Part 1: The Chemistry Of Life Flashcards
Oxygen
O
One of the four elements that make up most of all organisms
Elements
Substances that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means
Carbon
C
One of the four elements that make up most of all organisms
Can form 4 bonds (4 valence electrons)
Hydrogen
H
One of the four elements that make up most of all organisms
Nitrogen
N
One of the four elements that make up most of all organisms
Trace elements
Elements that are required by organisms in very small quantities
Iron, iodine, copper
Atom
The smallest unit of an element that retains its characteristic properties
Protons
Positively charged subatomic particles
Neutrons
Neutrally charged subatomic particles
Electrons
Negatively charged subatomic particles
Nucleus
The center of an atom, that contains the protons and neutrons
Isotopes
Atoms with the same number of protons different numbers of neutrons
Compound
Two or more chemically combined elements
Chemical reaction
The making and breaking of chemical bonds, leading to changes on composition of matter
Chemical bond
Attraction between two atoms, resulting from shared outer-shell electrons or the presence of opposite charges on the atoms
Ionic bond
Chemical bond resulting from an exchange of electrons so that each valence electron shell is full and each element has a charge, one negative, the other positive
Covalent bond
Chemical bond that results from the sharing of electrons
Nonpolar covalent
Covalent bonds where the electrons are shared completely equally
Polar covalent
Covalent bond where there is an unequal sharing of electrons, because a more electronegative element pulls on the shared electrons, giving each region a partial charge
Polar
Molecules that are partially positive and partially negative
Hydrogen bonds
Weak chemical bonds that form when a hydrogen atom that is covalently bonded to one electronegative atom is also attracted to another electronegative atom
Cohesion
The bonding together of like molecules, usually by hydrogen bonds
Adhesion
The attraction between different kinds of molecules
Surface tension
A measure of how difficult it is to stretch or break the surface of a liquid
Capillary action
The ability of water to travel up the roots, trunks/stems, and branches of plants through thin vessels
Heat capacity/specific heat
The amount of energy it takes to raise the temperature of a substance by 1 degree C
Acidic
Solution that is high in H+ molecule concentration
pH<7
Basic
Solution that is high in -OH molecule concentration
pH>7
Neutral
Solution that has equal concentrations of H+ and -OH
pH=7
Alkaline
Another word for basic
pH scale
Logarithmic scale that assigns numerical values to the acidity or alkalinity of a solution (1-14)
Organic compounds
Compounds that contain carbon
Inorganic compounds
Compounds that don’t contain carbon
Exception:CO2
Carbohydrate
Organic compounds made of C, H, and O
Usually CnH2nOn
Monosaccharides
Carb made out of one kind of sugar molecule
Disaccharide
Carb made out of two kinds of sugar molecules
Glucose
One of the most common sugars, most abundant monosaccharide, produced by plants to store energy, broken down to release it
Fructose
One of the most common sugars, common sugar in fruit
Glycosidic linkage
Bond between monosaccharides
Results from dehydration synthesis
Dehydration synthesis/condensation
Chemical bonding process in which an -H and an
-OH bond and leave to become water, leaving a bond between the two molecules they were bonded to
Hydrolysis
The inverse of dehydration synthesis, in which a water molecule is added and then breaks, separating the two sugars
Polymer
Molecule with repeating subunits of the same general type
Starch, cellulose, and glycogen
Most common polysaccharides
Plastids
Family of similar organelles including chloroplasts that are present in the cells of photosynthetic organisms
Amino acids
Building blocks of proteins
Amino group
-NH2
One of the four important parts of an amino acid
Carboxyl group
-COOH
One of the four important parts of an amino acid
R group/side chain
Changes based on specific amino acid
One of the four important parts of an amino acid
Functional groups
Distinctive groups of atoms that play a large role in determining the chemical behavior of the compound they are a part of
Dipeptide
Two bound amino acids
Peptide bond
Bond between two amino acids
Polypeptide
3+ peptides joined together
Protein
3D structure of a polypeptide that has folded and twisted on itself
Lipids
Group of compounds that mixes poorly, if at all, with water
Fats, oils, phospholipids and steroids
Kinds of lipids
Neutral fats
Simple lipids, made of 3 fatty acids and a glycerol
Glycerol
Backbone of most lipids
Ester linkage
Linkage between the glycerol molecule and the fatty acids, formed by dehydration synthesis
Saturated
Fatty acids that have single bonds between each of their carbons and hydrogens
Solid at room temp
Unsaturated
Fatty acids that have double bonds somewhere on their carbon-hydrogen chains, and do not have the maximum number of hydrogens
Liquid at room temp
Polyunsaturated
Fatty acids that have more than one double bond
Hydrophobic
Water-hating/ don’t mix with water, nonpolar
Hydrophilic
Water-loving/ mixes well with water, polar
Amphipathic
Molecule that has both hydrophilic and -phobic regions
Nucleic acids
Polymer made of many nucleotide sequences that serves as a blueprint for proteins and all cellular activities, DNA and RNA
Nucleotides
Building blocks of nucleic acids
Nitrogenous bases, ribose/deoxyribose, phosphate group
DNA and RNA
The two types of nucleic acid
Heterotrophs
Consumers
Rely on organic molecules for food
Autotrophs
Producers
Make their own food
