The Chemistry of

Life
Chapter 2

I. Nature of
Matter
A. Atoms- basic unit of an element
Made of 3 subatomic particles:
1. Protons- positive charge, in the
nucleus
2. Neutrons- no charge, in the nucleus
3. Electrons- negative charge,
circling the nucleus

B. Elements and Isotopes

1. Element-one kind of an atom
Periodic table-chart showing all the known
and unknown elements
3. Mass number = # protons + # of neutrons
4. Atomic Number = # protons
*in a neutral atom the # of protons,
neutrons, and electrons is the same no
CHARGE

5. Isotope- atoms of same element,

but have different # of neutrons
Examples: Carbon 12, Carbon 13,
Carbon 14
Radioactive isotopes-have
unstable nuclei that break down
ate steady rate over time
Uses? See page 35

C. Chemical Compound- 2 or more atoms in a

set proportion
1. Represented by a chemical formula
Examples: H2O, CO2, NaCl, O2
*Note: the properties of a compound
are very different from the elements
they are formed from
2. C6H12O6 means there are 6 Carbon,
12 Hydrogen, and 6 Oxygen atoms

D. Chemical Bond- involves the

exchange or sharing of valence
electrons between atoms
2 main types of bonds
1. Ionic bond- an atom
looses or gains an electron,
resulting in a positive or
negative charge (see pg. 37)
2. Covalent Bond- electrons
are shared between 2 atoms

There are 2 types of covalent

bonds
a. Single bond shares 2
electrons
b. Double bonds share 4
electrons
3. van der Waals forces- slight
attraction between opposite
charged regions of a molecule *not
as strong as an ionic or covalent
bond

Properties of
Water

What do you know

about water?

A.The Water
Composed of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen
Molecule
atom
Polar- an unequal distribution of
electrons https://www.google.com/search?

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Hydrogen bond- weak bonds between

valence electrons so the bonds can easily
be broken
*unique qualities of water: expands when
it freezes, makes a good solvent, is
adhesive & cohesive

b. cohesion- attraction of
molecules of the same substance.
example?
c. adhesion- attraction of
molecules of different
substances
d. heat capacity- the amount of
energy it takes to raise the
temperature *water has a high
heat capacity. Why is is a good
thing?

Which is which?

B. Solutions and
Suspensions
1. mixture-material of 2 or more
substances that are mixed but not
chemically combined
a. solution= solute + solvent,
where components are evenly
distributed, example?
What is the best solvent?

Why?

b. suspension- water molecules and

undis- solved materials, example?

C. Acids, Bases,
and
pH
H2O can separate and become H+ and
OH- ions
pH scale- scale from 0 to 14 and
measures the concentration ( []) of
H+ ions
1. 0 most acidic, 7 is neutral, 14
is most basic
2. Acids have high [] of H+ ions
and pH below 7; examples?

3. Bases have low [] of H+

ions and pH above 7; examples?

4. Buffers- weak acids or

bases that react with strong
acids or bases; prevent
sudden changes in pH levels

Carbon Compounds
A. The Chemistry of Carbonhas 4 valence electrons
to bond with
1. Carbon bonds with Carbon, Hydrogen,
Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, & Sulfur
2. Carbon bonds with other carbons,
making it possible to make large
chains- macromolecules

B. Macromolecules- large
molecules
a. monomers- simple molecules
b. polymers- chains of
monomers
C. polymerization-formation of
macromolecules & polymers
4 groups of macromolecules:
carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic
acids, and proteins

Carbohydrates 1C:
2H:1O
a. Main source of E
(energy) for living
1. Simple sugars=
monosaccharides
example: glucose,
fructose, galactose
2. Complex sugars=
polysaccharides
example: starch,
cellulose, glycogen

Lipids: Carbon &

Hydrogen
Also known as???
a. Main function- E
storage & Structure
1. Saturated-full of
H atoms, "bad" fats
2. Unsaturated- not
full of H bonds,
"good" fats
HDL vs. LDL

3. Nucleic Acids
made of: H, O, N,
C,
P
a. Main functionstore and transmit
genetic information
b. nucleotidesmonomers that make up
nucleic acids consist
of a 5 Carbon sugar,
Phosphate group and a
Nitrogenous base

DNA vs. RNA

DNA= deoxyribonucleic
acid
Made w/ sugar
called deoxyribose
RNA= ribonucleic acid
Made with ribose
sugar

Proteins: C, N, H,
Main functionsO
control rates of
reactions,regulate
cell processes,
transports
materials, forms
muscles & bones
Amino acids-make up
proteins (pg. 49),
have a n amino group
and carboxyl group
*proteins are chains
of amino acids

Chemical Reactions
& Enzymes
A. chemical reactionprocess that changes
one set of chemicals
to another
1. reactantschemicals that enter
the reaction
2. products-chemicals
that result from a
reaction

B. Energy (E) in
reactions
1. different types of
reactions either
release or absorb
energy
a.types of reactions
that release E:
b. sources of E for
reactions:
2. activation E- the
amount of E it takes
to start a reaction
(pg. 51)

C. Enzymes
-function in
controlling chemical
reactions, making
things for cells,
releasing E, &
transferring
information
-are biological
catalysts that speed
up chemical reactions
by lowering activation
E
1. catalyst-speed
up reactions

Enzyme-Substrate Complex

a. substrate- the
reactant or what
is broken down,
ends in -"ose"
b. active siteon the enzyme,
ends in.
"ase"
c. products- the
resulting product

2. Regulation of
Enzymes
a.Things that
affect enzyme
activity:
temperature,
digestion of
food, other
chemical
reactions in the
body, pH levels