Week Two: Atoms, Molecules, and the Chemistry of life Flashcards
Atom
The smallest unit of an element that still retains the property of the element
Proton
A positively charged subatomic particle in the nucleus of an atom
Electron
A negatively charged subatomic particle with negligible mass in an atom
Neutron
An electrically uncharged subatomic particle in the nucleus of an atom
Covalent Bond
A strong interaction resulting from the sharing of a pair of electrons between two atoms
Macromolecules
Carbs, protein, lipids, and nucleic acid
Organic Molecules of life
Carbs: A strong interaction resulting from the sharing of a pair of electrons between two atoms
Protein: A macromolecule made up of repeating subunits called amino acids, which determine the shape and function of a protein. Proteins play many critical roles in living organisms
Lipids: Organic molecules that generally repel water
Nucleic Acid: Organic molecules made up of linked nucleotide subunits; DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid) are examples
Monomer
One chemical subunit of a polymer
Polymer
A molecule made up of individual subunits, called monomers, linked together in a chain
Amino Acids
The building block, or monomer, of a protein
Nucleotides
The building blocks of DNA. Each nucleotide consists of a sugar, a phosphate group, and a base. The sequence of nucleotides (As, Cs, Gs, Ts) along a DNA strand is unique to each person
Phospholipids
A type of lipid that forms the cell membrane
Hydrophobic
“Water-fearing”; hydrophobic molecules repel water
Hydrophilic
“Water-loving”; hydrophilic molecules attract water
Polar Molecule
A molecule in which electrons are not shared equally between atoms, causing a partial negative charge at one end and a partial positive charge at the other. Water is a polar molecule
