Unit 1: The Chemistry of Life

Lesson 1 Reading Assignment

Lesson 1 Reading Assignment

Lesson 1: The Study of Life

Lesson 1: The Study of Life

Lesson 2: The Chemical Foundation of Life

Lesson 2: The Chemical Foundation of Life

2.1 Atoms, Isotopes, Ions, and Molecules: The Building Blocks: Section Summary

Matter is anything that occupies space and has mass. It is made up of elements. All of the 92 elements that occur naturally have unique qualities that allow them to combine in various ways to create molecules, which in turn combine to form cells, tissues, organ systems, and organisms. Atoms, which consist of protons, neutrons, and electrons, are the smallest units of an element that retain all of the properties of that element. Electrons can be transferred, shared, or cause charge disparities between atoms to create bonds, including ionic, covalent, and hydrogen bonds, as well as van der Waals interactions.

Anions

Negative ions are formed by gaining electrons and are called anions. Anions are designated by their elemental name being altered to end in "-ide": the anion of chlorine is called chloride, and the anion of sulfur is called sulfide, for example.

Electrons

Negatively charged particles. much smaller in mass than protons. 0 amu

Basic Science

"pure" science seeks to expand knowledge regardless of the short-term application of that knowledge

Applied Science

"technology," aims to use science to solve real-world problems, making it possible, for example, to improve a crop yield, find a cure for a particular disease, or save animals threatened by a natural disaster

Atom Structure

An atom is composed of two regions: the nucleus, and the outermost region of the atom which holds its electrons in orbit around the nucleus Elements, such as helium, depicted here, are made up of atoms. Atoms are made up of protons and neutrons located within the nucleus, with electrons in orbitals surrounding the nucleus.

1.2 Themes and Concepts of Biology: Section Summary

Biology is the science of life. All living organisms share several key properties such as order, sensitivity or response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, regulation, homeostasis, and energy processing. Living things are highly organized parts of a hierarchy that includes atoms, molecules, organelles, cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems. Organisms, in turn, are grouped as populations, communities, ecosystems, and the biosphere. The great diversity of life today evolved from less-diverse ancestral organisms over billions of years. A diagram called a phylogenetic tree can be used to show evolutionary relationships among organisms. Biology is very broad and includes many branches and subdisciplines. Examples include molecular biology, microbiology, neurobiology, zoology, and botany, among others.

1.1 The Science of Biology: Section Summary

Biology is the science that studies living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environments. Science attempts to describe and understand the nature of the universe in whole or in part by rational means. Science has many fields; those fields related to the physical world and its phenomena are considered natural sciences. Science can be basic or applied. The main goal of basic science is to expand knowledge without any expectation of short-term practical application of that knowledge. The primary goal of applied research, however, is to solve practical problems. Two types of logical reasoning are used in science. Inductive reasoning uses particular results to produce general scientific principles. Deductive reasoning is a form of logical thinking that predicts results by applying general principles. The common thread throughout scientific research is the use of the scientific method, a step-based process that consists of making observations, defining a problem, posing hypotheses, testing these hypotheses, and drawing one or more conclusions. The testing uses proper controls. Scientists present their results in peer-reviewed scientific papers published in scientific journals. A scientific research paper consists of several well-defined sections: introduction, materials and methods, results, and, finally, a concluding discussion. Review papers summarize the research done in a particular field over a period of time.

Types of Organisms

Prokaryotes & Eukaryotes

Reporting Scientific Work (IMRaD Format)

Sections of a paper include: Introduction, Materials and Methods, The Results section, the Discussion Section, and Conclusion

Periodic Table

The different elements are organized and displayed in the Table

Protons & Electrons

The number of electrons is equal to the number of protons inside the nucleus.

Atomic Number

The number of protons. It is used to distinguish one element from another

Reactants

The substances used in the beginning of a chemical reaction

Why do you need a control group, and how is this group different from your experimental group?

You need a control group in an experiment so that you can compare the results to the experimental group. The control groups results should differ from the experimental groups results, due to something that has been changed in the hypothesis. The results should not be different due to an outside factor, but should only differ because of the manipulation which was hypothesized about. The control group is the exact same as an experimental group, except the manipulation in the hypothesis is not applied to the control group, but is applied to the experimental group.

Molecule

a chemical structure consisting of at least two atoms held together by one or more chemical bonds

Abstract

a concise summary at the beginning of the paper

Phylogenetic Tree

a diagram showing the evolutionary relationships among biological species based on similarities and differences in genetic or physical traits or both The tree shows the separation of living organisms into three domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. Bacteria and Archaea are prokaryotes, single-celled organisms lacking intracellular organelles.

Deductive Reasoning

a form of logical thinking that uses a general principle or law to forecast specific results

Inductive Reasoning

a form of logical thinking that uses related observations to arrive at a general conclusion

Organ System

a higher level of organization that consists of functionally related organs

Scientific Method

a method of research with defined steps that include experiments and careful observation. Defined first by England's Sir Francis Bacon

Hypothesis

a suggested explanation for an event, which can be tested. Also it must be falsifiable

Theory

a tested and confirmed explanation for observations or phenomena

Population

all the individuals of a species living within a specific area

Variable

any part of the experiment that can vary or change during the experiment

Matter

any substance that occupies space and has mass

Electron Configuration

arrangement of electrons in an atom's electron shell (for example, 1s22s22p6) # of electrons into the image

Ions

atom or chemical group that does not contain equal numbers of protons and electrons

