Chapter 2 Lecture Notes—Essential Chemistry for Biology
Biol 100 – K. Marr – Spring 2007
Topics Discussed in these notes
• Matter, Elements and Compounds
• Periodic Table of the Elements: Metals vs. Nonmetals
• Atomic Structure
• Chemical Bonding: Ionic vs. Covalent Bonding
• Chemical Reactions and Chemical Equations
• The Structure of Water
• Water as a Solvent
• The Importance of Water to Living Things
• Acids, Bases and pH
• Self-test/Review Questions
• Organisms and all other things in the universe consist of matter
Matter: Elements and Compounds
• Matter is anything that occupies space and has mass
– Matter is composed of chemical elements and compounds
– Elements: substances that cannot be broken down into other substances
– There are 92 naturally occurring elements on Earth
– What are compounds? Examples?
BASIC CHEMISTRY
Periodic table of the elements
Location of....• Metals?• Nonmetals?
25 Elements are essential to life
• C, H, O, N: 96% of the weight of the human body
• Elements can combine chemically to form compounds
• Compounds contain two or more elements chemically combined in a fixed ratio
Examples of Compounds:
1. Table salt (sodium chloride): NaCl
2. Water: H2O
3. Glucose: C6H12O6
Some Elements React to Form Compounds
• Each element consists of one kind of atom
Atom: smallest unit of matter that retains the properties of an element
Fig. 2.02
(a) Hydrogen atom (b) Carbon atom (c) Oxygen atom
Proton Neutron Electron
Atomic nucleus
Firstshell
Secondshell
• The subatomic particles of an atom
Atomic Structure
Proton
Positive charge
Determines element
Neutron
No charge
Determines isotope
Electron
Negative charge
• Participates in chemical reactions
• Outer-shell electrons determine chemical behavior
Nucleus
• Consists of neutrons and protons
• Elements
– differ in the number of subatomic particles in their atoms
• Atomic Number: number of protons
– determines which element it is
• Mass number
– sum of the number of protons and neutrons
• Electrons
– Located outside the nucleus of an atom in specific electron shells (energy levels)
• The number of electrons in the outermost shell determines the chemical properties of an atom
Chemical Properties of Atoms
Atoms of the four elements most abundant in life
Electron
Firstelectron shell:can hold2 electrons
Outermostelectron shell:can hold8 electrons
Carbon (C)Atomic number = 6
Nitrogen (N)Atomic number = 7
Oxygen (O)Atomic number = 8
Hydrogen (H)Atomic number = 1
Orbital Diagrams of the First 18 Elements
2
8
8
1st Shell
2nd Shell
3rd Shell
• Chemical reactions:
– Atoms give up or acquire electrons in order to complete their outer shells
– Result in atoms staying close together to form molecules
– Chemical bonds hold molecules together
• Ionic Bonds
• Covalent bonds
Chemical Bonding and Molecules
• When an atom loses or gains electrons, it becomes electrically charged
– Charged atoms are called ions
– Ionic bonds are formed between oppositely charged ions
Ionic Bonds: form between metals and nonmetals
Sodium atom (Na) Chlorine atom (Cl)
Completeouter shells
Sodium ion (Na) Chloride ion (Cl)
Sodium chloride (NaCl)
(a) Hydrogen atom (H)
(c) Sodium atom (Na)
(b) Hydrogen ion (H+)
(d) Sodium ion (Na+)
1 electron
1 proton
No net electrical charge
11 electrons
11 protons
No net electrical charge
No electron
1 proton
10 electrons
11 protons
Fig. 2.03
Atoms: electrically neutral Ions: Electrically charged
• A covalent bond forms when two atoms share one or more pairs of outer-shell electrons
Covalent Bonds: form between nonmetallic atoms
Fig. 2.04a
Covalent bonding in water
Full shell with 8 electrons– Slightly negative
Hydrogen atoms with unfilled shells
Full shells with 2 electrons each
+Slightly positive
+
Covalent bond(shared pairof electron)
Oxygen atom with unfilled shell
Water molecule (H2O)
• Cells constantly rearrange molecules by breaking existing chemical bonds and forming new ones
– Such changes in the chemical composition of matter are called chemical reactions
Chemical Reactions
Hydrogen gas Oxygen gas Water
Reactants Products
Reactants: on the left side of the equation – the starting
materials
Chemical Equations: symbolize chemical reactions
Products: on the right side of the equation – the ending materials (the stuff
produces)
Law of Conservation of Mass– Chemical reactions do not create or destroy matter—they only
rearrange it!
