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General Biology: The Chemical Context of Life

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Termini in questo insieme (20)

  • What is matter?

    Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass.

  • Define an element and a compound.

    An element is a substance that cannot be broken down by chemical reactions. A compound consists of two or more elements in a fixed ratio with different properties from its elements.

  • Which four elements make up 96% of living matter?

    Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen make up 96% of living matter.

  • What subatomic particles compose an atom?

    Atoms are composed of protons (positive charge), neutrons (no charge), and electrons (negative charge).

  • What does the atomic number represent?

    The atomic number is the number of protons in an atom's nucleus and equals the number of electrons in a neutral atom.

  • How is atomic mass calculated?

    Atomic mass is approximately the sum of protons and neutrons in the nucleus (mass number).

  • What are isotopes?

    Isotopes are atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons.

  • What determines an electron's potential energy in an atom?

    Electron potential energy depends on its distance from the nucleus; farther electrons have higher potential energy.

  • What are electron shells?

    Electron shells are energy levels where electrons reside, with inner shells having lower energy than outer shells.

  • What are valence electrons?

    Valence electrons are electrons in the outermost shell that determine an atom's chemical behavior.

  • Define an orbital.

    An orbital is a 3D space where an electron is likely found 90% of the time, with a maximum of 2 electrons per orbital.

  • What is a covalent bond?

    A covalent bond is a chemical bond formed by sharing a pair of valence electrons between two atoms.

  • Difference between single and double covalent bonds?

    A single bond shares one pair of electrons; a double bond shares two pairs.

  • What is electronegativity?

    Electronegativity is an atom's attraction for electrons in a covalent bond.

  • Difference between nonpolar and polar covalent bonds?

    Nonpolar bonds share electrons equally; polar bonds share electrons unequally due to differing electronegativities.

  • What are ionic bonds?

    Ionic bonds form when atoms transfer electrons, creating oppositely charged ions that attract each other.

  • What is a cation and an anion?

    A cation is a positively charged ion; an anion is a negatively charged ion.

  • What are hydrogen bonds?

    Hydrogen bonds are weak attractions between a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to an electronegative atom and another electronegative atom.

  • What are Van der Waals interactions?

    Van der Waals interactions are weak, temporary attractions between molecules due to uneven electron distribution.

  • How does molecular shape affect function?

    A molecule's shape determines how it recognizes and responds to other molecules, influencing biological function.