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BIOL 140 > Chapter 2: The Chemical Context of Life > Flashcards

Chapter 2: The Chemical Context of Life Flashcards

(53 cards)

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1
Q

matter

A

anything that takes up space and has mass
- composed of elements

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2
Q

element

A

any substance that cannot be broken down to any other substance by chemical reactions

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3
Q

compound

A

a substance consisting of two or more different elements combined in a fixed ratio

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4
Q

essential element

A

a chemical element required for an organism to survive, grow, and reproduce

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5
Q

carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen

A

make up 96% of living matter

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6
Q

calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur

A

most of the remaining 4% of living matter

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7
Q

trace elements

A

an element indispensable for life but required in extremely minute amounts

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8
Q

atom

A

the smallest unit of matter that retains the properties of an element
- composed of subatomic particles

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9
Q

neutron

A

a subatomic particle having no electrical charge (electrically neutral), with a mass of about 1.7x10^-24g, found in the nucleus of an atom

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10
Q

proton

A

a subatomic particle with a single positive electrical charge, with a mass of about 1.7x10^-24g, found in the nucleus of an atom

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11
Q

electron

A
  • a subatomic particle with a single negative electrical charge and a mass about 1/2,000 that of a neutron or a proton
  • one or more electrons move around the nucleus of an atom
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12
Q

atomic nucleus

A

an atom’s dense central core, containing protons and neutrons

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13
Q

dalton

A
  • a measure of mass for atoms and subatomic particles
  • the same as the atomic mass unit, or amu
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14
Q

atomic number

A

the number of protons in its nucleus of an atom, unique for each element and designated by a subscript

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15
Q

mass number

A

the total number of protons and neutrons in an atom’s nucleus

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16
Q

atomic mass

A
  • the total mass of an atom, numerically equivalent to the mass in grams of 1 mole of the atom
  • for an element with more than one isotope, the atomic mass is the average mass of the naturally occurring isotopes, weighted by their abundance
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17
Q

isotope

A

one of several atomic forms of an element, each with the same number of protons, but a different number of neutrons, thus differing in atomic mass

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18
Q

radioactive isotope

A
  • an isotope (an atomic form of a chemical element) that is unstable
  • the nucleus decays spontaneously, giving off detectable particles and energy
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19
Q

radioactive tracers

A

can be used to track atoms through metabolism and can also be used in combination with sophisticated imaging instruments

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20
Q

PET scanners

A

can monitor the growth and metabolism of cancers in the body

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21
Q

half-life

A

the amount of time it takes for 50% of a sample of a radioactive isotope to decay

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22
Q

radiometric dating

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A

a method for determining the absolute age of rocks and fossils, based on the half-life of radioactive isotopes

23
Q

energy

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A

the capacity to cause change, especially to do work (to move matter against an opposing force)

24
Q

potential energy

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A

the energy that matter possesses as a result of its location or spatial arrangement (structure)

25
lowest
matter has a natural tendency to move toward the ________ possible state of potential energy
26
electron shells
an energy level of electrons at a characteristics average distance from the nucleus of an atom
27
chemical behavior of an atom
determined by the distribution of electrons in the electron shell
28
periodic table of the elements
shows the electron distribution for each element
29
valence electron
an electron in the outermost electron shell
30
valence shell
the outermost energy shell of an atom, containing the valence electrons involved in the chemical reactions of that atom
31
orbital
the three-dimensional space where an electron is found 90% of the time
32
chemical bond
- an attraction between two atoms, resulting from a sharing of outer-shell electrons or the presence of opposite charges on the atoms - the bonded atoms gain complete outer electron shells
33
covalent bond
a type of strong chemical bond in which two atoms share one or more pairs of valence electrons
34
molecule
two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds
35
single bond
- a single covalent bond - the sharing of a pair of valence electrons by two atoms
36
double bond
- a double covalent bond - the sharing of two pairs of valence electrons by two atoms
37
structural formation
the notation used to represent atoms and bonding - H--H represents a single bond - O=O represents a double bond
38
valence
- the bonding capacity of a given atom - the number of covalent bonds that an atom can form, which usually equals the number of unpaired electrons in its outermost (valence) shell
39
electronegativity
the attraction of a given atom for the electrons of a covalent bond
40
nonpolar covalent bond
a type of covalent bond in which electrons are shared equally between two atoms of similar electronegativity
41
polar covalent bond
- a covalent bond between atoms that differ in electronegativity - the shared electrons are pulled closer to the more electronegative atom, making it slightly negative and the other atom slightly positive
42
ion
an atom or group of atoms that has gained or lost one or more electrons, thus acquiring a charge
43
cation
a positively charged ion
44
anion
a negatively charged ion
45
ionic bond
a chemical bond resulting from the attraction between oppositely charged ions
46
ionic compound
- a compound resulting from the formation of an ionic bond - also called a salt
47
hydrogen bond
a type of weak covalent bond that is formed when the slightly positive hydrogen atom of a polar covalent bond in one molecule is attracted to the slightly negative atom of a polar covalent bond in another molecule or in another region of the same molecule
48
Van der Waals interactions
weak attractions between molecules or parts of molecules that result from transient local partial charges
49
molecular shape
determines how biological molecules recognize and respond to one another
50
chemical reaction
the making and breaking of chemical bonds, leading to changes in the composition of matter
51
reactants
a starting material in a chemical reaction
52
product
the material resulting from a chemical reaction
53
chemical equilibrium
in a chemical reaction, the state in which the rate of the forward reaction equals the rate of the reverse reaction, so that the relative concentrations of the reactants and products do not change with time

BIOL 140 (7 decks)

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