Chapter 2 Flashcards
Matter
Anything that occupies space and has mass.
Mass
Is the amount of matter in any object, which does not change.
Weight
The force of gravity acting on matter, which does change. When objects are farther from Earth, the pull of gravity is weaker.
Chemical elements
Building blocks that all forms of matter, both living and non-living, are made out of. Each element is a substance that cannot be split into a simpler substance by ordinary chemical means.
Chemical symbol
One or two letters of the element’s name in English, Latin, or another language. Eg. H for hydrogen, C for carbon, etc.
Major elements
4 elements that constitute about 96% of the body’s mass. The major elements are oxygen (65%), carbon (18.5%), hydrogen (9.5%), and nitrogen (3.2%).
Oxygen
Part of water and many organic (carbon-containing) molecules; used to generate ATP; a molecule used by cells to temporary store chemical energy.
Carbon
Forms backbone chains and rings of all organic molecules; carbohydrates, lipids (fats), proteins, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA).
Hydrogen
Constituent of water and most organic molecules; ionized form (H+) makes body fluids more acidic. Component of all proteins and nucleic acids.
Nitrogen
Component of all proteins and nucleic acids.
Lesser elements
8 elements that constitute about 3.6% of the body’s mass. The lesser elements are calcium (1.5%), phosphorus (1.0%), potassium (0.35%), along with 5 others (don’t need to memorize others).
Trace elements
14 elements that are present in tiny amounts. Constitute about 0.4% of the body’s mass. Have important functions in the body.
Atoms
The smallest units of matter that retain the properties and characteristics of an element. Atoms are extremely small!
Subatomic particles
Are composed of individual atoms; protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Nucleus
The dense central core of an atom.
Protons
Positively charged. In the nucleus.
Neutrons
Uncharged. In the nucleus.
Electrons
Negatively charged. In the nucleus.
Electron shells
Simple circles around the nucleus. The first electron shell (nearest to the nucleus) holds a maximum of 2 electrons. The second shell holds a maximum of 8 electrons, and the third can hold up to 18 electrons. The electron shell fills with electrons in a specific order, beginning with the first shell.
Atomic number
The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.
Mass number
Is the sum of an atom’s protons and neutrons. Eg. Because sodium has 11 protons and 12 neutrons, its mass number is 23.
Isotopes
Atoms of an element that have different numbers of neutrons and therefore different mass numbers. Are stable. Have the same number of electrons, therefore have identical chemical properties because number of electrons determines chemical properties.
Radioactive isotopes
Are unstable. Their nuclei decay into a stable configuration. As they decay, these atoms emit radiation, either subatomic particles or packets of energy, and in the process often transform into a different element. Eg. The radioactive isotope of carbon, C-14, decays to N-14.
Half-life (of an isotope)
The half-life of an isotope is the time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample of that isotope to decay into a more stable form. Eg. The half-life of C-14 is about 5730 years.
Atomic mass (atomic weight)
Average mass of all the naturally occurring isotopes in an element.
If an atom either gives up or gains electrons, it becomes an ______.
Ion
Ionization
The process of giving up or gaining electrons.
Molecule
When two or more atoms share electrons. May consist of two atoms of the same kind, such as an oxygen molecule.
Compound
Substance that contains atoms of two or more different elements. Most of the atoms in the body are joined into compounds. Eg. Water (H2O) and sodium chloride aka table salt (NaCl) are compounds vs. a molecule of oxygen (O2) is not a compound because it consists of atoms of only one element.
Free radical
An atom or group of atoms with an unpaired electron in the outermost shell. Having an unpaired electron makes a free radical unstable, highly reactive, and destructive to nearby molecules. Free radicals become stable by either giving up their unpaired electron to, or taking on an electron from another molecule from, another molecule. In doing so, free radicals may break apart important body molecules.
Chemical bonds
The forces that hold together the atoms of a molecule or a compound.
Valence shell
The outermost shell of an atom.
What influences the likelihood that an atom will form a chemical bond?
The number of electrons in its valence shell (outermost shell). An atom with a valence shell holding 8 electrons is chemically stable, which means it is unlikely to form chemical bonds with other atoms. This chemical principal is known as the octet rule.
Ionic bond
The force of attraction that holds together ions with opposite charges.
Cation
A positively charged ion; when the total number of protons exceeds the number of electrons the atom becomes a cation.
Anion
A negatively charged ion; when the total number of electrons exceeds the number of protons the atom becomes an anion.
Electrolyte
An ionic compound that breaks apart into positive and negative ions in a solution.
Covalent bond
Two or more atoms share electrons rather than gaining or losing them. Atoms form a covalently bonded molecule by sharing one, two, or three pairs of valence electrons. The larger the number of electron pairs shared between two atoms, the stronger the covalent bond. Covalent bonds may form between atoms of the same element or between atoms of different elements. They are the most common chemical bonds in the body, and the compounds that result from them form most of the body’s structures.
Single covalent bond
When two atoms share one electron pair.
Double covalent bond
When two atoms share two pairs of electrons.
Triple covalent bond
Occurs when two atoms share three pairs of electrons.
Non-polar covalent bond
When two atoms share the electrons equally; one atom does not attract the shared electron more strongly than the other atom.
The bonds between 2 identical atoms and the bond between carbon and hydrogen atoms are always ______.
Non-polar
Polar covalent bond
When 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.
Electronegativity
The power to attract electrons to itself. Eg. in the bond between oxygen and hydrogen in a molecule of water, the nucleus of the oxygen atom attracts the electrons more strongly than do the nuclei of the hydrogen atoms, so the oxygen atom is said to have a greater electronegativity.
Hydrogen bond
Form 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. Hydrogen bonds establish important links between molecules or between different parts of a large molecule, such as a protein or a nucleic acid. The hydrogen bonds that link neighbouring water molecules give water considerable cohesion.
How do hydrogen bonds differ from ionic or covalent bonds?
Hydrogen bonds result from attraction of oppositely charged parts of molecules rather than from sharing of electrons as in covalent bonds, or the loss or gain of electrons as in ionic bonds. Additionally, hydrogen bonds are weak compared to ionic and covalent bonds. Thus, they cannot bind atoms into molecules.
Surface tension
A measure of the difficulty of stretching or breaking the surface of a liquid
Chemical reaction
Occurs when new bonds form or old bonds break between atoms. Chemical reactions are foundations of all life processes, and the interaction of valence electrons are the basis of all chemical reactions.
Reactants
The starting substances
Products
The ending substances.
Metabolism
All the chemical reactions occurring in the body.
Energy
Is the capacity to do work. Each chemical reaction involves energy changes.
Potential energy
The energy stored in matter due to its position.
Kinetic energy
The energy associated with matter in motion.
Chemical energy
A form of potential energy stored in the bonds of compounds and molecules.
Activation energy
The collision energy needed to break the chemical bonds of the reactants.
What 2 factors influence the chance that a collision will occur and cause a chemical reaction?
Concentration and temperature
How does concentration influence chance of collision occurring and causing a chemical reaction?
The more particles of matter present in a confined space, the greater the chance that they will collide. The concentration of particles increases when more are added to a given space or when the pressure on the space increases, which forces the particles closer together so that they collide more often.
How does temperature influence chance of collision occurring and causing a chemical reaction?
As temperature rises, particles of matter move about more rapidly. Thus, the higher the temperature of matter, the more forcefully particles will collide, and the greater the chance that a collision will produce a reaction.