Term | Definition |
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) | A compound composed of adenosine and three phosphate groups that supplies energy for many biochemical cellular processes by undergoing enzymatic hydrolysis. |
Amino Acid | An organic monomer which serves as a building block of proteins. |
Calorie | The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1 g of water by 1°C; also the amount of heat energy that 1 g of water releases when it cools by 1°C. The Calorie, usually used to indicate the energy content of food, is a kilocalorie. |
Carbohydrate | A sugar in the form of a monosaccharide, disaccharide or polysaccharide. |
Chemical Bond | An attractive force that holds together the atoms, ions, or groups of atoms in a molecule or compound. |
Chemical Indicator | A substance (as a dye) used to show visually usually by its capacity for color change, the condition of a solution with respect to the presence of free acid or alkali or some other substance. |
Chemical Reaction | Chemical transformation or change; the interaction of chemical entities. |
Compound | A substance consisting of two or more elements in a fixed ratio. |
Covalent bond | A type of strong chemical bond in which two atoms share one or more pairs of valence electrons. |
Dehydration Synthesis | A chemical reaction in which two molecules are bonded together with the removal of a water molecule. |
Disaccharide | A double sugar molecule made of two monosaccharides bonded together through dehydration synthesis. |
Element | The smallest particle of a substance that retains all the properties of the substance and is composed of one or more atoms. |
Glucose | A monomer of carbohydrate, simple sugar. |
Homeostasis | The maintenance of relatively stable internal physiological conditions (as body temperature or the pH of blood) in higher animals under fluctuating environmental conditions. |
Hydrolysis | A chemical process that splits a molecule by adding water. |
Ionic bond | A chemical bond resulting from the attraction between oppositely charged ions. |
Lipid | One of a family of compounds including fats, phospholipids, and steroids that is insoluble in water. |
Macromolecule | A type of giant molecule formed by joining smaller molecules which includes proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, and nucleic acids. |
Molecule | Two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds. |
Monomer | The subunit that serves as the building block of a polymer. |
Monosaccharide | A single sugar molecule such as glucose or fructose, the simplest type of sugar. |
Nutrient | A substance that is needed by the body to maintain life and health. |
Polymer | A large molecule consisting of many repeating chemical units or molecules linked together. |
Polysaccharide | A polymer of thousands of simple sugars formed by dehydration synthesis. |
Protein | A three dimensional polymer made of monomers of amino acids. |