Chapter 2: The Molecules of Life Flashcards

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1
Q

elements

A

a pure substance, such as oxygen, copper, gold, and sodium, that cannot be broken down by the methods of chemistry

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2
Q

atom

A

the basic unit of matter

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3
Q

nucleus (of an atom)

A

the dense central part of an atom containing protons and neutrons

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4
Q

protons

A

positively charged particles

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5
Q

neutron

A

electrically neutral particles

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6
Q

electron

A

negatively charged particles that move around the atomic nucleus

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7
Q

the # of protons determines the _____ which specifics the atom as a particular _______

A

atomic number; element

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8
Q

atomic mass

A

the mass of the atom, determined by the protons and neutrons (electrons have negligible mass)

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9
Q

isotopes

A

atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons (different mass)

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10
Q

ions

A

electrically charged atoms (# of protons and electrons not balanced)

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11
Q

orbital

A

a region of space where an electron is present most of the time

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12
Q

shell

A

energy levels of various orbitals (electrons in orbit close to the nucleus have less energy than electrons in orbitals farther away)

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13
Q

what is the max number of electrons in one orbital?

A

2

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14
Q

periodic table of elements

A

tabular form of the arranged chemical elements

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15
Q

molecules

A

groups of two or more atoms attached together that act as a single unit

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16
Q

chemical bond

A

a form of attraction between atoms that holds them together (what holds a molecule together)

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17
Q

valence electrons

A

electrons in the outermost orbitals of an atom, at the highest energy level (determines atom’s ability to combine with other atoms)

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18
Q

molecular orbital

A

a merged orbital traversed by a pari of shared electrons

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19
Q

covalent bond

A

a chemical bond formed by a shared pair of electrons holding two different atoms together

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20
Q

double bond

A

when two adjacent atoms share two pairs of electrons

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21
Q

electronegativity

A

the ability of atoms to attract electrons

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22
Q

polar covalent bond

A

a bond between two atoms where the electrons are shared unequally

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23
Q

nonpolar covalent bond

A

a covalent bond between atoms that have the same or nearly the same electronegativity (electrons shared almost equally)

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24
Q

ionic bond

A

a bond between two oppositely charged atoms in which the atom with higher electronegativity “steals” the electron

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25
Q

chemical reaction

A

the process by which molecules are transformed into different molecules

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26
Q

reactants

A

any of the starting molecules in a chemical reaction

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27
Q

products

A

any one of the transformed molecules that result from a chemical reaction

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28
Q

polar (molecule)

A

a molecule with regions of positive and negative charge

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29
Q

hydrophilic

A

“water loving”

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30
Q

hydrophobic

A

“water fearing”

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31
Q

solvent

A

a liquid capable of dissolving a substance

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32
Q

aqueous

A

water-solution in water

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33
Q

nonpolar

A

does not have regions of positive and negative charge; associate with HYDROPHOBIC

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34
Q

hydrophobic effect

A

the exclusion of non polar molecules by polar molecules, which drives biological processes such as the formation of cell membranes and the folding of proteins

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35
Q

hydrogen bond

A

interaction between a hydrogen atom with a slight positive charge and an electronegative atom of another molecule (depicted by a dotted line, much weaker than covalent bonds)

36
Q

cohesion

A

attraction between molecules; one consequence of cohesion is high surface tension

37
Q

acidic

A

describes a solution in which the concentration of protons is higher than that of hydroxide ions (the pH is lower than 7)

38
Q

basic

A

describes a solution in which the concentration of protons is lower than that of hydroxide ions (the pH is higher than 7)

39
Q

organic molecules

A

a carbon-containing molecule

40
Q

isomers

A

molecules that have the same chemical formula but different structures

41
Q

proteins

A

the key, structural, and functional molecules that do the work of the cell, providing structural support and catalyzing chemical reactions. the term “protein” is often used as a synonym for “polypeptide.”

42
Q

nucleic acids

A

a polymer of nucleotides that encodes and transmits genetic information

43
Q

carbohydrates

A

an organic molecule containing C, H, and O atoms that provides a source of energy for metabolism and that forms the starting point for the synthesis of all other organic molecules. makes up the cell wall in bacteria, plants, and algae

44
Q

lipids

A

an organic molecule that stores energy, acts as a signalling molecule and is a component of cell membranes

45
Q

polymer

A

complex molecules made up of repeated simpler units connected by covalent bonds

46
Q

proteins are polymers of:

A

amino acids

47
Q

nucleic acids are polymers of:

A

nucleotides

48
Q

carbohydrates are polymers of:

A

simple sugars

49
Q

instead of being defined by chemical structure, lipids are defined by:

A

property

50
Q

the lipid membranes that define cell boundaries consist of:

A

fatty acids bonded to other organic molecules

51
Q

functional groups

A

groups of one or more atoms that have particular chemical properties of their own, regardless of what they are attached to

52
Q

enzymes

A

catalysts that accelerates the rates of chemical reactions

53
Q

each amino acid consists of:

A

alpha carbon, amino group (-NH2), carboxyl group (-COOH), a hydrogen atom, R group of side chain

54
Q

at pH in a cell (7.4), what happens to the amino acid?

