BiochemistryLesson 1 of 3 in the course The Chemical Foundation of Life

Atomic Structure and Chemical Interactions in Biological Systems

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 4 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Life is made of matter, and matter is made of atoms. This lesson introduces elements and the subatomic particles that make up atoms.

Matter is any substance that occupies space and has mass. An element is a unique form of matter with particular chemical and physical properties that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by ordinary chemical reactions. There are 118 known elements; 98 occur naturally, while others are unstable and must be synthesized in laboratories.

All flashcards

Atomic number
The number of protons in an atom’s nucleus; it determines the element’s identity.
Isotope
An atom of an element with a different number of neutrons from other atoms of that element.
Atomic weight
The calculated average mass of an element’s naturally occurring isotopes, weighted by their abundances.
Half-life
The time required for half of a starting quantity of a radioactive isotope to decay.
Valence electrons
Electrons in an atom’s outermost occupied shell that strongly influence its chemical bonding.

Quiz questions

  1. Oxygen gas consists of bonded pairs of oxygen atoms. How should it be classified?Answer: A molecule, but not a compound.
  2. What causes a polar covalent bond to have partial charges?Answer: The bonded atoms share electrons unequally.
  3. What does a balanced chemical equation show about the atoms in a reaction?Answer: Each element has the same number of atoms on both sides.
  4. When does a reversible reaction reach equilibrium?Answer: When the opposing processes occur at equal rates.
  5. Which work is characteristic of pharmaceutical chemists?Answer: Discovering, modifying, testing, and helping manufacture drugs.

Based on Biology 2e by Mary Ann Clark, Matthew Douglas, Jung Choi (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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