Atoms & Subatomic Particles
These positively charged subatomic particles are found in the nucleus and define an element's atomic number.
Protons
This attraction forms between the partial positive charge of a hydrogen atom in one water molecule and the partial negative charge of an oxygen atom in another.
Hydrogen bond
Carbon can form this maximum number of covalent bonds, making it the versatile backbone of organic molecules.
4
This famous 1952 experiment demonstrated that organic molecules like amino acids could form spontaneously under simulated early Earth conditions.
Atoms of the same element that have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.
Isotope
This phenomenon describes the tendency of nonpolar molecules to aggregate together in water to minimize contact with water molecules.
This basic functional group (-NH2) contains nitrogen bonded to two hydrogens and acts as a proton acceptor in cells.
Amino group
Metabolic pathways that build complex molecules from simpler ones, requiring an input of energy.
Anabolism
An atom with 6 protons, 6 electrons, and 8 neutrons has this atomic mass number.
14
Compared to a solution at pH 5, a solution at pH 3 has this many times more hydrogen ions (H+).
100 times or 10^2
Fatty acids that contain one or more double bonds between carbon atoms, preventing them from packing tightly together.
Unsaturated fatty acid
Enzymes accelerate chemical reactions by lowering this specific initial energy barrier.
Activation energy (Ea)
An atom that has lost or gained electrons, causing it to carry a net electrical charge.
Ion
Water is referred to by this term because its polar nature enables it to dissolve a wide variety of polar and ionic substances.
Molecules like phospholipids that possess both hydrophilic (water-loving) and hydrophobic (water-fearing) regions.
Amphipathic
An organism that uses light as its energy source but relies on organic compounds for its carbon source.
Photoheterotroph
How many electrons fit into each shell of an atom (4 shells)
1st shell: 2 e-
2nd shell: 8 e-
3rd shell: 18 e-
4th shell: 32 e-
The tendency of water molecules to stick to other polar surfaces, such as the walls of plant xylem tubes, is known by this term.
Adhesion
Nitrogenous bases with a double-ring structure, specifically adenine and guanine.
Purines
This type of enzyme inhibitor binds to an active site directly, competing with the substrate for binding.
Competitive Inhibitor