pH Scale
This number on the pH scale represents a perfectly neutral solution.
7
An acid is a donor of this subatomic particle (though biologically, we track hydrogen ions).
A proton
Salts fall into this broad category of compounds that do not contain a carbon skeleton.
Inorganic compounds
This Greek prefix at the beginning of "polymer" simply means "many."
Poly
Carbohydrates contain carbon, oxygen, and this third element.
Hydrogen
Because the pH scale is logarithmic, a single shift from pH 5 to pH 4 means a this-fold increase in hydrogen ions.
Ten-fold or 10x increase
A strong base like sodium hydroxide scavenges hydrogen ions in solution, combining them with these negative ions to form water.
Hydroxyl, or hydroxide ions
When placed in water, salts dissociate into these two types of charged particles that circulate freely.
Cations and Anions
Monomers are linked together through covalent bonds in this anabolic process that results in the loss of an H2O molecule.
Dehydration synthesis
Table sugar, or sucrose, is this specific type of carbohydrate composed of two linked monosaccharides.
A disaccaride
Lemon juice, with a pH of 2, has this many times more hydrogen ions than black coffee with a pH of 5.
1000 times
Mixing a strong acid like HCl and a strong base like NaOH produces water and this common compound.
Sodium chloride (salt)
Because salts can conduct an electrical current in solution, they are also known by this sports-drink-friendly term.
Electrolytes
This catabolic process breaks large polymers down into smaller monomers by adding a molecule of water.
Hydrolysis
This highly branched polysaccharide serves as the principal storage form of energy in the human liver and skeletal muscles.
Glycogen
Extreme ends of the pH scale—whether highly acidic like battery acid or highly basic like oven cleaner—share this dangerous physical property that can burn skin.
Corrosiveness
Weak acids and bases, like sodium bicarbonate, are important in the body because they act as these, resisting dramatic changes in blood pH.
A solution with a pH of 7 that contains exactly equal numbers of hydrogen and hydroxyl ions is this specific type of purified water.
Deionized/distilled water
Unlike catabolic reactions which often liberate it, anabolic reactions (which combine smaller units into larger ones) generally require the input of this.
Energy
This structural polysaccharide forms the crunchy outer exoskeleton of insects and crustaceans.
Chitin
Soaking a raw egg in vinegar denatures the egg white, illustrating how severe changes in pH alter this property of a protein.
Its shape, or structure/function
With a highly alkaline pH of 13.5, this household product was mistakenly used as bug spray by Ross's friend.
Easy-off oven cleaner
To be absorbed by the GI tract, large biological polymers in solution must be broken down by these biological catalysts that typically end in "-ase".
Enzymes
While monomers of carbohydrates and proteins mix readily with water, the monomers and polymers of this macromolecule group are notably not water-soluble.
Lipids/fats
Because humans stop producing enough lactase enzyme as they age, bacteria in the large intestine break down lactose instead, producing these two gaseous byproducts.
Hydrogen gas and hydrogen sulfide gas