• Life on Earth began in water and evolved there for 3 billion years
• The abundance of water is a major reason Earth is habitable
– Modern life still remains tied to water
– Your cells are composed of 70%–95% water
WATER AND LIFE
• The water molecule:
– two hydrogen atoms joined to one oxygen atom by single covalent bonds
The Structure of Water
H
O
H
• The electrons of the covalent bonds are shared unequally between oxygen and hydrogen
– unequal sharing of electrons makes water a polar molecule
– hydrogen atoms: partially positive ( ) Why?
– oxygen atom: partially negative ( -) Why?
()( )
( )
Water: a polar molecule
• The polarity of water results in weak electrical attractions between neighboring water molecules
– These interactions are called hydrogen bonds (b)
()
Hydrogen bond()
()()
()
()
()
()
The Structure of Water
• The polarity of water molecules and the hydrogen bonding that results explain most of water’s life-supporting properties
1. Versatility of water as a solvent
2. Water’s cohesive nature
3. Water’s ability to moderate temperature
4. Floating ice
Water’s Life-Supporting Properties
• A solution is a liquid consisting of two or more substances evenly mixed
Water as the Solvent of Life
– The dissolving agent is called the solvent
– The dissolved substance is called the solute
Ion in solutionSalt crystal
Dissolving of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) in Water
Salt
Water
Electricalattraction
Watermolecules(H2O)
Hydrogenbonds
Edge of onesalt crystal
Ionic bond
Water molecules dissolve NaCl,breaking ionic bond
• Water molecules stick together as a result of hydrogen bonding
– This is called cohesion
– Cohesion is vital for water transport in plants
The Cohesion of Water
Microscopic tubes
• Surface tension
– is the measure of how difficult it is to stretch or break the surface of a liquid
– Hydrogen bonds give water an unusually high surface tension
Figure 2.13
• Because of hydrogen bonding, water has a strong resistance to temperature change
• Water can absorb and store large amounts of heat while only changing a few degrees in temperature
– Earth’s Oceans cause temperatures to stay within limits that permit life
Water Moderates Temperature
• The density of ice is lower than liquid water
– This is why ice floats
Hydrogen bond
Liquid water
Hydrogen bondsconstantly break and re-form
Ice
Stable hydrogen bonds
• When water molecules get cold, they move apart, forming ice
– A chunk of ice has fewer molecules than an equal volume of liquid water
• Since ice floats, ponds, lakes, and even the oceans do not freeze solid
– Marine life could not survive if bodies of water froze solid
The Biological Significance of Ice Floating
• Acid
– A chemical compound that donates H+ ions to solutions
• Base
– A compound that accepts H+ ions and removes them from solution
Acids, Bases, and pH
Basicsolution
Neutralsolution
Acidicsolution
Oven cleaner
Household bleach
Household ammonia
Milk of magnesia
Seawater
Human bloodPure water
Urine
Tomato juice
Grapefruit juice
Lemon juice;gastric juice
• Acidic: pH < 7
H+ > OH-
• Basic: pH > 7
H+ < OH-
• Neutral: pH = 7
H+ = OH-
pH ScaleThe pH scale is used to describe the acidity of a
solution
Self-test/Review Questions
Use these questions as a self test and then discuss your responses with your study group/classmates—your responses will not be collected.
