Bio Midyear Vocab

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metabolism

Back 1

the chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life

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cellular organization

Back 2

refers to the components of a cell and how these individual parts are arranged within the cell.

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cellulose

Back 3

an insoluble substance that is the main constituent of plant cell walls and of vegetable fibers such as cotton. It is a polysaccharide consisting of chains of glucose monomers

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starch

Back 4

occurring widely in plant tissue and obtained chiefly from cereals and potatoes. It is a polysaccharide that functions as a carbohydrate store and is an important constituent of the human diet.

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glycogen

Back 5

a substance deposited in bodily tissues as a store of carbohydrates. It is a polysaccharide that forms glucose on hydrolysis.

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homeostasis

Back 6

tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes.

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chemical formula

Back 7

a set of chemical symbols showing the elements present in a compound and their relative proportions, and in some cases the structure of the compound.

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ionic bonds

Back 8

form when one atom gives up one or more electrons to another atom

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covalent bonds

Back 9

involves the sharing of electron pairs between atoms. stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces between atoms, when they share electrons

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polar bonds

Back 10

A polar bond is a covalent bond between two atoms where the electrons forming the bond are unequally distributed.

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polarity

Back 11

the tendency of living organisms or parts to develop with distinct anterior and posterior (or uppermost and lowermost) ends, or to grow or orient in a particular direction.

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nonpolar bonds

Back 12

Nonpolar covalent bonds, with equal sharing of the bond electrons

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activation energy

Back 13

the minimum quantity of energy that the reacting species must possess in order to undergo a specified reaction.

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phospholipids

Back 14

a lipid containing a phosphate group in its molecule, e.g., lecithin.

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isotonic

Back 15

denoting or relating to a solution having the same osmotic pressure as some other solution, especially one in a cell or a body fluid.

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hypertonic

Back 16

having a higher osmotic pressure than a particular fluid, typically a body fluid or intracellular fluid.

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hypotonic

Back 17

having a lower osmotic pressure than a particular fluid

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tonicity

Back 18

the state of a solution in respect of osmotic pressure

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diffusion

Back 19

the intermingling of substances by the natural movement of their particles.

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osmosis

Back 20

a process by which molecules of a solvent tend to pass through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one, thus equalizing the concentrations on each side of the membrane.

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endocytosis

Back 21

the taking in of matter by a living cell by invagination of its membrane to form a vacuole.

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exocytosis

Back 22

a process by which the contents of a cell vacuole are released to the exterior through fusion of the vacuole membrane with the cell membrane.

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phagocytosis

Back 23

the ingestion of bacteria or other material by phagocytes and amoeboid protozoans.

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facilitated diffusion

Back 24

the process of spontaneous passive transport of molecules or ions across a cell's membrane

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nuclear envelope

Back 25

the double membrane structure that surrounds the nucleus

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archaebacteria

Back 26

microorganisms that are similar to bacteria in size and simplicity of structure but radically different in molecular organization.

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eubacteria

Back 27

a bacterium of a large group typically having simple cells with rigid cell walls and often flagella for movement.

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endosymbiosis

Back 28

symbiosis in which one of the symbiotic organisms lives inside the other.

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endergonic

Back 29

accompanied by or requiring the absorption of energy, the products being of greater free energy than the reactants.

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exergonic

Back 30

accompanied by the release of energy.

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electromagnetic spectrum

Back 31

the range of wavelengths or frequencies over which electromagnetic radiation extends.

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wavelength

Back 32

the distance between successive crests of a wave, especially points in a sound wave or electromagnetic wave.

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ATP synthase

Back 33

an important enzyme that creates the energy storage molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

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purines

Back 34

a colorless crystalline compound with basic properties, forming uric acid on oxidation.

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pyrimidines

Back 35

a colorless crystalline compound with basic properties.

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histones

Back 36

any of a group of basic proteins found in chromatin.

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helicase

Back 37

enzymes that bind and may even remodel nucleic acid or nucleic acid protein complexes.