Levels of Organization

atom, molecules, macromolecules, organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organ system, organisms, population, community, ecosystem, biosphere

Two Types of Science

basic science and applied science

Tissues

cells combine to make tissues, which are groups of similar cells carrying out similar or related functions

Organelles

cells contain aggregates of macromolecules surrounded by membranes. Small structures that exist within cells

Law of Mass Action

chemical law stating that the rate of a reaction is proportional to the concentration of the reacting substances

Organs

collections of tissues grouped together performing a common function

Ecosystem

consists of all the living things in a particular area together with the abiotic, non-living parts of that environment such as nitrogen in the soil or rain water

Irreversible Reaction

contain a unidirectional arrow

Control Group

contains every feature of the experimental group except it is not given the manipulation that is hypothesized about

Two Main Pathways of Scientific Study

descriptive science and hypothesis-based science

Isotopes

different forms of an element that have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons

Serendipity

discoveries found by accident, or a lucky surprise

Review Articles

do not follow the IMRAD format because they do not present original scientific findings, or primary literature; instead, they summarize and comment on findings that were published as primary literature and typically include extensive reference sections

Inert Gases/Nobel Gases

element with filled outer electron shell that is unreactive with other atoms. Octet rule is achieved.

Diversity of Life

evolution and the phylogenetic tree

Ionic Bond

formed between ions with opposite charges. Cations and Anions

Eukaryotes

have membrane-bound organelles and a membrane-bound nucleus. Multicellular organisms.

Electron Orbitals

how electrons are spatially distributed surrounding the nucleus; the area where an electron is most likely to be found

Nucleus

in the center of the atom and contains protons and neutrons

Organism

individual living entities

Chemical Bonds

interaction between two or more of the same or different atoms that results in the formation of molecules. Atoms form chemical bonds with other atoms thereby obtaining the electrons they need to attain a stable electron configuration

Proton

is positively charged 1 amu

Neutron

is uncharged 1 amu

Radioisotopes

isotope that emits radiation composed of subatomic particles to form more stable elements

Science

knowledge that covers general truths or the operation of general laws, especially when acquired and tested by the scientific method

Macromolecules

large molecules that are typically formed by polymerization (a polymer is a large molecule that is made by combining smaller units called monomers, which are simpler than macromolecules)

Branches of Biological Study

molecular biology, biochemistry, microbiology, neurobiology, paleontology, zoology, botany etc.

Chemical Reactions

occur when two or more atoms bond together to form molecules or when bonded atoms are broken apart

Electron Shells and the Bohr Model

orbitals, octet rule, valence shell

Properties of Life

order, sensitivity or response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, regulation, homeostasis, energy processing

Cations

positive ions that are formed by losing electrons

Orbitals

region surrounding the nucleus; contains electrons

Peer-Reviewed Manuscripts

scientific papers that are reviewed by a scientist's colleagues, or peers

Materials and Methods

section includes a complete and accurate description of the substances used, and the method and techniques used by the researchers to gather data

Results

simply narrates the findings without any further interpretation

Molecules

simply two or more atoms chemically bonded together

Prokaryotes

single-celled or colonial organisms that do not have membrane-bound nuclei

Introduction

starts with brief, but broad, background information about what is known in the field

Octet Rule

states with the exception of the innermost shell, that atoms are more stable energetically when they have eight electrons in their valence shell

Equilibrium

steady state of relative reactant and product concentration in reversible chemical reactions in a closed system

Neorobiology

studies the biology of the nervous system, and although it is considered a branch of biology, it is also recognized as an interdisciplinary field of study known as neuroscience

Molecular Biology & Biochemistry

study biological processes at the molecular and chemical level, including interactions among molecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins, as well as the way they are regulated

Life Sciences

study living things and include biology, and physical sciences

Physical Sciences

study nonliving matter and include astronomy, geology, physics, and chemistry

Conclusion

summarizes the importance of the experimental findings

Chemical Reactivity

the ability for elements to combine and to chemically bond with each other

Atomic Mass

the calculated mean of the mass number for its naturally occurring isotopes

Biosphere

the collection of all ecosystems, and it represents the zones of life on earth

Natural Sciences

the fields of science related to the physical world and its phenomena and processes

Balanced Chemical Equation

the number of atoms of each element is the same on each side of the equation

Mass Number

the number of protons and the number of neutrons determine an element's mass number

Valence Shell

the outermost electron shell

Evolution

the process of gradual change during which new species arise from older species

Discussion

the researcher will interpret the results, describe how variables may be related, and attempt to explain the observations

Atom

the smallest and most fundamental unit of matter

Cell

the smallest fundamental unit of structure and function in living organisms

Atom

the smallest unit of matter that retains all of the chemical properties of an element

Zoology and Botany

the study of animals and plants, respectively

Biology

the study of living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environments

Microbiology

the study of microorganisms, is the study of the structure and function of single-celled organisms

Products

the substances found at the end of the reaction

Community

the sum of populations inhabiting a particular area

Reversible Reaction

those that can go in either direction

Scientific Reasoning

two methods of logical thinking: inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning

Elements

unique forms of matter with specific chemical and physical properties that cannot be broken down into smaller substances by ordinary chemical reactions. oxygen (O), carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and nitrogen (N) are the important ones to life

Paleontology

uses fossils to study life's history

Hypothesis-Based Science

usually deductive, begins with a specific question or problem and a potential answer or solution that can be tested

Descriptive Science

which is usually inductive, aims to observe, explore, and discover