Chapter 2: Life's Chemistry and the Importance of Water Flashcards
What is the difference between atoms, elements, and molecules?
Element: A substance made up of only a single atom
Molecules: A combo of elements(ex. H2O)
Protons and electrons experience a force of _____________________(1)
(1) Electrostatic attraction
What is the atomic number?
The number of protons in an atom, used to determine an atoms identity
The dry weight of nearly 98% of all biological molecules on Earth is composed of which 6 atoms?
PONCHOS
Phosphorus, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, Sulfur
How many electrons can each shell in an atom hold?
First shell: 2 electrons
Second shell: 8 electrons
Third shell: 18 electrons
Only electrons in the _____________(1) are involved in chemical reactions. Filling the _____________(1) is an energetically stable state.
(1) valence shell
How many covalent bonds does hydrogen want to from?
1
How many covalent bonds does oxygen want to from?
2
How many covalent bonds does sulphur want to from?
2
How many covalent bonds does nitrogen want to from?
3
How many covalent bonds does carbon want to from?
4
How many covalent bonds does phosphorus want to from?
5(or 3)
Why can phosphorus from either 3 or 5 bonds? Why can’t nitrogen do the same thing?
It can separate the pair of electrons in its outer shell(“lone pair) enough so that an extra pair of electrons can squeeze in. Its third shell gives it some flexibility.
Nitorgen’s lone pair of electrons is too close to all the other electrons. Its outer shell is the second shell not the third.
________________________(1) in molecules can rotate freely, but _______________________(2) cannot. This affects the shapes that molecules can take on
(1) Single bonds
(2) Double and triple bonds
In organic molecules, the ________________(1) represent carbon atoms
(1) Ends of the line segment
What are the four types of bonds, ranked in order of strength?
(Ranked strongest to weakest)
- Covalent bond(electrons share din orbitals
- Ionic bonds(Electrons transferred from one atom to another)
- Hydrogen bonding(between N, O, F)
- Van der Waals interactions
What are the two important simplifications made in bio?
- Everything is an aqueous solution(in water). This explains why covalent bonds are stronger than ionic(because ionic would dissociate in water)
- Limited set of atoms, only looking at PONCHOS
What are hydrophobic interactions?
The interaction between non polar substances
What is electronegativity?
The ability of an atom to attract electrons
Ex in water, oxygen is an electron hog because it has a high electronegativity
Describe covalent bond polarity
In a polar covalent bond, the electrons spend more time around the more electronegative atom. This results in partial charrges(but not formal charges) on each of the bonded atoms. We indicate partial charges in a bond using the s symbol.