Chapter 4: Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life Flashcards
organic chemistry
the study of carbon compounds (organic compounds)
Stanley Miller
- classic experiment demonstrated the abiotic synthesis of organic compounds
- experiments support the idea that abiotic synthesis of organic compounds, perhaps near volcanoes, could have been a stage in the origin of life
electron configuration
- the key to an atom’s chemical characteristics
- determines the kinds and number of bonds an atom will form with other atoms
carbon
can form four covalent bonds with a variety of atoms due to its four valence electrons
valence
- the bonding capacity of a given atom
- the number of covalent bonds that an atom can form, which usually equals the number of unpaired electrons in its outermost (valence) shell
hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen
the most frequent bonding partners of carbon
carbon chains
- form the skeletons of most organic molecules
- vary in length and shape
hydrocarbon
an organic molecule consisting only of carbon and hydrogen
isomer
one of two or more compounds that have the same numbers of atoms of the same elements but different structures and hence different properties
structural isomer
one of two or more compounds that have the same molecular formula but differ in the covalent arrangements of their atoms
cis-trans isomer
- one of several compounds that have the same molecular formula and covalent bonds between atoms but differ in the spatial arrangements of their atoms owing to the inflexibility of double bonds
- formerly called a geometric isomer
enantiomer
one of two compounds that are mirror images of each other and that differ in shape due to the presence of an asymmetric carbon
functional group
a specific configuration of atoms commonly attached to the carbon skeletons of organic molecules and involved in chemical reactions
seven functional groups
- Hydroxyl group
- Carbonyl group
- Carboxyl group
- Amino group
- Sulfhydryl group
- Phosphate group
- Methyl group
Hydroxyl group
- a chemical group consisting of an oxygen atom joined to a hydrogen atom
- molecules possessing this group are soluble in water and are called alcohols
- -OH
Carbonyl group
a chemical group present in aldehydes and ketones and consisting of a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom
Carboxyl group
a chemical group present in organic acids and consisting of a single carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom and also bonded to a hydroxyl group
Amino group
- a chemical group consisting of a nitrogen atom bonded to two hydrogen atoms
- can act as a base in solution, accepting a hydrogen ion and acquiring a charge of 1+
Sulfhydryl group
a chemical group consisting of a sulfur atom bonded to a hydrogen atom
- -SH
Phosphate group
- a chemical group consisting of a phosphorus atom bonded to four oxygen atoms
- important in energy transfer
Methyl group
- a chemical group consisting of a carbon bonded to three hydrogen atoms
- may be attached to a carbon or to a different atom
- only hydrophobic group
adenosine triphosphate (atp)
- an adenine-containing nucleoside triphosphate that releases free energy when its phosphate bonds are hydrolyzed
- this energy is used to drive endergonic reactions in cells
