Chapter 2 Vocab Flashcards
a molecule that has a carboxylic acid attached to a hydrocarbon tail
fatty acid
the linkage of two atoms together to form a compound or molecule
chemical bond
the ion created by the attachment of a proton to water
hydronium ion
deoxyribonucleic acid; a nucleic acid composed of two polypeptides
DNA
two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds
molecule
a very large molecule composed of hundreds or thousands of atoms
macromolecule
having a strong affinity for water
hydrophilic
the arrangement of atoms in a molecule
conformation
the smallest indivisible particle of matter than can have an independent existence
atom
adenosine triphosphate; a common molecule in which energy is stored in living systems
ATP
the number of electrons an atom must gain or lose in order to fill up its outer orbital
valence
a measure of how acidic or basic a solution is
pH scale
a chemical bond in which atoms or molecules of opposite charges are held together by electrostatic attraction
ionic bond
the sum of the weights of an atom’s protons and neutrons
atomic weight
a substance that lowers the hydrogen ion concentration in a solution
base
a set of attached atoms that occur together and have specific chemical properties
chemical groups (functional groups)
the sum of the atomic weights of all the atoms in a molecule (in Daltons or AMU)
molecular weight
the sharing of electrons between two atoms in a molecule
covalent bond
molecules that have regions of partial positive and negative charges
polar
a molecule that can combine with others to form a polymer
monomer
a weak bond between two atoms with partial but opposite electrical charge (H-N; H-O; H-F)
hydrogen bond
a substance that increases the number of hydrogen ions in a solution
acid
an atom that has lost or gained electrons from its outer shell and therefore has a positive or negative charge
ion
the formation of a new covalent bond by removal of water
condensation/dehydration
ribonucleic acid; the nucleic acid containing ribose sugar and the base Uracil that functions in protein synthesis
RNA
the linear order of subunits in a polymer
sequence
polymers made up of amino acids that perform a wide variety of cellular functions
proteins
the subunits (monomers) from which proteins (polymers) are assembled
amino acids
a small organic molecule in which the number of carbon atoms equals the number of waters (carbohydrate)
sugar
molecule made of smaller, similar molecules (called monomers) linked together
polymer
a chemical group or molecule that forms part of a larger structure
subunit
a subatomic particle in the nucleus of an atom that carries a positive charge
proton
repelling, tending not to combine with, or incapable of dissolving in water
hydrophobic
the subunit of nucleic acids; composed of a phosphate, a sugar, and a nitrogen-containing base
nucleotide
the breaking of a covalent bond by addition of water
hydrolysis
a subatomic particle with a negative charge
electron
