Unit 1B Vocabulary - Chemistry Of Life

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Acid

Back 1

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

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Activation Energy

Back 2

the minimum amount of energy required to start a chemical reaction

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Active Site

Back 3

the site on an enzyme that attaches to a substrate

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Adhesion

Back 4

the attractive force between two bodies of different substances that are in contact with each other

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Amino Acid

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any one of 20 different organic molecules that contain a carboxyl and an amino group and that combine to form proteins

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Atom

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the smallest unit of an element that maintains the chemical properties of that element

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ATP

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adenosine triphosphate, an organic molecule that acts as the main energy source for cell processes; composed of a nitrogenous base, a sugar, and three phosphate groups

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Base

Back 8

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

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Carbohydrate

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any organic compound that is made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and that provides nutrients to the cells of living things

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Cohesion

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the force that holds molecules of a single material together

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Compound

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a substance made up of atoms of two or more different elements joined by chemical bonds

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DNA

Back 12

deoxyribonucleic acid, the material that contains the information that determines inherited characteristics

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Element

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a substance that cannot be separated or broken down into simpler substances by chemical means; all atoms of an element have the same atomic number

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Energy

Back 14

the capacity to do work

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Enzyme

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a type of protein that speeds up metabolic reactions in plant and animals without being permanently changed or destroyed

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Ion

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an atom, radical, or molecule that has gained or lost one or more electrons and has a negative or positive charge

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Lipid

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a type of biochemical that does not dissolve in water, including fats and steroids; lipids store energy and make up cell membranes

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Molecule

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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 a substance's chemical properties

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Monosaccharide

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a simple sugar that is the basic subunit of a carbohydrate

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Nucleic Acid

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an organic compound, either RNA or DNA, whose molecules are made up of one or two chains of nucleotides and carry genetic information

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Nucleotide

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in a nucleic-acid chain, a subunit that consists of a sugar, a phosphate, and a nitrogenous base

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Protein

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an organic compound that is made of one or more chains of amino acids and that is a principal component of all cells

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RNA

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ribonucleic acid, a natural polymer that is present in all living cells and that plays a role in protein synthesis

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Solution

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a homogeneous mixture throughout which two or more substances are uniformly dispersed

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Anime

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an organic compound that can be considered to be a derivative of ammonia

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Aqua

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water

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Di

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two

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Hydro

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water

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Mono

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one