Chapter 2: The Molecules of Life Flashcards
elements
a pure substance, such as oxygen, copper, gold, and sodium, that cannot be broken down by the methods of chemistry
atom
the basic unit of matter
nucleus (of an atom)
the dense central part of an atom containing protons and neutrons
protons
positively charged particles
neutron
electrically neutral particles
electron
negatively charged particles that move around the atomic nucleus
the # of protons determines the _____ which specifics the atom as a particular _______
atomic number; element
atomic mass
the mass of the atom, determined by the protons and neutrons (electrons have negligible mass)
isotopes
atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons (different mass)
ions
electrically charged atoms (# of protons and electrons not balanced)
orbital
a region of space where an electron is present most of the time
shell
energy levels of various orbitals (electrons in orbit close to the nucleus have less energy than electrons in orbitals farther away)
what is the max number of electrons in one orbital?
2
periodic table of elements
tabular form of the arranged chemical elements
molecules
groups of two or more atoms attached together that act as a single unit
chemical bond
a form of attraction between atoms that holds them together (what holds a molecule together)
valence electrons
electrons in the outermost orbitals of an atom, at the highest energy level (determines atom’s ability to combine with other atoms)
molecular orbital
a merged orbital traversed by a pari of shared electrons
covalent bond
a chemical bond formed by a shared pair of electrons holding two different atoms together
double bond
when two adjacent atoms share two pairs of electrons
electronegativity
the ability of atoms to attract electrons
polar covalent bond
a bond between two atoms where the electrons are shared unequally
nonpolar covalent bond
a covalent bond between atoms that have the same or nearly the same electronegativity (electrons shared almost equally)
ionic bond
a bond between two oppositely charged atoms in which the atom with higher electronegativity “steals” the electron
chemical reaction
the process by which molecules are transformed into different molecules
reactants
any of the starting molecules in a chemical reaction
products
any one of the transformed molecules that result from a chemical reaction
polar (molecule)
a molecule with regions of positive and negative charge
hydrophilic
“water loving”
hydrophobic
“water fearing”
solvent
a liquid capable of dissolving a substance
aqueous
water-solution in water
nonpolar
does not have regions of positive and negative charge; associate with HYDROPHOBIC
hydrophobic effect
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