Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
Published byKristian James Modified over 9 years ago
2
A knowledge of chemistry is essential for understanding organisms Important to biology are inorganic compounds, including water, simple acids and bases, and simple salts
3
Elements ◦ Substances that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by ordinary chemical reactions ◦ Each has a chemical symbol
4
Four elements comprise the mass of most organisms ◦ Oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen In addition, other elements, such as calcium, and trace elements are present
5
Functions of elements
6
Atom ◦ The smallest portion of an element that retains its chemical properties Subatomic particles include ◦ Electron—carries a negative charge ◦ Proton—carries a positive charge ◦ Neutron—uncharged particle
7
Every element has ◦ A fixed number of protons in the atomic nucleus, known as the atomic number The periodic table is a chart of the elements arranged by atomic number
9
The atomic mass of an atom ◦ Is a number that indicates how much matter it contains. ◦ Is expressed by the atomic mass unit (amu), also known as the dalton. ◦ The atomic mass= number of protons + number of neutrons
10
Characteristics of protons, neutrons and electrons
11
Isotopes ◦ Are two or more forms of atoms of the same element ◦ Contain the same number of protons and electrons, but the number of neutrons varies Radioisotopes break down and emit radiation
12
Carbon Isotopes
13
Electrons move through orbitals Electrons at the same principal energy level make up an electron shell
14
Electrons in a shell distant from the nucleus have greater energy and are called Valence Electrons Valence electrons occupy the valence shell (outermost shell) Changes in electron energy levels are important in energy conversions in organisms
15
Atomic orbitals
16
The chemical behavior of an atom is determined by the number and arrangement of its valence electrons When the valence shell is not full, the atom tends to lose, gain, or share electrons
17
A chemical compound consists of atoms of two or more elements Atoms combine in a fixed ratio Atoms may join to form a molecule
18
A chemical formula describes the chemical composition of a substance ◦ Simplest formula ◦ Molecular formula ◦ Structural formula
19
Molecular Mass ◦ Sum of the atomic masses of the component atoms of a single molecule
20
Chemical reactions in an organism: ◦ Described by chemical equations ◦ Reactants are written on the left & products are written on the right ◦ Reactions can proceed simultaneously in both directions ◦ At dynamic equilibrium, forward and reverse rates of reaction are equal
21
Chemical bonds ◦ Forces of attraction that hold atoms of a compound together ◦ The two principal types are Covalent bonds Ionic bonds Bond Energy ◦ Energy necessary to break a chemical bond
22
Covalent bonds ◦ Share electrons between atoms ◦ Each atom has a filled valence shell Covalent compound ◦ Compound consisting mainly of covalent bonds ◦ Example is hydrogen gas molecule ◦ Bond can be single, double, or triple
23
Covalent bonds
24
Number of Covalent bonds
25
Covalent bonds can be nonpolar or polar
26
Ion ◦ Particle with one or more units of electrical charge ◦ Results when an atom gains or loses electrons Cations—positively charged ions (Na+) Anions—negatively charged ions ( Cl- ) ◦ Cations and anions are involved in biological processes, such as muscle contraction
27
Sodium, potassium, and chloride ions are essential for this nerve cell to stimulate these muscle fibers
28
Ioninc bonds ◦ Formed due to attraction between a cation and an anion ◦ An example of ionic bond is the attraction between sodium ions and chloride ions
29
Ionic bonding
30
Hydrogen Bonds ◦ Form between an atom with partial negative charge and a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to oxygen or nitrogen ◦ Readily formed and broken ◦ While individually weak, hydrogen bonds are strong when present in large numbers
31
Hydrogen bonding
32
Many energy conversions in a cell involve an electron transfer from one substance to another Known as oxidation-reduction, or redox reaction
33
Water Water is Polar (due to its uneven distribution of charges) Large part of the mass of most organisms is water Water is important as internal constituent and environmental factor
34
Water facilitates chemical reactions: ◦ Hydrophilic substances—interact readily with water, such as table salt ◦ Hydrophobic substances—not disrupted or dissolved by water, such as fats
35
Water exists as gas, liquid, or solid Hydrogen bonds are formed or broken as water changes state
36
Acid ◦ Substance that dissociates in solution to yield hydrogen ions and an anion Base ◦ Substance that dissociates to yield a hydroxide ion and a cation when dissolved in water
37
The degree of a solution’s acidity is expressed in pH Definition of pH ◦ Measure of how acidic or basic a substance is ◦ The negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration ◦ Expressed in moles per liter
39
Neutral solution ◦ pH of 7 Acidic solution ◦ pH value of less than 7 Basic solution ◦ pH greater than 7 An acid and a base react to form a salt plus water A buffer is a substance that resists pH changes in a solution. Buffers a important substances in biological systems.
40
pH values of common solutions
Similar presentations
© 2025 SlidePlayer.com. Inc.
All rights reserved.