The Chemistry of Biology Flashcards
atom
smallest unit which cannot be broken apart without breaking its properties
Protons and neutrons are found…
in the nucleus
How can protons and neutrons change into one another?
radioactive decay
Electrons are found in…
electron cloud
What determines the properties of the atom?
number of protons
Isotope
element with a different number of neutrons in comparison to protons
Ion
charged element due to less/more electrons
bond formations
H: 1
O: 2
N: 3
C: 4
Three types of bonds
covalent, ionic, hydrogen
Covalent bonds
2 atoms sharing one or more electrons
Ionic bonds
elements which give or take electrons
Hydrogen bonds
bonds of attraction
characteristics of covalent bonds
→ can have equal sharing or unequal sharing of electrons
→ equal sharing is most common: results in nonpolar molecules
→ unequal sharing can happen in covalent bonds: in living systems H-O and H-N
→ results in polar molecules such as water
cations
positively charged ion
characteristics of ionic bonds
creation of cations and anions
anions
negatively charged ion
characteristics of hydrogen bonds
–> not chemical bonds
→ hydrogen is attracted to either nitrogen or oxygen
→ bonds between polar molecules; oxygen slight negative charge and hydrogen slight positive charge
oxidation reduction reaction
movement of electrons between molecules to exchange energy
oxidation
molecule loses electron: molecule loses energy
reduction
molecule gains electron; molecule receives energy
O.I.L R.I.G
oxidation is loss reduction is gain
chemical shorthand
shortened structure of a chemical
pH scale characteristics
→ water is neutral due to the equal amounts of OH and Hydrogen bonds
→ 7-14 typical pH for living beings
inorganic
missing carbon or hydrogen in the molecule
organic
any molecule that has hydrogen or carbon
versatility of bonding
→ can form many different forms of bonds and structures
→ can form functional groups: small molecule that binds to a bigger molecule and confers properties (brings its characteristics such as charge)
function groups
hydroxyl
carboxyl
amino
phosphate
methyl
hydroxyl
R - O - H
carboxyl
O
//
R - C
\
OH