Biology- CH02- Miller & Levine 2014- Mr. Brown- WHS- The Chemistry of Life

atom

(physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element, the smallest "piece" of gold that can still be gold for example.

nucleus

A region that is located at the center of an atom and contains most of the atom's mass; contains the protons and neutrons.

electron

A subatomic particle that has a negative charge

neutron*

A subatomic particle that has no charge and that is found in the nucleus of an atom.

proton*

A subatomic particle that has a positive charge and that is found in the nucleus of an atom

element

A pure substance made of only one kind of atom

isotope

An atom with the same number of protons and a different number of neutrons from other atoms of the same element.

compound

A substance made up of atoms of two or more different elements joined by chemical bonds

ionic bond

A chemical bond resulting from the attraction between oppositely charged ions.

ion

An atom or group of atoms that has a positive or negative charge.

covalent bond

A chemical bond formed when two atoms share electrons

molecule

A group of atoms bonded together

Van der Waal's forces

This type of bond is weak, easily broken, and occurs when ions are near one another.

hydrogen bond

A type of weak chemical bond; an attraction between a slightly positive hydrogen atom and a slightly negative atom.

cohesion

Attraction between molecules of the same substance

adhesion

An attraction between molecules of different substances

mixture

A combination of two or more substances that are NOT chemically combined

solution

A mixture that forms when one substance dissolves another.

solute

In a solution, the substance that dissolves in the solvent

solvent

A liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances

suspension

A mixture in which particles can be seen and easily separated by settling or filtration

pH scale

A number scale that measures the strength of acids or alkalis; it ranges from 0-14, with 7.0 being "neutral".

acid

A substance with a pH below 7

base

A substance with a pH above 7

buffer

A solution that resists changes in pH when limited amounts of acid or base are added.

monomer

A simple compound whose molecules can join together to form polymers

polymer

A large molecule made up of many similar or identical subunits.

carbohydrate

Composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Main source of energy in your diet;, C,H,O in a 1:2:1 ratio, examples are sugars and starches...

monosaccharide

A single sugar molecule such as glucose or fructose, the simplest type of sugar.

lipid

Energy-rich organic compounds, such as fats, oils, and waxes, that are made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen

nucleic acid

DNA, RNA

nucleotide

A building block of DNA, consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group.

protein

An organic compound that is made of one or more chains of amino acids and that is a principal component of all cells

amino acid

Building blocks of protein

saturated*

Pertaining to fats and fatty acids whose hydrocarbon chains contain the maximum number of hydrogens and therefore have no double covalent bonds. Saturated fats and fatty acids solidify at room temperature.

unsaturated*

Fat with less than the maximum number of hydrogens in one or more of its fatty acid chains

polyunsaturated*

a type of unsaturated fat especially useful as a replacememt for saturated fat in a heart-healthy diet

chemical reaction

A process that involves rearrangement of the molecular or ionic structure of a substance.

reactant

A starting material in a chemical reaction

product

A substance produced in a chemical reaction

activation energy

Energy needed to get a reaction started

enzyme

A type of protein that speeds up a chemical reaction in a living thing; a catalyst

substrate

- the molecule upon which an enzyme acts

rate of reaction*

The amount of time it takes to complete a chemical reaction. Affected by temperature, surface area, concentration (amount of reactants), and the presence of a catalyst