CH.2 : THE CHEMICAL LEVEL OF ORGANIZATION Flashcards
What is chemistry?
the science of the structure and interactions of matter.
All living and nonliving things consist of ___, which is anything that occupies space and has ____.
matter, mass
Explain mass.
the amount of matter in any object, which does not change.
Explain weight.
the force of gravity acting on matter, does change.
Matter exists in three states, what are they?
solid, liquid, and gas.
Explain solids and give an example in the body
Solids, such as bones and teeth, are compact and have a definite shape and volume.
Explain liquids and give an example in the body
such as blood plasma, have a definite volume and assume the shape of their container.
Explain gases and give an example in the body
like oxygen and carbon dioxide, have neither a definite shape nor volume.
All forms of matter—both living and nonliving—are made up of a limited number of building blocks called ___ ____
chemical elements.
Just four elements, called the major elements, constitute about 96% of the body’s mass. What are they?
oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen.
Eight others, the lesser elements, contribute about 3.6% to the body’s mass. What are they?
calcium, phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), sodium, chlorine (Cl), magnesium (Mg), and iron (Fe).
An additional 14 elements—the ____ _____ —are present in tiny amounts.
trace elements
Each element is made up of?
atoms
What are the three types of subatomic particles important for understanding the chemical reactions in the human body?
protons, neutrons, and electrons
The dense central core of an atom is its ___
nucleus
Where are the protons, neuron and electrons located?
- Within the nucleus are positively charged protons and uncharged (neutral) neutrons
- The tiny, negatively charged electrons move about in a large space surrounding the nucleus. They do not follow a fixed path or orbit but instead form a negatively charged “cloud” that envelops the nucleus
Explain the ordering of electron shells.
The first electron shell (nearest the nucleus) never holds more than 2 electrons. The second shell holds a maximum of 8 electrons, and the third can hold up to 18 electrons.
The number of electrons in an atom of an element always equals the number of ___
protons
What is an atomic number?
The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom is an atom’s atomic number
What is the mass number of an atom?
the sum of its protons and neutrons.
What are isotopes?
- atoms of an element that have different numbers of neutrons and therefore different mass numbers.
- stable
Explain radioactive isotopes.
they are unstable; their nuclei decay (spontaneously change) into a stable configuration.
What is the half-life of an isotope?
-the time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample of that isotope to decay into a more stable form
Some radioisotopes can be used as _____ to follow the movement of certain substances through the body
tracers
What is the standard unit for measuring the mass of atoms and their subatomic particles?
- a dalton, also known as an atomic mass unit (amu)
What is the atomic mass/ atomic weight of an element?
- the average mass of all its naturally occurring isotopes
What is an ion?
-an atom that has a positive or negative charge
Explain ionization.
process of giving up or gaining electrons.
When two or more atoms share electrons, the resulting combination is called a _____
molecule
What is a molecular formula?
indicates the elements and the number of atoms of each element that make up a molecule.
What is a compound? Give an example in the body.
- a substance that contains atoms of two or more different elements.
- Water (H2O)
A molecule of oxygen (O2) is not a compound. True or False
True, because it consists of atoms of only one element.
What is a free radical? Give an example
- an atom or group of atoms with an unpaired electron in the outermost shell
- superoxide, which is formed by the addition of an electron to an oxygen molecule
What do antioxidants do?
-substances that inactivate oxygen-derived free radicals
What are chemical bonds?
The forces that hold together the atoms of a molecule or a compound
The likelihood that an atom will form a chemical bond with another atom depends on the number of electrons in its outermost shell, also called the ____ ____
valence shell
Explain the octet rule.
- The atoms of most biologically important elements do not have 8 electrons in their valence shells.
- two or more atoms can interact in ways that produce a chemically stable arrangement of 8 valence electrons for each atom.
- atom either empties its partially filled valence shell, fills it with donated electrons, or shares electrons with other atoms.
What are the three types of chemical bonds?
ionic bonds, covalent bonds, and hydrogen bonds
What is an ionic bond?
The force of attraction that holds together ions with opposite charges
What are cations and anions?
positively and negatively charged ions
What is an electrolyte?
An ionic compound that breaks apart into positive and negative ions in solution
Explain covalent bonds.
When a covalent bond forms, two or more atoms share electrons rather than gaining or losing them
Explain a single covalent bond. Give an example
- results when two atoms share one electron pair.
- For example, a molecule of hydrogen forms when two hydrogen atoms share their single valence electrons which allows both atoms to have a full valence shell at least part of the time
Explain a double covalent bond. Give an example
- results when two atoms share two pairs of electrons, as happens in an oxygen molecule
Explain a triple covalent bond. Give an example
-occurs when two atoms share three pairs of electrons, as in a molecule of nitrogen
What is a nonpolar covalent bond?
- two atoms share the electrons equally—one atom does not attract the shared electrons more strongly than the other atom.
The bonds between two identical atoms are always what type of chemical bonds?
nonpolar covalent bonds
Explain a polar covalent bond.
-the sharing of electrons between two atoms is unequal—the nucleus of one atom attracts the shared electrons more strongly than the nucleus of the other atom.
What is electronegativity?
the power to attract electrons
Explain hydrogen bonds.
- forms when a hydrogen atom with a partial positive charge attracts the partial negative charge of neighbouring electronegative atoms, most often larger oxygen or nitrogen atoms.
- result from attraction of oppositely charged parts of molecules
- these bonds are weak, cannot bind atoms into molecules but important in linking molecules
The hydrogen bonds that link neighbouring water molecules give water considerable ___ , the tendency of like particles to stay together.
cohesion
The cohesion of water molecules creates a very high _____ ____ , a measure of the difficulty of stretching or breaking the surface of a liquid.
surface tension
When does a chemical reaction occur?
-when new bonds form or old bonds break between atoms.
What are reactants and products?
-in chemical reactions, reactants are the starting substances and products are the ending substances
What is energy, what are the two different forms of it and explain them?
- capacity to do work
- potential : energy stored by matter due to its position
- kinetic: the energy associated with matter in motion.
What is chemical energy?
-a form of potential energy that is stored in the bonds of compounds and molecules.
Explain the law of conservation of energy.
-Although energy can be neither created nor destroyed, it may be converted from one form to another
What happens in an exergonic reaction?
- release more energy than they absorb.