AP Biology

orbital

3D space or volume within which an electron is most likely to be found.

hydrolysis

A chemical process that lyses, or splits, molecules by the addition of water; an essential process in digestion.

sulfhydryl group

A functional group consisting of a sulfur atom bonded to a hydrogen atom (—SH).

phosphate group

A functional group important in energy transfer.

carboxyl group

A functional group present in organic acids and consisting of a single carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom and also bonded to a hydroxyl group.

amino group

A functional group that consists of a nitrogen atom bonded to two hydrogen atoms; can act as a base in solution, accepting a hydrogen ion and acquiring a charge of +1.

macromolecule

A giant molecule formed by the joining of smaller molecules, usually by a condensation reaction. Polysaccharides, proteins, and nucleic acids are macromolecules.

carbohydrates

A sugar (monosaccharide) or one of its dimers (disaccharides) or polymers (polysaccharides).

ketone

An organic compound with a carbonyl group of which the carbon atom is bonded to two other carbons.

aldehyde

An organic molecule with a carbonyl group located at the end of the carbon skeleton.

monosaccharides

The simplest carbohydrate, active alone or serving as a monomer for disaccharides and polysaccharides. Also known as simple sugars, the molecular formulas of monosaccharides are generally some multiple of CH2O.

ionic bond

a chemical bond resulting from the attraction between oppositely charged ions.

molarity

a common measure of solute concentration, referring to the number of moles of solute in 1L of solution.

carbonyl group

a functional group present in aldehydes and ketones and consisting of a single carbon atom double-bounded to an oxygen atom.

surface tension

a measure of how difficult it is to stretch or break the surface of a liquid. water has a high surface tension because the hydrogen bonding of surface molecules.

temperature

a measure of the intensity of heat in degrees, reflecting the average kinetic energy of the molecules.

anion

a negatively charged ion.

aqeous solution

a solution in which water is the solvent.

polar covalent bond

a type of covalent bond between atoms that differ in electronegativity. the shared electrons are pulled closer to the more electronegative atom, making it slightly negative and the other atom slightly positive.

covalent bond

a type of strong chemical bond in which atoms share me pair of valence electrons.

hydrogen bond

a type of weak chemical bond formed when the slightly positive hydrogen atom of a polar covalent bond in one molecule is attracted to the slightly negative atom of a polar covalent bond in another molecules.

chemical bonds

an attraction between two atoms resulting from a sharing of outter-shell electrons or the presence of opposite charges on the atoms; the bonded atoms gain complete outer electron shells.

electron shells

an energy level representing the distance of an electron from the nucleus of an atom.

cation

an ion with a positive charge, produced by the loss of one or more electrons.

hydrocarbons

an organic molecule consisting only of carbon & hydrogen.

geometric isomers

compounds that have the same molecular formual but different in the spatial arrangements of their atoms.

structural isomers

compounds that have the same molecular formula but differ in the covalent arrangements of their atoms.

hydrophilic

having an affinity for water.

hydophobic

having an aversion to water; tending to coalesce and form droplets in water.

chemical equilibrium

in a reversible chemical reaction, the point at which the rate of the forward reaction equals the rate of the reverse reaction.

enantiomers

molecules that are mirror images of each other

isotopes

one of several atomic forms of an element, each containing a different number of neutrons and thus differing in atomic mass.

isomers

one of several organic compounds with the same molecular formula but different structures and therefore different properties. the three types of isomers are structural isomers, geometric isomers, and enantimers.

alcohols

organic compounds containing hydroxyl groups.

calorie

the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1g of water by 1 degree C, also the amount of heat energy that 1g of water releases when it cooks by 1 degree C. the Calorie indicates the energy content of food, a kilocalorie.

specific heat

the amount of heat that must be absorbed or lost for 1g of a substance to change its temperature by 1 degree C.

adhesion

the attraction between different kinds of molecules.

electronegativity

the attraction of an atom for the electrons of a covalent bond.

cohesion

the binding together of like molecules, often by hydrogen bonds.

energy

the capacity to do work (to move matter against an opposing force)

solvent

the dissolving agent of a solution. water is the most versative solvent known.

valence electrons

the electrons in the outtermost electron shell.

hydroxyl group

the functional group consisting of a hydrogen atom joined to an oxygen atom by a polar covalent bond. molecules possessing this group are soluble in water and are called alcohols.

mol

the number of grams of a substance that equals its molecular weight in daltons and contains avagadro's number of molecules.

evaporative cooling

the property of a liquid whereby the surface becomes cooler during evaporation, owing to a loss of highly kinetic molecules to the gaseous state.

functional groups

the specific configuration of atoms commonly attached by the carbon skeletons of organic molecules and usually involved in chemical reactions.

organic chemistry

the study of carbon compounds

molecular weight

the sum of weights of al the atoms in a molecule.

heat

the total amount of kinetic energy due to molecular motion in a body of matter. heat is energy in its most random fear.

molecular formula

the type of molecular notation indicating only the quantity of the constituent atoms.