Intro to Chemistry Terms

Question 1

atom

Answer 1

the smallest unit of matter that has the characteristic properties of a chemical element

Question 2

element

Answer 2

a substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances; the fundamental materials of which all matter is composed; there are 118 different elements organized in the periodic table; the most abundant elements in living things are CHONP

Question 3

matter

Answer 3

anything that takes up space and has mass; can be solid, liquid, or gas

Question 4

energy

Answer 4

the ability to do work; how things change and move; 2 types: potential & kinetic; potential energy is stored energy and includes the following forms: chemical, gravitational, mechanical, nuclear; kinetic energy is active energy and includes the following forms: electrical, motion, radiant (aka electromagnetic), sound, thermal

Question 5

polymer

Answer 5

a large molecule made of repeating subunits called monomers; can be man-made (synthetic) eg. plastics or other petroleum-based products, or can be natural, biomolecules

Question 6

macromolecule

Answer 6

a large molecule usually made up of a repeating subunit; a polymer

Question 7

biomolecule

Answer 7

polymers of carbon-based monomer units; carbon-based macromolecules; building blocks of life; includes: carbohydrate, lipid (fat), nucleic acid, & protein

Question 8

molecule

Answer 8

2 or more atoms bound together; the smallest unit of a compound substance

Question 9

potential energy

Answer 9

stored energy; forms of potential energy include: chemical, gravitational, mechanical, nuclear

Question 10

kinetic energy

Answer 10

active energy; energy in motion through waves, electrons, & substances; forms include electrical, motion, radiant (aka electromagnetic), sound, thermal

Question 11

electrolysis

Answer 11

to break apart using electricity

Question 12

hydrolysis

Answer 12

to break apart water molecules

Question 13

monomer

Answer 13

a smaller repeating subunit molecule that forms larger molecules called polymers; can be identical or have variations

Question 14

organic molecule

Answer 14

molecule made of mostly CHO; has a carbon backbone; vs. organic food which means it was grown without certain chemical compounds

Question 15

chemical formula

Answer 15

shows the chemical symbols of elements and the ratio of each in a single molecule; sub text is used after an element symbol to indicate how many of that element there are in a single molecule, eg. H2O; a number before the chemical formula in a reaction indicates how many of the whole molecule there are

Question 16

chemical bonds

Answer 16

different ways that atoms are attracted to each other; forces that hold atoms together in molecules; 4 types: covalent, ionic, hydrogen, & van der Waals interactions
https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/mhccmajorsbio/chapter/chemical-bonds/#:~:text=There%20are%20four%20types%20of,energy%20input%20to%20break%20apart.

Question 17

covalent bond

Answer 17

the strongest chemical bond; when 2 atoms share a pair of electrons; can be single bond = share 1 pair (2 electrons) denoted by a single line between the 2 atoms, or double bond = share 2 pair (4 electrons) denoted by a double line between the 2 atoms, or triple bond = share 3 pair (6 electrons) denoted by a triple line between the 2 atoms,

Question 18

ionic bond

Answer 18

when one atom donates an electron to another atom and then the positive and negative atoms are attracted to each other; salt molecules are ionic bonds; eg. Na+Cl-

Question 19

hydrogen bond

Answer 19

an attraction between charged or polar molecules in which the positive side of the polar molecule forms a weak bond with the negative side of another polar molecule; eg. in water, the oxygen side of the molecule tends to be slightly negative and the hydrogen side tends to be positive, so the hydrogen side of one molecule forms a weak bond with the oxygen side of the water molecule next to it creating a hydrogen bond; hydrogen bonds are what create surface tension on water; hydrogen bonds are responsible for the secondary structure (the twisting) of proteins

Question 20

polar molecule

Answer 20

a molecule with a side that tends to be slightly positive AND a side that tends to be slightly negative; eg. water molecule H2O the oxygen side tends to hog the electrons so it is more negative so the hydrogen atoms tend to be more positive; only polar molecules can have hydrogen bonds

Question 21

chemical reaction

Answer 21

starting molecules (reactants) get rearranged into different molecules (products); reactants and products store different amounts of chemical energy; energy must be added or released for a chemical reaction to occur

Question 22

chemical equation

Answer 22

a representation of a chemical reaction using chemical formulas, numbers, and an arrow which indicates that the starting molecules react to form; there must be the same type and number of atoms on each side of the arrow - like balancing a math equation; eg. the chemical equation of electrolysis of water is
2 H2O –> 2 H2 + O2

Question 23

reactants

Answer 23

the molecules that a chemical reaction starts with; eg. in the electrolysis of water equation
2 H2O –> 2 H2 + O2
the reactants are the water (H2O) molecules

Question 24

products

Answer 24

the molecules that a chemical reaction produces; eg. in the electrolysis of water equation
2 H2O –> 2 H2 + O2
the products are the hydrogen gas (H2) and oxygen gas (O2) molecules

Question 25

carbohydrate

Answer 25

a polymer biomolecule made of repeating subunits called sugars which are made of elements CHO; eg. starch is a polymer of glucose; functions include: short term energy storage, structure

Question 26

sugar

Answer 26

monomer of carbohydrate; made of CHO; eg. glucose C6H12O6

Question 27

protein

Answer 27

a polymer biomolecule made of repeating subunits of amino acids; made mostly of elements CHON; proteins perform most tasks of living things; functions of proteins include: digestive enzymes, transport, structure, hormones, defense (antibodies), contractile, storage

Question 28

What determines a protein’s function?

Answer 28

A protein’s shape determines its function.

Question 29

What determines a protein’s shape?

Answer 29

A protein’s primary structure, or sequence of amino acids, determines its shape.

Question 30

4 levels of protein structure

Answer 30

primary - the sequence or order of the amino acids forming a chain
secondary - the twisting or curling of the amino acid chain caused by hydrogen bonds
tertiary - folding of the chain of amino acids into a distinct 3-dimensional shape
quaternary - when 2 or more chains fold into connected 3-dimensional shapes to form 1 functional protein

Question 31

amino acid

Answer 31

monomer of protein; made of CHON elements, includes an amino group (NH2), a carboxyl group (CO2H), and an R group which is a variable carbon based molecule; while there are hundreds of different amino acids that occur in nature, only 20 amino acids are coded for by the DNA of all living things and therefore only these 20 amino acids make up the proteins in living things.

Question 32

lipid

Answer 32

aka fat; a biomolecule made of CHO; made of long chains of CH; subunits include glycerol and fatty acids; function of lipids include: chemical messengers (hormones), long term energy storage, cell membrane structure, temperature maintenance

Question 33

nucleic acid

Answer 33

a polymer biomolecule; made of CHONP; made of a monomer or subunit called nucleotide; DNA contains the code for all living things using 4 different repeating nucleotides; RNA is short term copies of sections of DNA using 3 of the same nucleotides as DNA and 1 different, RNA strands usually code for a single protein that the cell needs to make for a specific function needed at that time

Question 34

nucleotide

Answer 34

the monomer of nucleic acids; made of CHONP; includes a phospate group, a 5 carbon sugar, and a nitrogenous base; DNA uses nucleotides with 4 different nitrogenous bases including: adenine, guanine, cytosine, & thymine (AGCT); RNA nitrogenous bases include AGC but use uracil U instead of T

Question 35

Law of Conservation of Matter

Answer 35

Matter cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.

Question 36

Law of Conservation of Energy

Answer 36

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.