A

amino and carboxyl groups are ionized or charged (-NH3+) and (-COO-)

55
Q

peptide bond

A

covalent bond where carbon atom in the carboxyl group of one amino acid is joined to the nitrogen atom in the amino group of the next, link amino acids in a chain to form a protein (a water molecule is lost for each bond)

56
Q

deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

A

genetic material in all organisms. transmitted from parents to offspring. contains information needed to specify the amino acid sequence of all proteins synthesized in an organism.

57
Q

ribonucleic acid (RNA)

A

key player in protein synthesis and regulation of gene expression

58
Q

nucleotides consist of:

A

5-carbon sugar, nitrogen containing base, one or more phosphate groups

59
Q

bases built from nitrogen containing two types of rings:

A

pyrimidine (single ring structure) or purines (double ring structure)

60
Q

what are the pyrimidines?

A

cytosine (C), thymine (T) - DNA, uracil (U) - RNA

61
Q

what are the purine?

A

guanine (G), adenine (A)

62
Q

phosphodiester bond

A

bond between nucleotides, forms when a phosphate group in one nucleotide is covalently joined to the sugar unit in another nucleotide-forms the backbone of the DNA strand - involves a loss of a water molecule

63
Q

double helix

A

structure of DNA, two strands of nucleotides twisted around each other

64
Q

what are the complementary base pairs of purine-pyrimidine pairs?

A

A-T, G-C

65
Q

complementary base pairs results from…?

A

hydrogen bonds between bases

66
Q

carbohydrates

A

distinctive molecules composed of C, H, O atoms usually in a ratio of 1:2:1, provides principal source of energy for metabolism

67
Q

simplest carbohydrates are sugars (AKA saccharides), examples are:

A

glucose (product of photosynthesis), galactose (dairy products), and fructose (commercial sweeteners)

68
Q

monosaccharide

A

simple sugar

69
Q

disaccharide

A

two simple sugars linked together by a covalent bond

70
Q

polysaccharides

A

polymers of simple sugars that provide long-term energy storage (starch or glycogen) or structural support (cellulose in plant walls)

71
Q

complex carbohydrates

A

long, branched chains of monosaccharides

72
Q

monosaccharides with aldehyde group (HC=O) are called

A

aldoses (ex. glucose, galactose)

73
Q

monosaccharides with ketone group (C=O) are called

A

ketoses (ex. fructose)

74
Q

glycosidic bonds

A

covalent bonds attaching monosaccharides; involves loss of a water molecule. formed between carbon one of one monosaccharide and a hydroxyl group carried by an atom in a different monosaccharide molecule

75
Q

ALL LIPIDS ARE….

A

HYDROPHOBIC, but they are chemically diverse

76
Q

triacylglyceral

A

lipids used for energy storage, major component of animal fat and vegetable oil

77
Q

what is a fatty acid?

A

a long chain of carbon atoms attached to a carboxyl group (-COOH) at one end

78
Q

glycerol

A

3-carbon molecule with OH groups attached to each carbon

79
Q

phospholipid

A

a type of lipid and an important component of cell membranes

80
Q

fatty acids differ in….

A

length of their hydrocarbon chain

81
Q

saturated fatty acids are:

A

fatty acids that do not contain double bonds (all atoms “saturated” with hydrogen atoms) ex. animal oils

82
Q

unsaturated fatty acids are:

A

fatty acids that contain carbon-carbon double bonds (“kink” occurs in chain where double bond occurs, weaker bonds, lower melting/boiling points) ex. plant oils

83
Q

fatty acid molecules are:

A

unpolar, uncharged, and HYDROPHOBIC (although motion of electrons can lead to a slight charge)

84
Q

van der Waals force

A

attraction of opposite charges (weak), atom must be close, an intermolecular force

85
Q

melting point of fatty acids depend on :

A

their length and saturation

86
Q

steroid

A

a type of lipid (ex. cholesterol) that is involved in the synthesis of steroid hormones and is a component of animal cell membranes