Chapter 2: Chemistry of life Flashcards
Why is it easy to dissolve things in water?
Water is polar and able to form hydrogen bonds with ions and polar molecules
Hydroxyl group
These participate in chemical reactions in a predictable manner and can cause a drastic change in function
Functional groups
The ability to absorb or release large amounts of heat with only a slight change in temperature. How difficult it is to heat up
Specific heat
What element is in almost all molecules of living organisms (except water)?
Carbon
Compounds with the same molecular formula but a different arrangement of atoms
Isomers
Adhesion
When water clings to the substance of another surface
Why is ice less dense than liquid water?
When the hydrogen bonds become more stable, there is more room for air to come in which leads to lower density
This element has four valence electrons which allows it to make four different bonds
Carbon
How is aquatic life able to survive in the winter?
The top layer freezes to ice and floats because it is less dense, thus creating an insulation layer for the aquatic life
These are critical in the pharmaceutical industry
Enantiomers
Why does water expand when it’s frozen?
The hydrogen bonds become stable and form a lattice-like structure
Cohesion
Water molecules interact with each other due to h-bonding to create things like surface tension and a dome on a penny
These have different biological properties but the same molecular formula
Isomers
Phosphate group
Methyl group
Why do places close to a large body of water not have a large temperature fluctuation?
Water absorbs the heat from the sun during the day and releases it back into the atmosphere at night
Sulfhydryl group
Thalidomide isomer example
One form worked well as a sedative and the other causes severe birth defects
Amino group
What are the temperatures of areas with close by bodies of water compared to areas with no bodies of water?
The areas with bodies of water are cooler
Carboxyl group
These isomers are mirror images of each other (like right and left hands)
Enantiomers
What is waters importance in our bodies?
Ions, salts, and other important molecules in us occur in aqueous environments to help facilitate reactions
Why is water polar
Oxygen is more electronegative and pulls the electrons from the hydrogen to it creating partial positive and partial negative charges
This allows water to absorb a lot of heat without changes its temperature a lot
High specific heat
Carbonyl group
The two “x’s” are on the same side in this isomer
Cis isomer
The two “x’s” are on opposite sides in this isomer
Trans isomer
