Chapter Two: The Chemistry Of Life Flashcards
Chemistry
Study of all molecules
Biochemistry
Study of all molecules that compose living organisms
Element
Simplest form of matter to have a unique chemical property
6 main elements found in the body
Hydrogen Oxygen Phosphorus Carbon Calcium Nitrogen
Mineral
Inorganic elements that are extracted from soil by plants and passes up the food chain to humans
- 4% of body weight
- significant contribution to body structure
Electrolytes
Mineral salts needed for nerve and muscle function
Isotope
Varieties of an element that differ from one another only in the number of neutrons
Radioisotopes
Unstable isotopes that decay and give off radiation
Every element has at least one
Radioactivity
Process of decay
Physical Half-Life…or radioisotopes
Time needed for 50% to decay into a stable state
Biological Half-Life…of a radioisotope
Time required for 50% to disappear from the body
Ion
Charged particles with unequal numbers of protons and electrons
Ionization
The transfer of electrons from one atom to another
Cation
Particles that lose electrons
POSITIVE CHARGE
Anion
Particles that gain an electron
NEGATIVE CHARGE
3 Important Characteristics of Electrolytes
- Chemical reactivity
- Osmotic effects(influence water movement)
- Electrical effects on nerve and muscular tissue
Free Radical
Short lived particles
odd number of electrons
Produced by normal metabolic reactions of the body, radiation, and by chemicals
Trigger reactions that destroy molecules
Cause tissue damage, aging, cancer, and heart problems
Antioxidants
Chemical that neutralizes free radicals
Created by the body and obtained in diet
Molecules
Chemical particles composed of two or more atoms united by a chemical bond
Compound
Molecules composed of two or more elements
Isomers
Identical molecular formula
different arrangement of atoms
What are the four types of chemical bonds
Covalent
Hydrogen
Ionic
Van def Walls force
Ionic bond
Attraction of a cation to an anion
Weak
Disassociates in water
Hydrogen Bond
Weak attraction of slightly positive hydrogen in one molecule to an oxygen or nitrogen in another
Van der Walls Forces
Weak, brief attraction between neutral atoms
Weakest of all bonds
Single Covalent Bond
Sharing 1 electron
Double Covalent Bond
Share 2 electrons
Nonpolar Covalent Bond
Electrons are equally attracted to both nuclei
Strongest bond
Polar Covalent Bond
Electrons more attracted to one nucleus over the other
Mixture
substances are physically blended
not chemically combined
(each substance keeps its own chemical properties