Chapter 2: Chemistry of Biology Flashcards
(103 cards)
1
Q
What is matter?
A
Anything that has mass and occupies space.
2
Q
What is an atom?
A
The smallest unit of an element that retains its chemical properties.
3
Q
What is a proton?
A
A positively charged particle found in the nucleus of an atom.
4
Q
What is a neutron?
A
A neutrally charged particle in the nucleus of an atom
5
Q
What is an electron?
A
A negatively charged particle that orbits the nucleus of an atom.
6
Q
What is an element?
A
A pure substance made of only one kind of atom.
7
Q
What is an isotope?
A
Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons.
8
Q
What is an orbital?
A
The area around a nucleus where electrons are likely to be found.
9
Q
What is a molecule?
A
Two or more atoms bonded together.
10
Q
What is a compound?
A
A substance formed when two or more different elements are chemically bonded.
11
Q
What is a chemical bond?
A
The force that holds atoms together in a molecule.
12
Q
What is valence?
A
The number of electrons an atom can gain, lose, or share.
13
Q
What is a covalent bond?
A
A chemical bond where atoms share electrons.
14
Q
What is electronegativity?
A
An atom’s ability to attract electrons in a bond.
15
Q
What does “polar” mean in chemistry?
A
Molecules with an unequal distribution of charges.
16
Q
What is a nonpolar molecule?
A
A molecule with evenly distributed electrical charge.
17
Q
What is ionization?
A
The process of gaining or losing electrons to form ions.
18
Q
What is an ionic bond?
A
A bond formed when one atom donates an electron to another.
19
Q
What are ions?
A
Charged atoms or molecules (either positive or negative).
20
Q
What is a cation?
A
A positively charged ion
21
Q
What is an anion?
A
A negatively charged ion.
22
Q
What is an electrolyte?
A
A substance that dissociates into ions in water and conducts electricity.
23
Q
What is a hydrogen bond?
A
A weak bond between a hydrogen atom and a more electronegative atom
24
Q
What are Van der Waals forces?
A
Weak attractions between molecules or parts of molecules due to temporary dipoles.
25
What is a reactant?
A substance that takes part in a chemical reaction.
26
What are products in a chemical reaction?
Substances formed as a result of a chemical reaction.
27
What is a synthesis reaction?
A reaction where two or more substances combine to form a new compound (A + B → AB).
28
What is a decomposition reaction?
A reaction where a compound breaks into simpler substances (AB → A + B).
29
What is an exchange reaction?
A reaction where parts of two compounds are exchanged (AB + CD → AD + CB).
30
What is a catalyst?
A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being consumed.
31
What is a solution?
A homogeneous mixture of a solute dissolved in a solvent.
32
What is a solvent?
The substance that dissolves the solute in a solution (usually water).
33
What is a solute?
The substance that is dissolved in a solvent.
34
What does "hydrated" mean?
Molecules or ions surrounded by water molecules.
35
What does hydrophilic mean?
"Water-loving"; substances that dissolve easily in water.
36
What does hydrophobic mean?
"Water-fearing"; substances that do not mix well with water
37
What does amphipathic mean?
Molecules that have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions (e.g., phospholipids).
38
What is concentration in chemistry?
The amount of solute in a given amount of solvent or solution.
39
What is an acidic solution?
A solution with a pH less than 7; has more H⁺ ions.
40
What is a basic solution?
A solution with a pH greater than 7; has more OH⁻ ions.
41
What is the pH scale?
A scale (0–14) that measures how acidic or basic a solution is.
42
What is a neutralization reaction?
A reaction between an acid and a base to form water and a salt.
43
What is metabolism?
The sum of all chemical reactions in a living organism.
44
What are inorganic compounds?
Compounds that do not contain both carbon and hydrogen.
45
What are organic compounds?
Compounds that contain carbon and hydrogen, often found in living organisms.
46
What are functional groups?
Specific groups of atoms within molecules that determine the characteristics of the compound.
47
What is biochemistry?
The study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms.
48
What are macromolecules?
Large, complex molecules like proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids.
49
What is a monomer?
A small molecule that can join with others to form a polymer.
50
What is a polymer?
A large molecule made up of repeating monomer units.
51
What is a carbohydrate?
An organic compound made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, used primarily for energy.
52
What is a monosaccharide?
A simple sugar and the basic unit of carbohydrates (e.g., glucose, fructose).
53
What is a disaccharide?
Two monosaccharides linked together (e.g., sucrose, lactose).
