Chemistry Of Life Vocab

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Atom

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the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element, consisting of a nucleus containing combinations of neutrons and protons and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus by electrical attraction; the number of protons determines the identity of the element.

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Carbohydrates

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any of a class of organic compounds that are polyhydroxy aldehydes or polyhydroxy ketones, or change to such substances on simple chemical transformations, as hydrolysis, oxidation, or reduction, and that form the supporting tissues of plants and are important food for animals and people.

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Cell

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microscopic structure containing nuclear and cytoplasmic material enclosed by a semipermeable membrane and, in plants, a cell wall; the basic structural unit of all organisms.

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Chromosomes

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any of several threadlike bodies, consisting of chromatin, that carry the genes in a linear order: the human species has 23 pairs, designated 1 to 22 in order of decreasing size and X and Y for the female and male sex chromosomes respectively.

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Compound

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a pure substance composed of two or more elements whose composition is constant.

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Diffusion

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an intermingling of molecules, ions, etc., resulting from random thermal agitation, as in the dispersion of a vapor in air.

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Nucleic Acid

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any of a group of long, linear macromolecules, either DNA or various types of RNA, that carry genetic information directing all cellular functions: composed of linked nucleotides.

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Element

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one of a class of substances that cannot be separated into simpler substances by chemical means.

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Lipid

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any of a group of organic compounds that are greasy to the touch, insoluble in water, and soluble in alcohol and ether: lipids comprise the fats and other esters with analogous properties and constitute, with proteins and carbohydrates, the chief structural components of living cells.

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Macromolecule

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a very large molecule, as a colloidal particle, protein, or especially a polymer, composed of hundreds or thousands of atoms.

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Molecule

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a very large molecule, as a colloidal particle, protein, or especially a polymer, composed of hundreds or thousands of atoms.

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Multicellular

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composed of several or many cells.

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Osmosis

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the tendency of a fluid, usually water, to pass through a semipermeable membrane into a solution where the solvent concentration is higher, thus equalizing the concentrations of materials on either side of the membrane.

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Protein

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any of numerous, highly varied organic molecules constituting a large portion of the mass of every life form and necessary in the diet of all animals and other nonphotosynthesizing organisms, composed of 20 or more amino acids linked in a genetically controlled linear sequence into one or more long polypeptide chains, the final shape and other properties of each protein being determined by the side chains of the amino acids and their chemical attachments: proteins include such specialized forms as collagen for supportive tissue, hemoglobin for transport, antibodies for immune defense, and enzymes for metabolism.