Unit 1: Chemistry of Life Flashcards
matter
anything that takes up space and has mass
element
substance that can’t be broken down to other substances chemically
compound
substance made up of two or more elements in a fixed ratio
What four elements make up 96% of all living matter?
Oxygen, Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen
essential element
pure substances needed by an organism to survive and reproduce
trace element
essential elements needed in only small quantities by an organism
neutron
particle with neutral charge
proton
particle with positive charge
electron
particle with negative charge
atomic mass
total mass of an atom in AMU
atomic number
total number of protons in the nucleus in an atom
isotope
an atom with different amounts of neutrons in the nucleus than its normal form
electron shells
average distances away from the nucleus describing the orbits of electrons
molecule
two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds
double bond
when atoms share two pairs of electrons rather than one pair
electronegativity
the ability of an atom to attract electrons towards itself
nonpolar covalent bond
two atoms have similar electronegativity
polar covalent bond
two atoms have different electronegativity, but still share electrons
ionic bond
the stealing of electrons creating ions that are attracted to each other
anion
negatively charged atom
cation
positively charged atom
hydrogen bond
the weak bond between a hydrogen atom and a very electronegative atom of another molecule
van der waals interactions
weak interactions that occur randomly in any molecules due to slight differences in charge in different regions of the molecule in an instant
chemical reactions
the making and breaking of bonds
What are the properties of water?
hydrogen bonding cohesion adhesion surface tension excellent solvent capillary action high heat capacity less dense solid form than liquid high heat of vaporization
cohesion
water attracted to other water molecules
adhesion
water attracted to other substances
surface tension
tendency of water molecules on the top to hold their structure
Why is water a good solvent?
Water is polar, using its positively charged side to surround negatively charged solutes and vice versa
hydrophobic substances
substances not attracted to water
hydrophilic substances
substances attracted to water
specific heat capacity
amount of heat it takes to change the temperature of one gram of a substance by 1 Celsius
heat of vaporization
the amount of heat required to change a liquid to a gas
evaporative cooling
when water evaporates, cools surface
mechanism of sweating
How does ice float?
Since hydrogen bonds keep ice molecules a good distance away from each other such that ice is less dense than liquid water, allowing ice to float
solvent
substance that does the disolving
solution
uniform mixture of 2 or more substances
solute
substance being disolved
pH
measure of the concentration of H+ ions in a solution; pH = -log[H+]
acid
solution with a [H+] > [OH-]
base
solution with a [H+] < [OH-]
What are the types of carbon skeletons?
straight
branched
double bonds
ring
hydrocarbon
molecule of only hydrogens and carbons
functional group
chemical groups attached to molecules that change the function of the molecule
What are the 7 types of functional groups?
Hydroxyl Carbonyl Carboxyl Amino Sulfhydryl Phosphate Methyl
What are the properties of hydroxyl groups?
make molecule alcohol
polar
hydrophilic
What are the properties of carbonyl groups?
polar
hydrophilic
two types: aldehyde (end of carbon chain) and ketone (middle of carbon chain)
What are the properties of Carboxyl groups?
acidic
make molecule a carboxylic acid
What are the properties of amino groups?
basic
make molecule amine
What are the properties of sulfhydryl groups?
disulfide bridges
make molecule thiol
What are the properties of phosphate groups?
energy transfer (ATP) as holds a lot of energy make molecule an organic phosphate
What are the properties of methyl groups?
nonpolar
What are the four main biomolecules?
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic Acids
polymer
large molecules made up of monomers
monomer
building blocks of polymers
dehydration synthesis reaction
covalent bonding of two molecules by giving up a water molecule
hydrolysis
breaking down polymers by adding a water molecule
What is the monomer of a carbohydrate?
monosaccharide
disaccharide
sugar of two monosaccharides bound together
glycosidic linkage
covalent bond formed between 2 monosaccharides
polysaccharides
3 or more monosaccharides bonded together
sucrose
table sugar; disaccharide formed from glucose and fructose
maltose
sugar in beer; disaccharide formed from two glucose molecules
lactose
milk sugar; disaccharides of galactose and glucose
storage polysaccharides
used for storing energy (glycogen, starch)
structural polysaccharides
used for building stuff (cellulose)
What are the monomers of lipids?
glycerol head and fatty acid tails
What is a characteristic of all lipids?
nonpolar
ester linkages
the bond between glycerol head and fatty acid tails
saturated fat
all carbons are filled with hydrogens
unsaturated fat
not all carbons are filled with hydrogens; includes a double bond
phospholipid
the lipid of a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail; makes cell membrane
protein
biomolecule with many functions in body; used to do stuff
What is the monomer of proteins?
amino acids
What is an amino acid made of?
an amine group, a carboxyl group, a central carbon, a hydrogen, and an R group
peptide bond
bond joining amino acids
dipeptide
protein of two amino acids
polypeptide
many amino acids joined together
What are the four levels of protein structure?
Primary (polypeptide)
Secondary (polypeptide binds in on itself in alpha-helices and beta-pleated sheets)
Tertiary (finished singular unit of protein)
Quaternary (Finished combined unit of protein; only some proteins)
denaturation
unfolding of proteins
What are the monomers of nucleic acids?
nucleotides
What are nucleotides made of?
Sugar, nitrogenous base, and phosphate group
What are the five nitrogenous bases?
Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, Guanine, and Uracil
antiparallel
two DNA strands parallel but move in opposite directions
