The Chemistry of Living Things Test Review Flashcards
Hydrogen Bond
A weak type of chemical link between a negatively charged atom and a hydrogen atom that is bonded to another negatively charged atom
Cohesion
The attraction of two like materials
Adhesion
The attraction of two different materials
Surface Tension
A measure of the enhanced intermolecular forces at the surface of a liquid
Solvent
The substance that dissolves another substance
Acid
A molecule or ion that has the ability to either donate a proton or hydrogen ion H+, or form a covalent bond with an electron pair
Base
A substance with a pH greater than 7; will increase the concentration of hydroxide ions in solution
Buffer
A substance that minimizes changes in pH when a strong acid or base is added to a solution
Dehydration Synthesis
Monomers combine to form polymers; in the process of forming bonds, water molecules are released
Hydrolysis
Polymers are broken down into building blocks; the addition of water is necessary to break the bonds of the polymer
Activation Energy
Energy needed to get a reaction started
Catalyst
Substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction by lowering activation energy
Active Site
On enzymes, site of the reaction; only molecules that fit the site can be catalyzed
Substrate
Reactants that interact with and are catalyzed by enzymes
Glycogen
Short-term energy storage molecule in animals
Amylose
Long-term energy storage molecule in plants
Enzyme
Proteins that regulate chemical reactions in cells
What does the property of polarity mean?
The ends of the molecules have different charges
pH value for acid
0
pH value for base (alkaline)
14
pH value for neutral
7
How do buffers enable living things organisms to maintain pH?
Buffers in the blood act to neutralize acids and bases that threaten to change the body’s pH level
What are two ways in which carbon varies from other elements?
Four bonds allow several different atoms to attach to one C atom, and C bonding to C atoms unusual; when it happens, it allows large, complex molecules to be built
What macromolecule’s shape and function can be drastically altered if temp or pH of the solution it is dissolved in are altered?
Enzyme
Polar Covalent Bond
A chemical bond between two atoms that unequally share electrons between them
How does water’s cohesiveness affect living things?
Cohesion helps water travel from the roots upward in plants
How does water’s adhesiveness affect living things?
Adhesion allows water to stick to cell walls in plants
How is frozen water’s density important for living things?
If ice would sink, there would be no suitable liquid water underneath to house aquatic life
How is water’s high specific heat important to living things?
Water inside the cells of an organism can absorb and release heat while maintaining fairly stable temperatures within the organism
Lipid Monomers
Glycerol and fatty acids
Lipid Polymers
No name
Nucleic Acid Monomers
Nucleotides
Nucleic Acid Polymers
Nucleic acids
Carbohydrate Monomers
Monosaccharides
Carbohydrate Polymers
Disaccharides (2), Polysaccharides
Protein Monomers basic name
Amino acids (20 types)
Protein Polymers
Polypeptides
Example molecules of carbohydrates
Mono- glucose Di- sucrose, lactose, Poly- glycogen, cellulose, amylose
Example molecules of lipids
Composes of monomers- glycerol, fatty acids, triglycerides, phospholipids Not- sterols and steroids
Example molecules of proteins
Structural- collagen, keratin, melanin Functional- enzymes, hemoglobin, antibodies, actin, myosin, cell membrane proteins
Example molecules of nucleic acids
DNA and RNA
Function of nucleic acids
Hereditary information
Functions of proteins
Forms bones, muscles, hair and nails -Regulate chemical reactions in cells -Transport materials -Immunity -Direct cell processes -Movement
Functions of Lipids
Structural support for cells -direct cell processes -specific to animals: triglycerides- long-term energy storage, cushion organs, insulate bodies
Functions of carbohydrates
Mono and Di- broken down for immediate energy in all organisms -break down directly for usable energy -get converted to glucose when energy is needed
Poly- glycogen is hydrolyzed to release glucose for energy during activity in animals -amylose is hydrolyzed to release glucose for energy in plants
How are nucleic acids and proteins related to each other?
DNA and RNA are both nucleic acids. DNA provides the instructions assembling proteins and RNA determines how they should be assembled. Nucleic acids are responsible for creating and telling what functions proteins should do.
What do enzymes do to the rate of a chemical reaction when they are added?
They speed it up
What is represented by the arrows in the tall bumps on a reaction graph?
Activation energy
Enzyme-Catalyzed reactions
Require less energy so the bump on the graph is smaller
What conditions/ factors can affect the function of enzymes?
Temperature, pH, the concentration of the substrate, and the concentration of the enzyme
What is the pH of the stomach?
4
What is the pH of the small intestine?
9
How many different kinds of substrate can one enzyme react with?
1 type because the enzyme’s active site only fits a specific substrate that it is meant to react with
