Prerequisite vocabulary

Question 1

Electronegativity

Answer 1

The tendency for an atom of a given chemical element to attract shared electrons when forming a chemical bond.

Question 2

Hydrogen bonding

Answer 2

An attraction between two atoms that already participate in other chemical bonds. One of the atoms is hydrogen, while the other may be any electronegative atom, such as oxygen, chlorine, or fluorine.

Question 3

Polar covalent

Answer 3

A bond in which the electron density is unevenly shared between the two bonded atoms, due to a difference in electronegativity or due to inductive effects.

Question 4

Nonpolar covalent

Answer 4

A bond that occurs when two atoms share a pair of electrons with each other. These shared electrons glue two or more atoms together to form a molecule.

Question 5

Ionic

Answer 5

Ionic things have something to do with ions, or charged molecules. An ionic bond is the attraction that occurs between ions with opposite charges.

Question 6

pH

Answer 6

A measure of how acidic or basic a substance or solution is. pH is measured on a scale of 0 to 14.

Question 7

Ion

Answer 7

An atom or group of atoms that carries a positive or negative electric charge as a result of having lost or gained one or more electrons.

Question 8

Proton

Answer 8

A subatomic particle with a positive electrical charge. They are found in every atomic nucleus of every element.

Question 9

Acid

Answer 9

A chemical substance, usually a liquid, which contains hydrogen and can react with other substances to form salts. They have a pH of under 7.

Question 10

Base

Answer 10

A substance that can neutralize the acid by reacting with hydrogen ions. Most bases are minerals that react with acids to form water and salts. They have a pH of over 7.

Question 11

Hydrophobic

Answer 11

A property of molecules that do not mix with water.

Question 12

Hydrophilic

Answer 12

A property of molecules that can interact with water.

Question 13

Monomer

Answer 13

A molecule that forms the basic unit for polymers, which are the building blocks of proteins.

Question 14

Polymer

Answer 14

A large molecule made up of long chains or networks of smaller molecules called monomers.

Question 15

Dehydration synthesis

Answer 15

A type of chemical reaction that involves the combining of reacting molecules to make a large molecule, following the loss of water.

Question 16

Hydrolysis

Answer 16

A common form of a chemical reaction where water is mostly used to break down the chemical bonds that exists between a particular substance.

Question 17

Enzyme

Answer 17

A protein that help speed up metabolism, or the chemical reactions in our bodies.

Question 18

Active site

Answer 18

The part of the enzyme where substrate molecules bind and a chemical reaction takes place.

Question 19

Denaturation

Answer 19

The unfolding or breaking up of a protein. They may be denatured by chemical action, heat, or agitation causing them to unfold or their polypeptide chains.

Question 20

C6H12O6

Answer 20

Glucose is a monosaccharide, or simple sugar.

Question 21

Carbohydrate

Answer 21

Carbohydrates are the most widespread organic substances and play a vital role in all life.