Unit 1: Biochemistry

Elements

Matter = Anything that takes up space and has mass.

Element = Substance that cannot be broken down into other substances by chemical reactions.

Essential element = Elements required for an organism to live and reproduce. Hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen are the main essential elements. There are also some trace elements.

Atom diagram

Atom = Smallest unit of matter. Still retains the properties of an element.

Subatomic particles = two nuclear subatomic particles: Proton (+tive charge) and neutrons (no charge); and 1 orbiting subatomic particle: Electron (-tive charge).

atomic number= number of protons.

atomic mass= Average weight of number of protons plus neutrons.

isotope= Different atomic forms of the same element (different number of neutrons).

Valance shell= outer shell of electrons. Bonding part of an atom. Either 2 (first) or 8 (all others) electrons.

Chemical bond= sharing or taking of electrons.

covalent bond= sharing a pair of two valence electrons by two atoms. It is the strongest bond.

Ionic bond= Atom taking an electron from another atom. Forms between a cation and a anion. Weak bond in aqueous solutions.

Electronegativity = The power of an atom to attract electrons to itself.

Non polar bond= Electrons are shared equally.

Polar bond= Electrons are not shared equally.

Anion= negative ion.

Cation= positive ion.

Hydrogen bond= Bond between hydrogen and an electronegative atom. See high specific heat.

Acid= Substance that increases the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution.

Base= Substance that reduces the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution.

Molecules

Molecule = substance consisting of 2 or more elements. Not necessarily different.

Compound = substance consisting of 2 or more different elements.

Hydrocarbon= Molecule of only hydrogen and carbon.

Macromolecule= Very large molecule. These include carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Polymer= Long molecule consisting of many similar or identical building blocks linked by covalent bonds.

Monomer= The similar or identical building block used in a polymer.

Enzyme= Protein that is a catalyst.

Lipid= Not soluble in water. Most common types are fats, phospholipids, and steroids.

Fat= Large molecules assembled from smaller molecules by dehydration reactions.

Fatty acids= Long carbon skeleton and a carboxyl group.

Triacylglycerol= 3 fatty acids, and one glycerol molecule.

Phospholipid= 2 fatty acids and glycerol and a phosphate group.

Steroids= Lipids characterized by a carbon skeleton consisting of four fused rings

Catalyst= Something that starts or speeds up a chemical reaction without being consumed.

Amino Acids= Building blocks of proteins. Made up of an amino group, and a carboxyl group.

Peptide bond= Bond between 2 amino acids.

Polypeptide= Polymer of amino acids.

Protein= One or more connected polypeptides.

Nucleic acids

Nucleic acid= Polymer made of nucleotides. The two types are DNA and RNA.

DNA= Provides instruction for protein synthesis.

Nucleotide= Sugar, phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.

Nucleoside= Sugar, and a nitrogenous base.

Nitrogenous base= A nitrogenous base for DNA can be: Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, or Cytosine. For RNA it can be Adenine, Uracil, Guanine, and Cytosine.