Chemical Level Of Organization Flashcards
What is the structure of an atom?
- all mater, including all parts of the human body, is made from particles called atoms
- Atoms have three types of subatomic particles:
- The nucleus of an atom contains:
- Protons (+)
- Neutrons (-)
- Orbiting (floating around) the nucleus there are:
- Electrons (e^-): negative charge
- The nucleus of an atom contains:
NOTE: Atoms
Atoms are electrically neutral - the number of electrons and protons are equal. Neutrons may not be equal to these (these different forms are referred to as isotopes)
What are Ions?
- If an atom loses or gains an electron, it is no longer neutral and becomes an ion
- Atom gains electrons it becomes a negative Ion (Anion)
- Atom loses electrons it becomes a positive Ion (Cation)
What are the Important Ions (also known as electrolytes)?
- Calcium: Ca2+
- Sodium: Na+
- Potassium: K+
- Hydrogen: H+
- Chloride: Cl-
What are chemical bonds?
Bond (hold) atoms together to form molecules
What are the 2 types of bonds?
- Ionic Bond
- Covalent Bond
Ionic Bond
- Ions formed
- Atom to atom transfer of electrons
- e.g. NaCl
Example of Ionic Bond (NaCl)
- Not all salts are table salt! Salts consist of positively charged Ions (cations) and negatively charged Ions (anions) (e.g. NaCl, KCl)
- Na loses one electron and becomes Na+
- Cl hgains one electron and becomes Cl-
- The positive (Na+) and negative (Cl-) ions attract forming the bond
Covalent Bond
- Sharing electrons between atoms
- e.g. O2
What can chemical compounds be?
- Organic substance
- Inorganic Substance
What is Organic Substance ?
- Covalently bonded carbon (C) atoms
- e.g. carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids
What is Inorganic Substances?
- Usually lack C atoms
- water (H2O)
- Salts - consist of positively charged ions (cations) and negatively charged ions (anions) (e.g. NaCl)
- Gases (O2)
- With the exception of these inorganic compounds which contain carbon atoms:
- H2CO3 (Carbonic Acid)
- HCO3- (Bicarbonate)
- CO2 (Carbon Dioxide)
- CO (Carbon Monoxide)
What is Water (Inorganic)?
- Most abundant substance in cells
- 2 Hydrogen (H) atoms and 1 Oxygen (O)
- Polar molecules -> unequal sharing of electrons leads to a slight charge difference
- Many reactioins in the body take place in H2O because it is a universal solvent
- Transports chemicals e.g. O2, nutrients
- Maintains body temperature (around 37 C)
What are Acid and Bases?
- Can be organic or inorganic
- Like salts, acids and bases are electrolytes, though they also play a critical role in maintaining the pH balance of cells, organs, and blood within narrow ranges.
Acids
- Dissociate in H2O releasing H+ ions
- ↑H+ = ↓pH (high hydrogen Ion concentrations indicate a low or acidic pH)
- e.g. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) in H2O → H+ + Cl-
Bases
- Substances that bind to (or buffer) free H+ ions (in H2O)
- ↓H+ = ↑ pH(low hydrogen Ion concentrations indicate a high pH)
- e.g. 1: NaOH (base) in H2O → Na+ + OH- (hydroxyl ion)
- e.g. 2: HCO3- (bicarbonates) + H+ →H2CO3 (carbonic acid) → H2O + CO2
- OH- and HCO3- act as bases by binding to the free H+ Ions.
pH Scale
- A measure of the H+ of free H+ in solution
- Basic → Acidic ↑H+
- e.g. pH of blood = 7.35 - 7.45
- 0 → 7 = Acidic
- 7 = Neutral
- 7 → 14 = Basic/Alkaline
- OH- + H+ →H2O (neutralization)
What are important Organic Substances ?
- Carbohydrates
- Lipids
- Proteins
- Nucleic Acids
- Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
What is Carbohydrate?
