Biology-Biochemistry Vocabulary

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Acid

Back 1

Substance that breaks apart to release H+ into a solution

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Base

Back 2

Substance that breaks apart to release OH- into a solution

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pH

Back 3

Describes how acidic or basic a substance is

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Organic Molecules

Back 4

Molecules that contain C-H bonds and are found or formed by living things

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Inorganic Molecules

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Molecules that do not contain C-H bonds

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Organic Macromolecules

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Very large molecules that contain C-H bonds and are found in or formed by living things

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Monomer

Back 7

Small molecular sub-units that are joined together to form larger molecules

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Polymer

Back 8

Long chains of monomers joined together

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Dehydration Synthesis

Back 9

Reaction that joins monomers together to form a polymer

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Hydrolysis

Back 10

Reaction that breaks polymers apart into their individual monomers

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Carbohydrates

Back 11

Organic compound made of sugar molecules

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Monosaccharide

Back 12

Simple sugar containing one sugar unit

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Polysaccharide

Back 13

Long polymer chain made up of simple sugar monomers (monosaccharides)

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Lipids

Back 14

Water-avoiding compounds such as fats and steroids

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Glycerol

Back 15

A three carbon backbone that is attached to three fatty acids chains to create a fat

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Fatty Acids

Back 16

Long hydrocarbon chains that are attached to glycerol to form a fat

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Protein

Back 17

Polymer constructed from a set of twenty amino acid monomers

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Amino Acids

Back 18

Monomer that makes up proteins; contains carboxyl and amino functional groups

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Nucleic Acids

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A polymer built from nucleotides that stores genetic information about an organism

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Nucleotides

Back 20

Monomer of nucleic acid polymers

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Matter

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Anything that has mass and takes up space

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Elements

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Pure substances that consist of only one type of atom

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Trace Elements

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Elements that are essential for life but required only in very small amounts

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Compounds

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Substances containing two or more different types of elements that are chemically bonded together

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Atom

Back 25

The smallest possible particle of a chemical element that still retains the properties of that element

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Proton

Back 26

A subatomic particle with a positive charge that resides in the nucleus

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Electron

Back 27

A subatomic particle with a negative charge that travels around the nucleus in the electron cloud

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Neutron

Back 28

A subatomic particle with a neutral charge that resides in the nucleus

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Nucleus

Back 29

The tightly packed core of an atom containing protons and neutrons

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Atomic Number

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The number of protons in an atom

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Mass Number

Back 31

Number of protons and neutrons

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Bonds

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Forces that hold atoms together

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Ionic Bonds

Back 33

Form when one atom donates the electrons in its outermost orbital to another atom

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Covalent Bonds

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Form when atoms share electrons in their outermost orbitals

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Molecule

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Form when two or more atoms are held together by a covalent bond

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Polar Molecule

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Opposite ends of the molecule have opposite electrical charges

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Hydrogen Bond

Back 37

When hydrogen is attracted to the slightly negative atoms of nearby molecules

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Cohesion

Back 38

Attraction between like molecules

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Adhesion

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Attraction between unlike molecules

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Surface Tension

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Cohesion on the surface of water creates a filmlike boundary

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Solution

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A uniform mixture of two or more substances

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Solute

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The substance that goes into the solution

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Solvent

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The substance that dissolves the solute in a solution

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Aqueous Solution

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A solution where water is the solvent

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Biochemistry

Back 45

Studying the chemical building blocks of living things