click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Ch. 2 Bio Vocab.
Test on Thursday 9/19
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| matter | anything that has mass and takes up space |
| mass | a measure of the amount of matter in an object; a fundamental property of an object that is not affected by the forces that act on the object, such as the gravitational force |
| element | a substance that cannot be separated ir broken down into simpler substances by chemical means; all atoms of an element have the same atomic number |
| atom | the smallest unit of an element that maintains the chemical properties of that element |
| nucleus | in physical science, an atom's central region, which is made up of protons and neutrons |
| proton | a subatomic particle that has a positive charge and that is located in the nucleus of an atom; the number of protons of the nucleus is the atomic number, which determines the identity of an element |
| neutron | a subatomic particle that has no charge and that is located in the nucleus of an atom |
| atomic number | the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom; the atomic number is the same for all atoms of an element |
| mass number | the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom |
| electron | a subatomic particle that has a negative charge |
| orbital | a region in an atom where there is a high probability of finding electrons |
| isotope | an atom that has the same number of protons (or the same atomic number0 as other atoms of the same element do but that has a different number of neutrons (and thus a different atomic mass) |
| compound | a substance made up of atoms of two or more different elements joined by chemical bonds |
| chemical bond | the attractive force that holds atoms or ions together |
| covalent bond | a bond formed when atoms share one or pairs of electrons |
| molecule | a group of atoms that are held together by chemical forces; a molecule is the smallest unit of matter that can exist by itself and retain all of substance's chemical properties |
| ion | an atoms, radical, or molecule that has gained or lost one or more electrons and has a negative or positive charge |
| ionic bond | the attractive force between oppositely charged ions, which form when electrons are transferred from one atom to another |
| energy | the capacity to do work |
| chemical reaction | the process by which one or more substances change to produce one or more different substances |
| reactant | a substance or molecule that participates in a chemical reactions |
| product | a substance that forms in a chemical reaction |
| metabolism | the sum of all chemical processes that occur in an organism |
| activation energy | the minimum amount of energy required to start a chemical reaction |
| catalyst | a substance that changes the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed or changed significantly |
| enzyme | a type of protein or RNA molecule that speeds up metabolic reactions in plant and animals without being permanently changed or destroyed |
| redox reaction | a reaction in which electrons are transferred between atoms; also known as an oxidation-reduction reaction |
| oxidation reaction | a chemical reaction in which a reactant loses one or more electrons such that the reactant becomes more positive in charge |
| reduction reaction | a chemical change in which electrons are gained, either by the removal of oxygen, the addition of hydrogen, or the addition of electrons |
| polar | describes a molecule with opposite charges on opposite ends |
| hydrogen bond | the intermolecular force occurring when a hydrogen atom that is bonded to a highly electronegative atom of one molecule is attracted to two unshared electrons of another molecule |
| cohesion | the force that holds molecules of a single material together |
| adhesion | the attractive force between two bodies of different substances that are in contact with each other |
| capillarity | the attraction between molecules that results in the rise of a liquid in small tubes |
| solution | a homogeneous mixture throughout which two or more substances are uniformly dispersed |
| solute | in a solution, the substance that dissolves in the solvent |
| solvent | in a solution, the substance in which the solute dissolves |
| concentration | the amount of a particular substance in a given quantity of a mixture, solution, or ore |
| saturated solution | a solution that cannot dissolve any more salute under the given conditions |
| aqueous solution | a solution in which water is the solvent |
| hydroxide ion | the OH- ion |
| hydronium ion | an ion consisting of a proton combined with a molecule of water; H3O+ |
| acid | any compound that increases the number of hydronium ions when dissolved in water; acids turn blue litmus paper red and react with bases and some metals to form salts |
| base | any compound that increases the number of hydroxide ions when dissolved in water; bases turn red litmus paper blue and react with acids to form salts |
| pH scale | a range of values that are used to express the acidity or alkalinity (basicity) of a system; each whole number on the scale indicates a tenfold change in acidity; a pH of 7 is neutral, a pH of less than 7 is acidic, and a pH of greater than 7 is basic |
| buffer | a solution made from a weak acid and its conjugate base that neutralizes small amounts of acids or bases added to it |