Chemistry of life Flashcards
What is biochemistry?
The chemistry of life and its building blocks. It explores the chemical processes within and related to living organisms.
What is an atom?
The smallest unit of matter that have a tiny centra; nucleus which contains protons and neutrons.
How many naturally occurring elements are there?
92
4 most common elements
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen
what is the atomic numebr?
The number of protons in an atom’s nucleus. (the atomic differentiates one element from another, as each one has its own atomic number).
Atomic weight
The sum of protons and neutrons in the atomic nucleus.
What are electrons?
These represent the energy levels of atoms by orbiting/surrounding the nucleus of an atom in circular rings. (also known as electron shells; where only maximum numbers of electrons can be held within each shell depending on its position to the atom (e.g. closest; 1 electron, second closest; 8 electrons, etc.)
What happens when an atom’s outer shell’s contain an unstable number of electrons?
the atom will be reactive and may donate, share or receive electrons with one or more other atoms achieve stability.
What is a molecule?
A group of two or more atoms that are chemically combined. Atoms can be of the same element or of two or more different elements.
Difference between organic and inorganic compounds?
Compounds containing carbon & hydrogen are organic, whilst all other compounds are inorganic.
What is a compound?
A substance consisting of atoms or ions of two or more different elements in definite proportions joined by chemical bonds into a molecule.
What is a covalent bond?
when atoms share their electrons together. most molecules are held together by this type of bond. an example of this is a water molecule; two hydrogen atoms & one oxygen atom.
What is an electrolyte?
an iconic compound/ a substance that that produces an electrically conducting solution when dissolved in a solvent, such as water. e.g. calcium
What is an ion?
an atom or molecule with a a net electrical charge that bear one or more positive or negative electrical charges
What are biomolecules (biological molecules) & types?
Any type of the numerous substances that are produced by cells and living organisms, with the main types being;
- carbohydrates- sugar molecules made up of carbon, hydrogen & O2
- lipids- (fats & oils) made up up of glycerol and fatty acids
- proteins- made up of many amino acids
What is pH?
The measuring system used to quantify the concentration of hydrogen ions in a fluid, which is an indicator of its acidity or alkalinity. (pH test measures the amount of hydrogen ions in a given solution).
- 0.0-6.0 is acidic -e.g. stomach acid
- 7.0 is neutral -e.g. water
- 7.1-14.0 is alkaline -e.g. blood
What are hydrogen ions?
a hydrogen ion is created when a hydrogen atom loses or gains an electron. high concentrations of this ion produce a low pH whilst low concentrations produce a high pH.
What are nucleotides?
the basic building block of nucleic acid which consists os a sugar molecule. nucleic acids are the largest molecules in the body and built from nucleotides. ATP is a nucleotide.
What are buffers?
Buffers maintain internal stability despite constant cellular production of acids & bases. examples of buffers are;
- lungs; important regulators of blood pH as they excrete CO2
- kidneys; also regulate blood pH by adjusting excretion of excess waste
What are buffers?
Buffers maintain internal stability despite constant ceullar porcution of acids & based
What is diffusion?
Diffusion is the movement of molecules down a concentration gradient, from a high concentration gradient to a low one, until an equilibrium (balance) is reached. Diffusion is sped up by heat and can pass through a semi-permeable membrane such as a cell’s plasma membrane & capillary walls.
Example of diffusion;
Diffusion occurs in the lungs during respiration. O2 diffuses from the lungs into the capillaries bloodstream surrounding alveoli (air sacs), and CO2 crosses from the capillaries into the air sacs to be exhaled.
(bigger molecules such as RBCs and WBCs don’t leave the capillary bloodstream and into the alveolus because they are too big to pass through).
What is osmosis?
Osmosis regards the movement of water molecules from a high water concentration to a low one, down a concentration gradient, until equilibrium is reached.
Osmosis example;
Osmosis can be understood through the structural change of RBCs;
- If blood plasma is hypotonic (more dilute than the ICF than within the RBC), water will enter the cell, causing the erythrocyte to swell and burst.
- If the ICF is of a stronger concentration than that of the ECF which is blood plasma, the cell’s ICF will passively move out of the cell, causing the erythrocyte to shrink and become flacid.