54
What is a polysaccharide?
A long chain of monosaccharide units (e.g., starch, cellulose, glycogen).
55
What is a hexose?
A six-carbon sugar, such as glucose or fructose.
56
What is a pentose?
A five-carbon sugar, such as ribose or deoxyribose.
57
What is glucose?
A common six-carbon monosaccharide used as a primary energy source.
58
What is fructose?
A six-carbon monosaccharide found in fruits; isomer of glucose.
59
What is lactose?
A disaccharide composed of glucose and galactose; found in milk.
60
What is maltose?
A disaccharide composed of two glucose molecules.
61
What is sucrose?
A disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose; common table sugar.
62
What is a glycosidic bond?
A covalent bond that links monosaccharides in a carbohydrate.
63
What is dehydration synthesis?
A reaction that joins monomers by removing a water molecule.
64
What is cellulose?
A structural polysaccharide in plant cell walls made of glucose.
65
What is agar?
A complex polysaccharide derived from algae, used to culture microbes.
66
What is chitin?
A polysaccharide found in fungal cell walls and exoskeletons of arthropods.
67
What is peptidoglycan?
A structural molecule in bacterial cell walls made of sugar and protein.
68
What is lipopolysaccharide?
A component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria; can trigger immune responses
69
What is a glycocalyx?
A sugar-rich coating on the outside of some cells, important in adhesion and protection.
70
What is glycogen?
A storage polysaccharide in animals, composed of glucose units.
71
What is starch?
A storage polysaccharide in plants, made of glucose.
72
What is hydrolysis?
A reaction that breaks down polymers by adding water.
73
What is a lipid?
A hydrophobic organic compound, including fats, oils, and steroids.
74
What is a triglyceride?
A lipid made of glycerol and three fatty acids; used for energy storage.
75
What is glycerol?
A three-carbon alcohol that forms the backbone of triglycerides.
76
What is a phospholipid?
A lipid with two fatty acids and a phosphate group; main component of cell membranes.
77
What is a steroid?
A type of lipid with a four-ring structure; includes hormones and cholesterol
78
What is cholesterol?
A steroid that helps stabilize animal cell membranes.
79
What is ergosterol?
A steroid found in fungal cell membranes (analogous to cholesterol in animals).
80
What is a protein?
A macromolecule made of amino acids, involved in structure, function, and regulation.
81
What is an amino acid?
The monomer unit of proteins, containing an amino group, carboxyl group, and side chain.
82
What is a peptide bond?
A covalent bond linking amino acids in a protein
83
What is a peptide?
A short chain of amino acids.
84
What is a polypeptide?
A long chain of amino acids that makes up a protein.
85
What is the primary structure of a protein?
The linear sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain.
86
What is the secondary structure of a protein?
Local folding into structures like alpha-helices or beta-sheets.
87
What is the tertiary structure of a protein?
The three-dimensional shape formed by interactions among side chains
88
What is the quaternary structure of a protein?
The arrangement of multiple polypeptide chains in a protein
89
What is cysteine and why is it important in proteins?
An amino acid with a sulfur group that forms disulfide bonds, stabilizing protein structure.
90
What is an enzyme?
A protein that acts as a biological catalyst, speeding up chemical reactions.
91
What is an antibody?
A protein produced by the immune system that binds to specific antigens.
92
What is DNA? (Deoxyribonucleic acid)
A molecule that stores genetic information in all living organisms
93
What is RNA? (Ribonucleic acid)
A molecule that helps in protein synthesis and carries genetic information in some viruses
94
What is a nucleotide?
The building block of nucleic acids (DNA & RNA), composed of a sugar, phosphate, and nitrogen base.
95
What is a nitrogen base?
A component of nucleotides; includes adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil.
96
What is a pentose sugar?
A five-carbon sugar found in nucleotides (ribose in RNA, deoxyribose in DNA).
97
What role does phosphate play in nucleotides?
Links nucleotides together to form the sugar-phosphate backbone of DNA/RNA.
98
What are purines?
Double-ring nitrogen bases (adenine and guanine)
99
What are pyrimidines?
Single-ring nitrogen bases (cytosine, thymine, and uracil).
100
What is ribose?
The five-carbon sugar in RNA.
101
What is deoxyribose?
The five-carbon sugar in DNA (missing one oxygen compared to ribose).
102
What is ATP? (Adenosine triphosphate)
The main energy currency of the cell; stores and releases energy.
103
What is a cell?
The basic unit of structure and function in living organisms.
