Chapter 4 - Chemical Building Blocks

I.
The physical world is made up of atoms
A. The universe contains at least 92 different types of pure materials
known as elements.
1. An atoms nucleus is comprised of protons (+) and
neutrons (+-) and outside of that are electrons (-)
2. The smallest unit of an element is an atom.
B. Describing Atoms with numbers
1. The number of protons found in an atoms nucleus
is the atomic number.
2. Elements can be identified by their atomic number
which is the sum of the atoms protons and neutrons.
C. Some elements have variant forms of atoms that differ only in the
number of neutrons in their nuclei.
1. These different forms of an element are called
isotopes.
2. Isotopes of an element have different numbers of
neutrons.
D. Atoms can associate with other atoms through chemical bonds
1. The attractive interaction that is causes two atoms
to associate with each other is known as a chemical bond.
2. Atoms that become positively or negatively charged
due to the loss or addition of an electron are called ions.
3. The chemical attraction between negatively
charged and positively charged ions is called an ionic bond; it is one type
of chemical bonding.
4. A covalent bond is a chemical bond that happens
when at least two of the atoms linked are linked through electron sharing.
5. A substance that contains atoms from two or more
different elements, each in a precise ratio, is called a chemical compound.
II.
Covalent Bonds are the strongest chemical bonds in nature
A. .Covalent bonds are formed when two atoms link through electron
sharing.
III.
Hydrogen Bonds and ionic bonds are individually weak, but collectively potent.
A. Hydrogen bonds are especially dynamic noncovalent bonds that
are widely encountered in the chemistry of life.
1. Hydrogen bond is about 20 times weaker than a
covalent bond
B. Ionic bonds form between atoms of opposite charge
C. Chemical reactions are characterized by rearrangement of
chemical bonds.
IV.
The pH scale expresses the acidity or basicity of a solution
A. Buffers prevent large changes in pH -- they maintain the
concentration of hydrogen ions in a very narrow limit.
V.
The chemical building blocks of living systems
A. Carbohydrates provide energy and structural support for living
organisms

B. Nucleotides can deliver energy and they are critical components

of information storing molecules such as DNA.
1. Theyre made up of 3 parts; a nitrogenous base, a
five-carbon sugar, and a phosphate group
C. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins
1. Amino acids link together via peptide bonds in a
particular order as defined by genes. Genes are translated by RNA to
amino acid chains; the length and order of the amino acid chain then
dictates the three-dimensional structure of a polypeptide or protein.
D. A polypeptide must be correctly folded to become a functional
protein.
1. Polypeptides must undergo 4 levels of folding.
These each form structures which organize the amino acids chains into
specific biological functions.
E. Lipids are hydrophobic molecules with many essential functions in
the cell.
1. lipids are hydrophobic molecules made by living
cells that are built from chains or rings of hydrocarbon.
2. Hydrocarbon are covalently linked carbon and
hydrogen atoms.
3. Fatty acids, glycerides, sterols, and waxes are all
forms of lipids.
4. They can be saturated or unsaturated; saturated
lipids are called saturated because each carbon in it is bonded to the
maximum number of hydrogen atoms.
F. Sterols are lipids that play vital roles in a variety of life processes.