Chapter 2: The Chemical Context of Life
Organisms are made up of _________________ –
Matter is made up of ___________________ –
How many naturally occurring elements are there?
Of these, 20-25% are considered ______________________________.
An Essential Element –
Examples include __________________________________________________
These make up _____________of living matter
(The remaining 4% is made up by Ca, P, K, S and others).
Some elements are referred to as _____________________ -
What is an element composed of?
An element is composed of small units of matter that still retain the properties of an element.
These small units of matter are called _______________.
Atoms of each element are composed of even smaller parts called ________________.
Relevant subatomic particles include:
Protons and neutrons ____________________________________.
Electrons ______________________________________.
The number of electrons an element has can be determined by its __________________.
Helium has ____________ electrons.
Since all atoms (unless noted) have a neutral charge, the # of protons = ______________
Recap:
A Compound
-has characteristics different from those of its elements
Example:
The Energy Levels of Electrons
An atom’s electrons
- are found different distances away from the nucleus of an atom
- vary in the amount of energy they possess
The distances of electrons around the nucleus are described in terms of the ___________________ that they are
found in.
Electron Configuration and Chemical Properties
The chemical behaviour of an atom is defined by its electron configuration and distribution.
How do you determine how many electron shells an element has?
The periodic table of the elements shows the electron distribution for all of the elements.
Each electron shell can only hold so many electrons.
Therefore electrons will start to fill up the 1st shell before they move to the 2nd shell, etc
Example: Na
11
The electrons in the outermost electron shell are called the ________________________.
They determine the chemical behaviour of an atom.
The outermost shell is called the ____________________________.
The Valence of an atom -
The valence of Na is:
These valence electrons are what impart the chemical behaviour to an atom.
If the valence shell is filled with electrons to capacity – then the atom is:
If the atom does not have a completed valence shell then the atom is:
Chapter 2: The Chemical Context of Life
(continued)
Chemical Bonds
A ________________________________is the force that holds atoms together.
The chemical bond arises as a result of the __________________, _____________ or
____________________ of electrons between atoms.
There are several types of Chemical Bonds:
Covalent Bond
A molecule-
A single bond –
A double bond -
Others may have triple bonds.
Question:
Is O2 a compound?
Is H2 a compound?
Covalent bonds can be _______________________________________.
The type of bond depends on the _________________________________ of the atoms involved.
In a nonpolar covalent bond Some covalent bonds can form between atoms in which one atom is more
electronegative than the other.
Electronegativity
Electronegative atoms include:
Example:
In a polar covalent bond:
Another type of Chemical Bond:
Ionic Bonds
Example:
- occurs with an atom of 11Na, and an atom of 17Cl
Result: Creation of _________________
Ions –
An anion-
A cation –
An ionic bond –
Weak Chemical Bonds
Several types of weak chemical bonds are important in living systems.
Hydrogen Bonds
- are weak chemical bonds
- results when a H atom that is covalently bound to an electronegative atom (as in H2O) is also attracted
to another electronegative atom (e.g. N in NH3).