Cell biology Flashcards
what is an atom
the basic unit of all forms of matter
is the smallest unit of matter that retains the physical and chemical properties of the element
everything is made up onf atoms
atoms are made up of _____ particles
subatomic
What are the 3 most stable subatomic particles
neutrons, protons, and electrons
what subatomic particle(s) are found in the nucleus
protons and neutrons
what kind of charge does a proton have
positive
what kind of charge does a neutron have
no charge
what kind of charge does an electron have
a negative charge
where is the electron located
orbiting the nucleus
why do electrons orbit the nucleus
they are constantly in motion and are attracted to the positively-charged nucleus
what are electron orbitals
3D space around the nucleus of an atom where an electron will be found
how many electrons do every element need in order to stay stable? who is excluded from this?
they need 8 electrons in its outer orbital
helium and hydrogen excluded from this
why do hydrogen and helium NOT need 8 electrons
they are the lightest elements.
they only need two electrons in the outer shell in order to stay stable
how many particles do hydrogen have
hydrogen has only one electron and one proton
how many electrons does helium have
they have 2 electrons, meaning it is stable
it also has two protons and two neutrons
what determines the chemical behavior of an atom
it is determined by the number of electrons in the outermost electron shell
when is an atom reactive and when it is inert
an atom with an incomplete (partially full) electron shell is reactive whereas an atom with a full electron shell is inter, or not chemically active
what happened to the blimp (Hindenburg)
a spark ignited the hydrogen gas and caused the explosion because it does not have a full outer orbital
now blimps are filled with helium because it is lighter than air but also has a full outer orbital
what does a reactive atom want to do
they want to try to fill the valence shell by interacting with other atoms
This interaction may result in two atoms forming chemical bonds
a chemical bond is an attraction that holds two atoms together
chemical bonds happen because 2 or more elements are trying to fill up their electron orbital
what is a molecule
a molecule is two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds
Examples of diatomic molecules
O2 and H2
Examples of a compound
NaCl
when is an ion formed
if an atom has an almost empty or an almost full outer electron shell is likely to form an ion
what is an ion
an ion is charged atom or molecule. it is charged because it has either lost or gained electrons
what is an anion
an anion is a negatively charged atom or molecule. it has gained an electron
what is a cation
a cation is a positively charged atom or molecule. it has lost an electron
All elements on the periodic table are _______
neutral
when an electron gains a negative charge it is known as a _____ and has _____
anion; one more electron than protons
when an electron gains a positive charge it is known as a _____ and has _____
cation; one fewer electrons
Atoms that have an almost_____ outer orbital are likely to _____these electrons and get rid of that outer shell altogether
empty; lose
what is an ionic bond
when a positive and negative electron attract and do not share electrons
what is a covalent bond
is a bond formed when two atoms share pairs of electrons
what is nonpolar covalent bonds
involve electrons being shared equally
what is a polar covalent bond
is a covalent bond in which the sharing of the electrons pair is unequal
what is electronegativity
defined as an atom’s ability to attract and hold electron
what does electronegativity indicate
an indication of how much positive charge is in the nucleus
the ____ the numbers, the ____ electronegative an atom is
higher; more
what is the electronegativity of hydrogen
2.2
what is the electronegativity of carbon
2.6
what is the electronegativity of nitrogen
3.0
what is the electronegativity of oxygen
3.4
what kind of charge will atoms have if they have a higher electronegativity?
positive, they will also hold onto the electron pair more strongly than atoms with significantly lower electronegativity
what are the atoms we are supposed to know the electronegativity of?
HCNO (if the atoms in the bond are next to each other on that list, the bond will be nonpolar, if it is not it is polar)
what is a hydrogen bond
is formed by the charge attraction when a hydrogen atom that is covalently bonded to one atom is attracted to a second atom
what kind of bond a between a hydrogen and an oxygen
polar covalent bond
what does it mean to be hydrophilic
describes the property of having an affinity for water
what kind of substances are hydrophilic
polar and ionic substances