% of body mass
constituent of water and most organic molecs, ionized form (H+) makes body fluids more acidic
nucleus
dense central core of atom
Oxygen
65% of body mass
part of water and many organic (C-containing) molecules; used to generate ATP, a molec used by cells to temporarily store chemical energy
protons
positively charged particles in the nucleus
subatomic particles
dozens of them make up an atom
3 important: protons + neutrons + electrons
nitrogen
3.2% body mass
component of all proteins and nucleic acids (DNA+RNA)
neutrons
uncharged particles in the nucleus
electrons
negatively charged particles
electron shells
certain regions around the nucleus where specific groups of elecs are likely to move about
mass number
sum of protons + neutrons
atomic number
of protons in atom’s nucleus
isotopes
atoms of an element that have diff numbers of neutrons ~ diff mass numbers
radioactive isotopes
isotopes that are unstable, their nuclei decay into a stable configuration
atomic mass
the average mass of all the element’s naturally occurring isotopes
half-life
time required for half of radioactive atoms in a sample of that isotope to decay into a more stable form
ion
an atom that has a positive or negative charge bec it has unequal numbers of protons and electrons
molecule
resulting combination when 2 or more atoms share electrons
may consist of 2 atoms of the same kind or different kinds
ionization
process of giving up or gaining electrons
free radical
an atom or group of atoms with an unpaired electron in the outermost shell
chemical bonds
the forces that hold together the atoms of a molec or compound
compound
a substance that contains atoms of 2 or more diff elements
ionic bond
the force of attraction that holds together ions with opposite charges
valence shell
an atom’s outermost electron shell
cation
a positively charged ion
covalent bond
the bond formed when 2+ atoms share electrons rather than gaining or losing them
anion
a negatively charged ion
electrolyte
an ionic compound that breaks apart into positive + negative ions in solution
triple covalent bond
covalent bond where 2 atoms share 3 prs electrons
single covalent bond
the covalent bond resulting when 2 atoms share 1 elec pair
hydrogen bond
bond forming when a hydrogen atom with a partial positive charge attracts the partial negative charge of neighboring electronegative atoms (usually O or N)
double covalent bond
covalent bond where 2 atoms share 2 prs of elecs
nonpolar covalent bond
covalent bond where 2 atoms share electrons equally
surface tension
a measure of the difficulty of stretching or breaking the surface of a liquid
resulting from hydrogen bonds linking neighboring water molecs
polar covalent bond
covalent bond where 2 atoms share atoms unequally
chemical reaction
occurs when new bonds form or old bonds break betw atoms
energy
the capacity to do work
potential energy
energy stored by matter due to its position
kinetic energy
energy associated iwth matter in motion
chemical energy
a form of potential energy that is stored in the bonds of compounds and molecules
exergonic reactions
reactions that release more energy than they absorb