1. Why is carbon dioxide gas, CO2, classified as a compound but nitrogen gas, N2, is not?
2. Which of the following are compounds? Elements?: C6H12O6, CH4, O2, Cl2, HCl, MgCl2, Fe, Ca, Ne, NaI, I
3. What is the difference between an atom and an ion? Give examples of each to support your response.
4. Which subatomic particle determines the identity of an atom?
5. Which subatomic particle determines the chemical properties of an atom?
Self-test/Review Questions
6. A carbon atom has 6 protons, and the most common isotope of carbon has 6 neutrons. A radioactive isotope of carbon has 8 neutrons. What are the atomic numbers and the mass numbers of the of the stable and radioactive forms of carbon?
7. Explain the difference between an ionic and covalent bond in terms of what happens to the electrons in the outer shell of the participating atoms.
8. Sodium fluoride, NaF, is often added to toothpaste to both kill bacteria that cause cavities. It also helps to harden the enamel of teeth thus helping it resist cavities. Is sodium fluoride an ionic or covalent compound? How do you know? Explain your reasoning.
9. Is carbon dioxide an ionic or covalent compound? How do you know? Explain your reasoning.
Self-test/Review Questions (cont.)
10. Why are the following incorrect structures for the substances below? Rewrite their structures with the correct number of chemical bonds.
a. Carbon dioxide gas: O—C—O
b. Oxygen gas: O—O
c. Nitrogen gas: N—N
11. Explain how water’s versatility as a solvent results from the fact that water is polar molecule.
12. A bottle of Pepsi consists mostly of sugar dissolved in water, with some carbon dioxide gas that makes fizzy and makes the pH less than 7. Describe Pepsi using the following terms: solute, solvent, acidic, aqueous solution
Self-test/Review Questions (cont.)
13. Which of the following are chemical changes? Physical changes? If possible, write the balanced chemical equation for those that are a chemical change.
a. The alcoholic fermentation in Yeast in which yeast produce ethanol, C2H5OH, and carbon dioxide, CO2, from the sugar glucose, C6H12O6
b. Water boils to form steam
c. The healing of a cut finger
d. Cutting a piece of wood with a saw
e. Potassium metal, K, and chlorine gas (Cl2) combine to form potassium chloride.
f. The rusting of iron, Fe, to produce rust, iron (III) oxide (Fe2O3)
Self-test/Review Questions (cont.)
14. Which of these is not a subatomic particle? a) proton; b) ion; c) neutron; d) electron
15. The outermost electron shell of every Noble Gas element (except Helium) has ___ electrons. a) 1; b) 2; c) 4; d) 6; e) 8
16. An organic molecule is likely to contain all of these elements except ___. a) C; b) H; c) O; d) Ne; e) N
17. The chemical bond between water molecules is a ___ bond. a) ionic; b) polar covalent; c) nonpolar covalent; d) hydrogen
18. A solution with a pH of 7 has ___ times more H ions than a solution of pH 9. a) 2; b) 100; c) 1000; d) 9; e) 90
19. The type of chemical bond formed when electrons are shared between atoms is a ___ bond. a) ionic; b) covalent; c) hydrogen
Self-test/Review Questions (cont.)
20. The type of chemical bond formed when oppositely charged particles are attached to each other is a ___ bond. a) ionic; b) covalent; c) hydrogen
21. Carbon has an atomic number of 6. This means it has ___. a) six protons; b) six neutrons; c) six protons plus six neutrons; d) six neutrons and six electrons
22. Each of the isotopes of hydrogen has ___ proton(s). a) 3; b) 1; c) 2; d) 92; e) 1/2
23. A molecule is ___. a) a mixture of various components that can vary; b) a combination of many atoms that will have different ratios; c) a combination of one or more atoms that will have a fixed ratio of its components; d) more important in a chemistry class than in a biology class