Module B: Biological Chemistry Flashcards
What determines the mass number of a molecule?
The number of protons plus the number of neutrons I.e. Carbon has six protons and six neutrons, therefore is 12
What is an isotope?
A molecule with extra neutrons in the nucleus. Carbon can have 7 neutrons for example; is called Carbon Thirteen
What are the electrons in the outer shell of an atom?
Valence electrons
What are the two types of chemical bonds?
Covalent and non-covalent
What is a covalent bond?
When two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons from valence shells.
What is the rule that states atoms like a complete outer valence shell?
The octet rule
What is electro-negativity?
The attraction of an atom for the shared electrons
What is a non-polar covalent bond?
Where there are two atoms of equal electro-negativity, there is a stand-off
What is a polymer?
A long molecule with similar building blocks (molymers)
What is a non-covalent bond?
A bond with no sharing of electrons
What is an ionic bond?
A bond where an atom donates an electron
What is a hydrogen bond?
An electrostatic attraction between an electronegative atom (O, N, F) and a hydrogen atom attached to an electronegative atom.
Three types of non-covalent bonds?
Ionic, hydrogen and Van Der Waals attractions
What are the three types of Van Der Waals attractions?
Permanent to permanent charge Permanent to induced interactions Instantaneous induced-induced interactions
What are instantaneous induced-induced interactions also referred to as?
London dispersion forces
What are the weakest intermolecular forces?
London dispersion forces
How do isotopes differ in electrons, protons and neutrons?
All isotopes of a given element have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons in each atom.
What is an element?
A substance that cannot be chemically broken down into another unit of measure. Distinguished into over one hundred categories of atoms.
What is a trace element?
A chemical present in only minute amounts
What is the difference between atomic mass and mass number?
Atomic mass is also known as atomic weight. Atomic mass is the weighted average mass of an atom of an element based on the relative natural abundance of that element’s isotopes. The mass number is a count of the total number of protons and neutrons in an atom’s nucleus.
Difference between molecule and compound?
They are used interchangeably; however, when a molecule consists of only one type of element (ie O2) it CANNOT be a compound.
What does VSEPR stand for?
Valence-Shell Electron-Pair Repulsion (Theory)
What is the VSEPR theory?
The pairs of electrons are spaced to minimise the repulsion between negative charges. This dictates the position of the atoms thereby influencing the overall shape of the molecule.
What is the electrical charge and mass of protons, electrons and neutron?
Protons have a positive charge and a mass of 1 unit, electrons have a mass of zero units and a negative charge and neutrons have a mass of one units ad no formal charge.
When an element is displayed with a bottom and top number to the left, what is the top number?
The top number is the total mass number; particles in an atom of an element that have mass are protons and neutrons. The bottom number is the atomic number i.e. number of protons and electrons
When an element is displayed with a bottom and top number to the left, what is the bottom number?
The bottom number is the proton number, it is simply the number of protons in an atom of the element.
How an atom behaves when it comes into contact with other atoms is determined by its
Electrons
What are ions?
Ions are atoms with extra electrons or missing electrons.
What is the difference between a positive and a negative ion?
When you are missing an electron or two, you have a positive charge. When you have an extra electron or two, you have a negative charge.
What is an ionic bond?
Ionic bonding is the complete transfer of valence electron(s) between atoms. It is a type of chemical bond that generates two oppositely charged ions.
Can non-polar molecules dissolve in water?
No, as they are hydrophobic
What intermolecular forces would hold two molecules of CH4 together?
CH4 is non-polar and doesn’t have any permanents dipoles because the spread of the charge is even across the tetrahedral molecules. Therefore, the force is only instantaneous induced-dipole-induced dipole interactions (London Forces)
What is hydrogen bonding?
Hydrogen bonding is a special type of dipole-dipole attraction between molecules, not a covalent bond to a hydrogen atom. It results from the attractive force between a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to a very electronegative atom such as a N, O, or F atom and another very electronegative atom.
Is hydrogen bonding covalent?
No, as there is no sharing of electrons. It is simply due to the attraction of electronegativity.
What are Van Der Waals attractions?
Van der Waals forces’ is a general term used to define the attraction of intermolecular forces between molecules. There are two kinds of Van der Waals forces: weak London Dispersion Forces and stronger dipole-dipole forces.
What molecules do Dipole-Dipole forces occur in?
Dipole Dipole forces occur in polar molecules, that is, molecules that have an unequal sharing of electrons.
Do isotopes have different masses?
Yes, as neutrons have mass (and isotopes differ in neutrons)
What is the symbol for mass number?
A
What is the mass number comprised of?
The total of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom
What is the strength of London-Dispersion forces dependant on?
The polarisability: In essence, the more electrons, the stronger the potential of forces (as there is more opportunity for electrons to be imbalanced on one side of the atom)
Explain what makes a molecule hydrophobic
Water is a polar molecule, which means that it carries a partial charge between its atoms. Hydrophobic molecules are molecules that do not have a charge, meaning they’re nonpolar.
Three main factors effecting reactions?
