Module 6 - Chemistry in Biology Flashcards
What are atoms?
the building blocks of matter
What is a nucleus?
THe center of an atom
What are protons?
Positively charged subatomic particles found in the nucleus
What are neutrons?
Subatomic particles found in the nucleus with no charge
What are electrons?
Negatively charged particles found outside the nucleus in energy levels.
What is an element?
a pure substance that cannot be broken down into other substances by physical or chemical means. Made of only one type of atom
What is an isotope?
Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons
What is a compound?
A pure substance formed when two or more different elements combine chemically
What is an ion?
an atom that has lost or gained one or more electrons
What is an ionic bond?
An electrical attraction between two oppositely charged ions or groups of atoms. “Stealing electrons”
What is a covalent bond?
A chemical bond that forms when electrons are shared. Stronger than ionic.
What is a molecule?
a compound in which the atoms are held together by covalent bonds.
What is a chemical reaction?
the process by which atoms or groups of atoms in substances are reorganized into different substances.
What are reactants?
the starting substances, on the left side of the arrow in a chemical equation.
What are products?
The substances formed during the reaction, right side of the arrow in a chemical equation.
What is activation energy?
the minimum amount of energy needed for reactants to form products in a chemical reaction
What is a catalyst?
A substance that lowers the activation energy needed to start a chemical reaction.
What are enzymes?
Proteins that act as biological catalysts during biochemical reactions. Essential to many life processes
What are substrates?
The reactants that bind to the enzyme
What is an active site?
The specific location where a substrate binds on an enzyme
What are polar molecules?
molecules that have an unequal distribution of charges
What is a hydrogen bond?
a weak interaction involving a hydrogen atom and a fluorine, oxygen, or nitrogen atom from a different molecule.
What is a mixture?
A combination of two or more substances in which each substance retains its individual characteristics and properites.
What is a homogeneous mixture?
A mixture with a uniform composition throughout
What is a solution?
A homogeneous mixture with a substance dissolved in another.
What is a solvent?
A substance in which another substance is dissolved
What is a solute?
The substance that is dissolved in the solvent.
What is a heterogenous mixture?
A mixture in which the components remain distinct.
What is a colloid?
A heterogenous mixture in which the particles do not settle out
What are acids?
Substances that release hydrogen ions with they are dissolved in water
What are bases?
Substances that release hydroxide ions when they are dissolved in water
What is pH?
The measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution
What are buffers?
Mixtures that can react with acids or bases to keep the pH within a particular range
What are macromolecules?
Large molecules that are formed by joining smaller organic molecules together
What are polymers?
Molecules made from repeating units of identical or nearly identical compounds (monomers) that are linked together by a series of covalent bonds.
What are the categories of macromolecules?
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic acids
What are carbohydrates?
Compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in the ratio of oneoxygen and two hydrogen atoms for each carbon atom. (CH2O)n
What are monosaccharides?
Simple sugars, 3-7 units of CH2O in a chain
What is a disaccharide?
Two monosaccharides joined together
What factors affect enzyme activity?
Temperature, pH, inhibitors (substances that block the active site or change its shape)
What are lipids?
molecules made mostly of carbon and hydrogen. Make fats, oils, and waxes. Composed of fatty acids, and glycerol
What is the primary function of lipids?
Store energy
What are saturated fats?
Lipids that have tail chains with only single bonds between the carbon atoms.
What are unsaturated fats?
Lipids that have at least one double bond between carbon atoms in the tail chain and can accommodate at least one more hydrogen
What are polyunsaturated fats?
Fats with more than one double bond in the tail.
What are phospholipids?
A lipid responsible for the structure and function of the cell membrane. Polar head and two nonpolar tails
What are steroids?
A type of lipid including chelesterol and hormones.
What are proteins?
A compound made of small carbon compounds called amino acids.
What are amino acids?
Small compounds that are made of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, and sometimes sulfur.
How many different types of amino acids are there?
20
What purposes do amino acids serve?
Make up 15% of total body mass, involved in nearly every function of your body, form muscles, skin, hair, structural support for cells, transport substances inside and between cells.
What are nucleic acids?
Complex macromolecules that store and transmit genetic information.
What are the two type of nucleic acids in living organisms?
DNA - Deoxyribonucleic acid
RNA - Ribonucleic acid
What are nucleotides?
Subunits that make up nucleic acids composed of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and hydrogen.
What are the types of nucleotides?
Adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine
