The Chemistry of Life
The Chemistry of Life
Key points:
- Three subatomic particles and their significance
- The types of chemical bonds and how they form
- The importance of hydrogen bonding to the properties of water
- Four unique properties of water , and how each contributes to life on earth
- How to interpret the pH scale
- How changes in the pH can alter biological systems
- The importance of buffers in the biological systems
Matter consists of chemical elements in pure form and in combination called compounds.
- MATTER: anything that takes up space and has mass
- ELEMENT: a substance that cannot be broken down to other substances by chemical reactions
- COMPOUND: a substance consisting of two or more elements combined in fixed ratio
- Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen make up 96% of living matter. About 25% of the 92% natural elements are known to be essential to life
- TRACE ELEMENTS: those required by organisms in only minute "trace" quantities
An element's properties depend on the structure of its atoms
- Atoms are the smallest unit of an element that still retains the property of the element. Atoms are made of neutrons, protons, and electrons
- Protons are positively charged particles found in the nucleus of the atom
- Electrons are negatively charged particles that are found in electron shells around the nucleus
- Neutrons are particles with no charge that are found in the nucleus
- ISOTOPES: forms of an element with differing numbers of neutrons
-IONS: an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons
- ATOMIC NUMBER: the number or protons that an element possesses
- MASS NUMBER: the sum of the protons and the neutrons
The formation and function of molecules depend on chemical bonding between atoms
- CHEMICAL BONDS: interactions between the valence electrons of different atoms. Atoms are held together by chemical bonds to form molecules
The Chemistry of Life
Key points:
- Three subatomic particles and their significance
- The types of chemical bonds and how they form
- The importance of hydrogen bonding to the properties of water
- Four unique properties of water , and how each contributes to life on earth
- How to interpret the pH scale
- How changes in the pH can alter biological systems
- The importance of buffers in the biological systems
Matter consists of chemical elements in pure form and in combination called compounds.
- MATTER: anything that takes up space and has mass
- ELEMENT: a substance that cannot be broken down to other substances by chemical reactions
- COMPOUND: a substance consisting of two or more elements combined in fixed ratio
- Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen make up 96% of living matter. About 25% of the 92% natural elements are known to be essential to life
- TRACE ELEMENTS: those required by organisms in only minute "trace" quantities
An element's properties depend on the structure of its atoms
- Atoms are the smallest unit of an element that still retains the property of the element. Atoms are made of neutrons, protons, and electrons
- Protons are positively charged particles found in the nucleus of the atom
- Electrons are negatively charged particles that are found in electron shells around the nucleus
- Neutrons are particles with no charge that are found in the nucleus
- ISOTOPES: forms of an element with differing numbers of neutrons
-IONS: an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons
- ATOMIC NUMBER: the number or protons that an element possesses
- MASS NUMBER: the sum of the protons and the neutrons
The formation and function of molecules depend on chemical bonding between atoms
- CHEMICAL BONDS: interactions between the valence electrons of different atoms. Atoms are held together by chemical bonds to form molecules