Unit 1 - Chapter 2 - Chemistry of Life Flashcards
what is biochemistry
the study of the chemical aspects of life
what is matter
anything that occupies space and has mass
what are atoms
the smallest unit of matter
what do atoms form
atoms form molecules
what is at the core of each atom
positively charged protons and neutral neutrons
how do you know what the atomic number of an atom is
its the number of protons in the nucleus
how do you know what the atomic mass of an atom is
its the number of protons and neutrons combined
what surrounds the nucleus at a distance
negatively charged electrons
if a atom is neutal what does that mean
there is 1 electron for ever 1 proton
expand on orbitals
- electrons move within them (in chaotic patterns)
- each orbital can hold 2 electrons
- orbitals are arranged in energy levels; furthest from the nucleus is highest in energy
- energy level closest to the nucleus has 1 orbital so it can hold 2 electrons, the next level has up to 4 orbitals so it can hold 8 electrons
what are elements
pure substances composed of only 1 type of atom
what elements make up 99% of the human body….are there any others
oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen
- another 5 make up the other 1%
why do atoms unite with each other
to form larger chemical units called molecules
what are compounds
substances whose molecules have more then 1 element in them
what is a chemical formula
- used to describe which atoms are present in a compound
- contains symbols that represent each element in the molecule
- the number of atoms of each element in the molecule is expressed as a subscript
why do atoms bond with each other
to make atoms more stable
what makes an atom stable
when it’s outer energy shell has the max number of electrons it can hold
how can an atom come to have an outer full shell if it doesn’t naturally have 1
another atom can share/donate electrons
what is an ionic bond
- forms between an atom that has only 1/2 electrons in the outermost level and an atom that only needs 1/2 electrons to fill it’s outer level (so one atom donates to the other)
what does dissociate mean
when compounds dissolve easily
what are electrolytes
compounds that form ions when dissolved in water
what functions do ions have
muscle contraction, never signaling and vital functioning
what are covalent bonds
- when atoms share electrons
- bonds do not break easily (don’t break at all in water)
- the 4 elements that make up the body always almost form covalent bonds
expand on hydrogen bonds
- a weak attraction that holds your bodys substances together (strong when they come togehter)
- slight electrical charges develop in regions of a molecule when hydrogen atoms cant equally share their electrons in a covalent bond
- oppositely charged molecules electrically attract each other
- do not form new bonds, but rather help large molecules keep their shape
what are organic compounds
composed of molecules that contain cabron carbon covalent bonds or carbon hydrogen covalent bonds or both kinds
what are inorganic compounds
- dont have the above listed bonds
- smaller and less complex then organic compounds
expand on water
- inorganic compound
- essential to live
- helps hold tissues together
expand on solutions
- water is the solvent in which most other compounds or solutes are dissolved
whats an aqueous solution
- when water is the solvent for a mixture
- salt and other molecules form the internal sea of the body
what are chemical reactions
- interactions among molecules in which atoms regroup into new combinations
what is dehydration synthesis
- common type of chemical reaction
- reactants combine only after the hydrogen and oxygen atoms are removed (h2o)
- a reaction in which water is lost from the reactants
what is hydrolysis
- the reverse of dehydration synthesis
- when water disrupts the bonds in large molecules
what is the medium in which all organic compounds are formed and broken down
water
what do chemical reactions always require and expand on that
- energy transfers
- some is stored as potential energy in the chemical bonds
- can later be released when the chemical bonds in the molecule are broken apart
expand on acids
- in pure water H+ and OH- are equal
- when an acid such as hydrochloric acid HCL dissociates into H+ and CL- it shifts in favor of excess H+ ions and the carbon dioxide forms into carbonic acid when it dissolves in water
- some of the CO3 then dissociates to form H+ and HCO3- ions producing excess H+ ions in the blood, meaning there is high CO2 levels in the blood making it acidic
expand on basic/alkaline compounds
- they shift the balance in the opposite direction of acids