- Consist of C,H, and O
- Formula: (CH2O) = [n=#]
What is the Function of Carbohydrate?
- Source of energy for cells
- e.g. C6H12O6 (glucose)
- Cellular structures
- e.g. DNA + RNA
How is the naming for Carbohydrates?
- Monosaccharides
- Disaccharides
- Polysaccharides
Monosaccharides
- Simple Sugars
- e.g. glucose, fructose, ribose, deoxyribose
- Basic building blocks of other carbohydrates
Disaccharides
- 2 monosaccharides covalently bonded together
- e.g. glucose + fructose → sucrose
Polysaccharides
- Many monosaccharides (basic building blocks) bonded together
- e.g. glycogen (animals), starch (plants)
What is Lipids?
- C,H, O (ratio different from carbs)
- e.g. fats, oils, waxes, fatty acids (FA)
- Insoluble (nonpolar) in water
What is the Function of Lipids ?
- Protect organs (padding)
- Build cell membranes
- Source of stored energy
What are the Types of Lipids
- Glycerides
- Phospholipids
- Cholesterol
- Steroids
Glycerides
- Most common lipid in body and diet
- Composed of 2 building blocks:
- Glycerol (backbone)
- Fatty acids (FAs)
What are the names for Glycerides?
- Glycerol + 1 FA = Monoglyceride
- Glycerol + 2 FA = Diglyceride
- Glycerol + 3 FA = Triglyceride
Phospholipids
- 3 building blocks:
- Phosphate “Head” Group (polar)
- Hydrophilic (water soluble)- Glycerol backbone & 3. 2 FAs “tails” (non-polar)
- Hydrophobic (water insoluble)
- Glycerol backbone & 3. 2 FAs “tails” (non-polar)
- Phosphate “Head” Group (polar)
Cholesterol
Found in cell membranes and used to synthesize steroids
Steroids
- Derived from cholesterol
- e.g Bile salts, Vitamin D, some hormones (e.g. testosterone, estrogen)
What are Proteins?
- Consists of C, H, O, N, (also sometimes S)
- e.g. collagen
What are the functions of Proteins?
- Structural material
- collagen
- Enzymes, hormones, transporters
- Antibodies
- Source of energy (especially when carbs & lipids in low supply)
What are the names of Proteins?
- Amino Acids
- Dipeptides
- Polypeptides
- Protein
Amino Acids
- Basic building blocks of all proteins
- Use the name of aa itself e.g. Glycine
Dipeptides
Two amino acids joined by peptide bond
Polypeptides
Many amino acids joined by peptide bonds
Protein
One or more polypeptides folded into its final shape
What is Nucleic Acid?
What are the 2 forms of Nucleic Acid?
- DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
- RNA (ribonucleic acid)
What does each nucleotide contain?
- PO4 (Phosphate)
- MOnosaccharide (simple sugar)
- Ribose in RNA or deoxyribose in DNA
- Organic bases:
- Adenine (A)
- Thymine (T) - DNA Only
- Uracil (U) - RNA Only
- Cytosine (C)
- Guanime (G)
What are the structure od Nucleic Acids?
- DNA
- RNA
DNA
Function of DNA?
- Cellular reproduction
- Used as a template to make RNA
RNA
- PO4 - ribose - A, U, C, or G
- Single stranded
- A to U
- G to C
Function of RNA?
Protein Synthesis
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
- Modified RNA nucleotide
- Energy stored in covalent bonds - powers cellular activities
What is the structure of Adenosine Triphosphate?
- adenosine (ribose and adenine) + PO4 (phosphate group
- ”~” = High Energy Bond ( Adenosine - P~P~P)
- Breaking bond creates immediately useable energy
- ATP → ADP (adenosine diphosphate) + Pi (inorganic Phosphate)
An Organic molecule could be?
- Adenosine Triphosphate
- One that ionizes in water to release H+
Which of the following is incorrect?
- Discharides and lipids are present in the structure of collagen