Molecular collisions, concentration and temperature of the environment
The relative bond strengths of covalent, hydrogen and hydrophobic bonds (Van Der Waals) from weakest to strongest?
Van Der Waals Hydrogen Covalent
What factors affect the rate of a reaction?
Temperature, orientation of reactants, concentration and activation energy
In an equilibrium, what is the rate of the forward reaction equal to?
The rate of the reverse reaction
In an equilibrium, is the concentration of a reactant equal to the concentration of the product?
Not necessarily
Does the equilibrium constant, K, tell you how fast products are being made?
No
What is a solvent?
The dissolving agent
What is a solute?
The substance being dissolved
Why don’t non-polar molecules dissolve?
There are no charges for the molecule of water to interact with
What is Molarity?
A unit that describes the concentration (or amount of substance) with a volume of solution.
What is the formula for number of moles?
N = mass (g) / molecular mass (g/mol or Daltons)
What is the formula for concentration?
C = N (number of moles) / Volume (Litres)
What is the dissociation of water?
The dissociation of water occurs when a hydrogen atom in a hydrogen bond between two water molecules shifts from one to another. The water molecule with an extra proton is now a Hydronium ion.
Important properties of water?
Polarity, cohesion, adhesion, surface tension and a high boiling point (and thus, a evaporative cooling)
Difference between acids and bases in respect to protons?
An acid has a tendency to donate a proton (H+), while a base accepts a proton (H-)
Equation for pH?
pH = -log[H3+]
What is a buffer?
A buffer is a solution that can resist pH change upon the addition of an acidic or basic components.
Three types of isomers?
Structural, geometric and enantiomers
What are structural isomers?
Structural isomers have different covalent partnerships that hold all of their atoms together
What are geometric isomers?
Geometric isomers have the same covalent partnerships but differ in the spatial arrangements of groups that are positioned of double bonds. These are referred to as cis-trans isomers
What are enantiomers?
Enantiomers are essentially non-superimposable mirror images of each other. When written on 2D paper they look the same, but cannot be imposed upon one another in 3D space.
What are functional groups?
The chemically reactive groups of atoms within organic molecules
What is the chemical structure of a carboxyl group?
COOH
What is the chemical structure of a hydroxyl group?
OH
What is the chemical structure of a carbonyl group?
CO
What is the chemical structure of a amino group?
NH2
What is the chemical structure of a methyl group?
CH3
What is the chemical structure of a phosphate group?
H ₃ PO ₄
What are aldehydes?
An aldehyde is a compound containing a functional group with the structure −CHO, consisting of a carbonyl centre with the carbon atom also bonded to hydrogen and to an R group, which is any generic alkyl or side chain
What are ketones?
In chemistry, a ketone is a functional group with the structure RCR’, where R and R’ can be a variety of carbon-containing substituents. Ketones contain a carbonyl group.
What are chiral centres?
Chiral centres are carbons that have four different substituents attached
What is a hydrocarbon?
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon
The carbon atom is tetravalent; this means that:
A carbon atom can complete its valence shell by forming four covalent bonds
What is an aqueous solution?
An aqueous solution is a solution in which the solvent is water.
Variations in the properties of different organic molecules are most closely associated with
The presence or absence of functional groups
Although the structure of specific functional groups varies they all share one thing in common, they:
All are hydrophilic and increase the organic compound’s solubility
Ethanol, propanol and methanol are three simple alcohols. They can be grouped together because:
They all share the same function group - a hydroxyl
Why is testosterone considered a lipid?
It’s side chains are hydrophobic
What are enzymes?
A type of protein that acts as a catalyst to speed up chemical reactions
What determines the turnover number of enzymes?
Kcat
What are the side chains of amino acids called?
R groups
What is the isoelectric point?
The pH point where a zwitterion is formed
What is a zwitterion?
An amino acid in its neutral state i.e. a molecule or ion having separate positively and negatively charged groups
What are the amino acids with non-polar side chains?
Glycine Alanine Proline Valine Leucine Isoleucine Methionine
What are the amino acids with uncharged polar side chains?
Serine Threonine Cysteine Asparagine Glutamine
What are the amino acids with negatively charged side chains?
Aspartate Glutamate
What are the amino acids with positively charged side chains?
Lysine Arginine Histidine
What are the amino acids with aromatic side chains?
Phenylalanine Tyrosine Tryptophan
What are amino acids linked by?
Peptide bonds
What is a polypeptide?
A polymer of amino acids
Two regular arrangements of secondary structures?
Alpha helix and Beta sheet
What are Alpha helix secondary structures?
Secondary structures of proteins stabilised by hydrogen bonds between nearby residues
What are Beta sheet secondary structures?
Secondary structures of proteins stabilised by hydrogen bonds between adjacent segments that may not be nearby
What are random coils in regards to secondary structured proteins?
A protein with an irregular arrangement of the polypeptide chain
What is tertiary structure?
The overall three-dimensional shape of a polypeptide
What does the tertiary structure arise from?
Non-covalent interactions between amino acids and R groups (side-chains)
What is quaternary structure?
The assembly of the polypeptide chains. Can be identical or different in sequence