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Chapter 2: The Chemical Context of Life

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33476647matteranything that takes up space and has mass
33476648elementa substance that cannot be broken down to other substances by chemical reactions
3347664992How many elements occur in nature?
33476650compounda chemical substance that consists of two or more elements combined in a fixed ratio
3347665125How many elements are essential for life?
33476652carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygenNinety-six percent of all the matter in living organisms is composed of what four elements? (alphabetical order)
33476653trace elementelements required by an organism in minute quantities; examples in humans are boron and iodine
33476654protonelectric charge = 1+, location in atom=nucleus, mass in Daltons ~ 1
33476655neutronelectric charge = neutral, location in atom=nucleus, mass in Daltons ~ 1
33476656electronelectric charge = 1-, location in atom = electron cloud (around nucleus), mass in Daltons ~ 1/2000
33476657protonWhich type of subatomic particle must be the same in number for all atoms of the same element?
33476658atomic numberthe number of protons contained in the nuclei of all atoms of a particular element
33476659mass numbera number representative of the sum of the protons plus neutrons in an atom's nucleus
33476660isotopesdifferent atomic forms of an element that have more neutrons, and therefore a greater mass, than other atoms of the same element
33476661non-radioactive isotopestype of isotope that reacts only when combined with atoms of another element
33476662radioactive isotopestype of isotope have spontaneously-decaying nuclei, allowing for the constant release of particles and energy
33476663radioactive isotopesuses of these include: 1) tracers to follow atoms through metabolism or other chemical processes within an organism; 2) used as tracers in diagnostic methods by injecting them into blood and measuring amount of tracer later excreted; 3) used to determine date/age of fossils
33476664electronsWhich subatomic particles are directly involved in the chemical reactions between atoms?
33476665farther awayWhich has more potential energy, an electron close to the nucleus or one farther away?
33476666releases energyIf an electron falls from a higher shell to a lower one, does the electron absorb energy or release energy?
33476667outermostHow an atom behaves chemically mostly depends on the number of electrons in the atom's ____________ shell.
33476668orbitalthe three-dimensional space in which an electron is found 90% of the time
33476669chemical bondan attraction that exists between atoms after they either share or transfer their valence electrons
33476670covalent bondthe sharing of a pair of valence electrons by two atoms; considered a strong bond in biology
33476671ionic bondthe attraction that exists between opposing (positive and negative) charges within the atom
33476672moleculethe composition that results from two or more atoms being held together by a covalent bond
33476673single covalent bondtype of bond that exists when two atoms share a pair of electrons; weakest form of this type of bond
33476674double covalent bondtype of bond that exists when two atoms share two pairs of electrons; second strongest form of this type of bond
33476675triple covalent bondtype of bond that exists when two atoms share three pairs of electrons; strongest form of this type of bond
33476676structural formuladiagram that illustrates the pairing and sharing of electrons between two atoms
33476677molecular formuladiagram that demonstrates the number of atoms within a given molecule
33476678electronegativitythe attraction that exists between a particular type of atom because of the electrons involved in a covalent bond
33476679nonpolar covalent bondin this type of bond, the electrons are shared equally between two atoms
33476680polar covalent bondin this type of bond, the electrons are shared unequally between two atoms
33476681iona charged atom or molecule
33476682cationa positively charged ion
33476683aniona negatively charged ion
33476684hydrogen bondthe type of bond that is formed when a hydrogen atom that is already bonded to one electronegative atom is also attracted to another electronegative atom
33476685van der Waal bondsthe type of bonding that occurs when atoms and molecules are close in proximity, and are the result of constantly changing regions of positive and negative charge that enable them to stick together
33476686tetrahedronshape of molecule that results from 4 bonded atoms
33476687bent, pyramidshapes of molecule that results from 3 bonded atoms
33476688linearshape of molecule that results from 2 bonded atoms
33476689chemical equilibriumthe point at which the forward and reverse reactions in a chemical reaction offset each other, thus diminishing their effects on the reactants involved

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