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Basic Chemistry and Biochemistry in Anatomy & Physiology

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Terms in this set (28)

  • What is a mole in chemistry?
    One mole equals \(6.022 \times 10^{23}\) particles, known as Avogadro's number.
  • What are the three subatomic particles of an atom?
    Protons (positive charge), neutrons (neutral), and electrons (negative charge).
  • What defines an element's atomic number?
    The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.
  • What is the mass number of an atom?
    The sum of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.
  • What are inorganic compounds important to the body?
    Water, salts, acids, and bases are inorganic compounds essential for life.
  • List five important properties of water.
    1. High heat capacity, 2. High heat of vaporization, 3. Polar solvent properties, 4. Reactivity (hydrolysis), 5. Cushioning.
  • What happens when salts dissolve in water?
    They dissociate into ions called electrolytes that conduct electrical currents.
  • Define acids and bases in terms of proton transfer.
    Acids donate protons (H+), bases accept protons and release hydroxide ions (OH-).
  • What is the pH scale and what does it measure?
    A logarithmic scale measuring hydrogen ion concentration; lower pH is acidic, higher pH is basic.
  • What is a neutralization reaction?
    A strong acid and strong base react to form salt and water, neutralizing each other.
  • What role do buffers play in the body?
    Buffers convert strong acids or bases into weaker ones to maintain stable pH, e.g., carbonic acid-bicarbonate system.
  • How are organic compounds synthesized and broken down?
    Synthesized by dehydration synthesis and broken down by hydrolysis reactions.
  • What are the four main classes of organic macromolecules?
    Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
  • What are monosaccharides? Give examples.
    Simple sugars with one unit, e.g., glucose, fructose, and galactose.
  • What are disaccharides? Give examples.
    Two linked monosaccharides, e.g., sucrose, maltose, and lactose.
  • What are polysaccharides? Give an example.
    Long chains of linked monosaccharides, e.g., glycogen.
  • What are triglycerides composed of?
    Three fatty acids and one glycerol molecule joined by dehydration synthesis.
  • Difference between saturated and unsaturated fats?
    Saturated fats have no double bonds between carbons; unsaturated fats have one or more double bonds causing kinks.
  • What is the structure of phospholipids?
    Two hydrophobic fatty acid tails and one hydrophilic polar head.
  • What are steroids? Give an example.
    Lipids with four interlocking hydrocarbon rings; cholesterol is a common steroid.
  • What are the four structural levels of proteins?
    Primary (amino acid sequence), secondary (alpha helices and beta sheets), tertiary (3D folding), quaternary (multiple polypeptide chains).
  • What is protein denaturation?
    Loss of protein's native structure due to environmental changes; may be reversible or irreversible.
  • What is the role of enzymes?
    Proteins that lower activation energy to speed up biochemical reactions.
  • What are the three steps of enzyme action?
    1. Substrate binds active site, 2. Enzyme-substrate complex undergoes internal rearrangement, 3. Product is released.
  • What are the structural units of DNA and RNA?
    Nucleotides composed of a nitrogenous base, pentose sugar, and phosphate group.
  • Difference between DNA and RNA bases?
    DNA uses thymine (T); RNA uses uracil (U) instead.
  • What is the structure of DNA?
    Double-stranded helix with complementary base pairing: A-T and G-C.
  • What is ATP and its function?
    Adenosine triphosphate; the primary energy carrier transferring energy to other compounds.