- since acids produce an excess of H+ ions and bases produce an excess of OH- ions and OH- can bing to H+ and form H20, bases actually lower the H+ concentration of a solution
expand on pH
- its a measure of how acidic or basic a solution is
- measures H+ concentration
- higher pH value is a low H+ concentration (a base)
- low pH value is a high H+ concentration (a acid)
expand on strong acids
- completely or almost dissociate to form H+ ions
- low pH values (far below 7)
expand on weak acids
- dissociate very little
- produce few excess H+ ions
- pH just below 7
expand on strong bases
- produce a very low H+ concentration
- high pH value (far above 7)
expand on weak bases
- produce a H+ concentration just below water
- pH value just a bit higher than 7
what happens when a strong acid and base mic
- excess H+ and OH- combine to form water
- this neutralizes each other
- the remaining ions form salt
what does acidosis mean
low blood pH
what does alkalosis mean
high blood ph
how does the body remove excess h+ ions
through urine
how does the body remove excess co- ions
through the respiratory system
expand on buffers when it comes to ph
- they are chemicals that help maintain ph
-they have a chemical system that neutralizes acids/bases as they are added to a solution
how does organic chemistry compair to inorganic chemistry
its much more complex
how many types of carbohydrates are there and what are their names
3
- monosaccharide
- disaccharide
- polysaccharide
expand on monosaccharides and provide examples
- composed of a single monosaccharide unit
- used as a source of energy and to build other carbohydrates
- glucose, fructose
expand on disaccharide and provide an example
- composed of 2 monosaccharide units
- used as cellular fuel
- sucrose
expand on polysaccharide and provide examples
- composed of many monosaccharide units
- used to store monosaccharides
- glycogen, starch
whats the difference between saturated fat and unsaturated fat and give examples
saturated fat is solid at room temp and is found in butter and lard
unstaurated fat is always liquid and is in found in oils like olive oil
how many types of lipids/fats are there and what are there names
3
- triglyceride
- phospholid
- steroid
expand on triglyceride
- composed od 1 glyceral heas and 3 fatty acid tails
- stores energy and provides protective padding
expand on phospholid
- composed on 1 glycerol head and 2 fatty acid tails
- forms cell membranes
expand on steroids
- composed of 4 carbon rinfs at core
- a category of hormones
- stabilizes cell membrance
- cholesterol is used as a starting point in hormone production
expand on proteins
- composed of basic units calls amino acids which contain nitrogen
- many amino acids get linked togethers in a process called peptidde bonds
- proteins have a unique folded shape
expand on structural proteins (fibers)
- made of amino acids
- form structures of the body
- contain collagen and keratin
whats the difference between collagen and keratin
- collagen holds tissues together
- keratin gives tissues the ability to stretch/forms fibers in the outer layer of skin
expand on functional proteins (ezymes,hormones)
- made of amino acids
- facilitate chemical reactions
- carry signals
- regulate functions
expand on enzymes
- they are chemical catalysts
- enzyme action is called the lock and key model
- change shape to ensure a better fit when it encouters substrates
what is a chemical catalyst
something that helps a chemical reaction occue, but aren’t reactants/products themselves
what are lipoproteins
liquid protein combos
expand on nucleic acids
they are building blocks that form nucleotides
what does a nucleotide consist of
- sugar (ribose or deoxyribose)
- phosphate unit
- nitrogen base
what are the possible nitrogen bases in a nucleotide
adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine
what does rna use as a nitrogen base instead in a nucleotide instead of thymine
uracil
expand on how nucleotides are arranged
- in a double stranded helix
-sequence along it is called a source code or reference code
expand on messenger rna (mRNA)
its molecules form a temp working copy of a protein of dna code called a gene
expand on dna
- composes on nucleotides containing deoxyribose
- contains genetic info for making proteins
expand on rna
- composed of nucleotides containing ribose
- serves as a copy of the protein of the genetic code during protein synthesis
expand on atp (adenosine triphosphate)
- composed of modified nucleotides
- transfers energy from nutrient moleciles to power work in the cell
- has a base, sugar and 3 phosphates
- these extra phosphates are later broken off to form adp
