Matter and the Environment
This branch of chemistry helps identify pollutants in the air, water, and soil.
What is environmental science?
The smallest unit of an element that retains the chemical properties of that element.
What is an Atom?
This type of chemical bond occurs when atoms share electrons.
What is a Covalent Bond?
These are the building blocks of proteins.
What are Amino Acids?
A type of mixture where the components are evenly distributed and cannot be easily separated.
What is a Solution?
This is the process in which chemical techniques are used to assess human impact on ecosystems.
What is environmental monitoring
This subatomic particle has a positive charge and is found in the nucleus of an atom.
What is a Proton?
The type of reaction where two or more substances combine to form a single product.
What is a Synthesis Reaction?
This type of macromolecule stores genetic information and includes DNA and RNA.
What are Nucleic Acids?
This is the substance that gets dissolved in a solution.
What is a Solute?
The law stating that matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction.
What is the Law of conservation of matter
This is the most abundant element in the Earth’s atmosphere, making up about 78%.
What is Nitrogen?
This type of chemical bond is formed between metals and nonmetals, where electrons are transferred from one atom to another.
What is an Ionic Bond?
This macromolecule is the primary source of energy for cells and includes sugars like glucose.
What are Carbohydrates?
This property measures how much solute can be dissolved in a solvent at a given temperature
What is Solubility?
This term refers to the variety and variability of life on Earth, including diversity in ecosystems and genetic variations.
What is Biodiversity?
The atomic number of an element represents the number of these particles in the nucleus.
What are Protons?
The term for the minimum amount of energy needed for a chemical reaction to occur.
What is Activation Energy?
This type of macromolecule is made up of long hydrocarbon chains and is important for energy storage and insulation.
What are Lipids?
A type of heterogeneous mixture where particles are suspended but not dissolved, like in muddy water
What is a Suspension?
This process describes how pollutants concentrate as they move up the food chain.
What is Biomagnification?
This element, represented by the symbol “Hg,” is a toxic heavy metal that can accumulate in fish and cause health issues in humans.
What is Mercury?
This principle states that chemical reactions will shift to counteract changes in concentration, temperature, or pressure.
What is Le Chatelier’s Principle?
The process by which macromolecules are broken down into their monomers by the addition of water.
What is Hydrolysis?
This rule states that polar solvents dissolve polar solutes, and nonpolar solvents dissolve nonpolar solutes.
What is “Like Dissolves Like”?