1. What is the difference between an atom and a molecule? What is an ion?
2. What elements are necessary in large quantities for life to exist? Name 4.
3. What three subatomic particles make up an atom? Which one determines the element?
4. Name and describe 3 types of chemical bonds.
5. Water is a polar molecule. Explain what this statement means, using a diagram.
6. How does waterÕs polarity make it a good solvent?
7. Does the surrounding environment get warmer or colder when water evaporates? How is this connected to perspiration?
8. Why do coastal regions such as the Bay Area rarely experience below-freezing temperatures?
9. What property of water is related to questions 6 and 7 above? What type of chemical bond is responsible for this property?
10. Ice floats. Why? What are the consequences of this fact?
11. What causes the cohesiveness of water? What are the consequences of this property?
12. Define pH, acid, base, and neutral. Why is pH important to organisms?
13. What is a buffer? How is this important to life?
14. What is the source of acid rain? How does acid rain affect the environment and organisms in that environment?
Carbon, Polymers
1. What element is the basis for so many organic molecules? What property of this element makes it able to do this?
2. Define hydrophilic and hydrophobic and give an example of a molecule or functional group that fits each description.
3. Name 3 types of polymers common in living organisms. What monomers are used to build each of them?
4. Explain what occurs during dehydration synthesis.
What reaction is the opposite of dehydration synthesis?
5. Glucose and fructose are examples of ________.
6. Sucrose is made from __________ and ___________.
7. The main purpose of carbohydrates in the cell is _______________.
8. Name 4 common polysaccharides, their monomer, and in what group of organisms each polymer is found.
9. What is a lipid? What property is their main characteristic?
10. What are triglycerides? What functions do they serve in organisms?
11. What is the chemical difference between saturated and unsaturated fats? How does this affect the physical properties of these fats?
12. What are trans fats? What is their origin? What health danger do they present?
13. What property of phospholipids makes them so useful in cells? How are they used in cells?
14. Name 2 other categoties of lipids and their uses.
15. Why canÕt we eliminate cholesterol from our bodies?
16. List 7 different functions of proteins.
17. What is the basis for the diversity of proteins in cells? (as in, What are proteins made of?)
18. Describe an amino acid. What purpose does the R group serve?
19. Define denaturation. List 3 possible causes of denaturation.
20. Describe 4 levels of protein structure and the factors that determine each one.
21. Why are nucleic acids called the Òinformation moleculesÓ?
22. What are the parts of a nucleotide? Which part makes up the information referred to above?
20. What are the limitations to cell size, both on the smaller end and the larger end?
21. How do prokaryotic cells differ from eukaryotic cells?
22. What are pili and what is their function?
23. Describe the cytoskeleton of cells. What 3 types of filaments is it made of?
24. What are plasmodesmata? What is their purpose?
25. Name the 3 types of cell junctions between animal cells. How do they differ?
26. Describe the 4 functional categories of eukaryotic organelles and list the organelles found in each group.
28.Describe the structure of phospholipids and explain how that relates to their function in cells.
29. Why is the plasma membrane called a fluid mosaic?