Chapter 2: chemistry Flashcards
An element is a substance that
cannot be broken down to other substances by chemical reactions
A compound is a substance
consisting of two or more elements in a fixed ratio
what elements make up 96% of living matter?
Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen make up 96% of living matter
Most of the remaining 4% consists of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur
Atoms are composed of subatomic particles
Relevant subatomic particles include:
Protons (positive charge) Neutrons (no electrical charge) Electrons (negative charge)
Neutrons and protons form the
atomic nucleus
____ form a cloud around the nucleus
Electrons form a cloud around the nucleus
An element’s atomic number is
the number of protons in its nucleus
An element’s atomic mass number is
the sum of protons plus neutrons in the nucleus
___ are atoms of an element that differ in number of neutrons
Isotopes
____ decay spontaneously, giving off particles and energy
Radioactive Isotopes
Some applications of radioactive isotopes in biological research are:
Dating fossils
Tracing atoms through metabolic processes Diagnosing medical disorders
___ is the capacity to cause change
Energy
___ is the energy that matter has because of its location or structure
Potential energy
An electron’s state of potential energy is called its energy level, or ___
electron shell
___ are those in the outermost shell, or ___
Valence electrons, valence shell
The chemical behavior of an atom is mostly determined by the ___
valence electrons