Inorganic Ions

Question 1

What is an ion? (1)

Answer 1

An atom that has an electric charge

Question 2

What are the names for an ion with a positive and negative charge? (2)

Answer 2

• Cation - positive charge
• Anion - negative charge

Question 3

What is an inorganic ion? (1)

Answer 3

An ion that does not contain any carbon (although there are a few exceptions)

Question 4

Give 4 examples of inorganic ions and their charges (4)

Answer 4

• Sodium ions (NA+)
• Hydrogen ions (H+)
• Iron ions (FE2+)
• Phosphate ions (PO4 3-)

Question 5

What are sodium ions involved in? (1)

Answer 5

They are involved in the co-transport of glucose and amino acids because they are large molecules

Question 6

What are hydrogen ions responsible for? (2)

Answer 6

• Hydrogen ions determine the pH as the more H+ ions there are, the more acidic it is, so the lower the pH
• This can affect enzyme-controlled reactions as if the pH is not optimum for the enzyme, the H+ and OH- ions can disrupt the hydrogen and ionic bonds in the tertiary structure, causing the enzyme to denature

Question 7

What are iron ions responsible for? (2)

Answer 7

• They are an important part of haemoglobin which transports oxygen around the body in red blood cells as haemoglobin a globular protein with 4 polypeptide chains each containing a iron ion in the centre
• It is the iron in haemoglobin that attaches to the oxygen and it temporarily becomes (FE 3+) until it releases the oxygen again

Question 8

What are phosphate ions responsible for? (5)

Answer 8

• They are an essential component in nucleic acids as they form the structural backbone of DNA and RNA
• They can form polynucleotides by forming a phosphodiester bond
• They form ATP as it is formed by an inorganic phosphate attaching to ADP
• They can transfer energy through phosphorylation and make other molecules more reactive
• They form phospholipid bilayers as it is formed from phospholipids which is hydrophilic