1

Chapter 2The Chemical Context of Life

2

Matter

• Takes up space and has mass

• Exists as elements (pure form) and in chemical combinations called compounds

3

Elements

• Can’t be broken down into simpler substances by chemical reaction

• Composed of atoms• Essential elements in living things

include carbon C, hydrogen H, oxygen O, and nitrogen N making up 96% of an organism

4

Other Elements• A few other elements Make up the

remaining 4% of living matter

Table 2.1

5

Trace Elements

• Trace elements Are required by an organism in only minute quantities

• Minerals such as Fe and Zn are trace elements

6

Deficiencies

(a) Nitrogen deficiency(b) Iodine deficiency (Goiter)

• If there is a deficiency of an essential element, disease results

7

Compounds

Sodium Chloride Sodium Chloride

+

• Are substances consisting of two or more elements combined in a fixed ratio

• Have characteristics different from those of their elements

Figure 2.2

8

Properties of Matter

• An atom is the smallest unit of matter that still retains the properties of a specific element

• An element’s properties depend on the structure of its atoms

9

Subatomic Particles

• Atoms of each element Are composed of even smaller parts called subatomic particles

• Neutrons, which have no electrical charge

• Protons, which are positively charged

• Electrons, which are negatively charged

10

Subatomic Particle Location

• Protons and neutrons– Are found in the

atomic nucleus

• Electrons– Surround the

nucleus in a “cloud”

11

Simplified models of an Atom

Nucleus

(a) (b)In this even more simplifiedmodel, the electrons areshown as two small bluespheres on a circle around thenucleus.

Cloud of negativecharge (2 electrons)

Electrons

This model represents theelectrons as a cloud ofnegative charge, as if we hadtaken many snapshots of the 2electrons over time, with eachdot representing an electron‘sposition at one point in time.

Figure 2.4

12

Atomic Number

•Is unique to each element and is used to arrange atoms on the Periodic table•Carbon = 12•Oxygen = 16•Hydrogen = 1•Nitrogen = 17

13

Atomic Mass

• Is an approximation of the atomic mass of an atom•It is the average of the mass of all isotopes of that particular element•Can be used to find the number of neutrons (Subtract atomic number from atomic mass)

14

Isotopes• Different forms of the same element• Have the same number of protons, but

different number of neutrons• May be radioactive - spontaneously

giving off particles and energy• May be used to date fossils or as

medical tracers

15

APPLICATION Scientists use radioactive isotopes to label certain chemical substances, creating tracers that can be used to follow a metabolic process or locate the substance within an organism. In this example, radioactive tracers are being used to determine the effect of temperature on the rate at which cells make copies of their DNA.

DNA (old and new)

Ingredients includingRadioactive tracer (bright blue)

Human cells

Incubators1 2 3

4 5 6

987

10°C 15°C 20°C

25°C 30°C 35°C

40°C 45°C 50°C

TECHNIQUE

2

1

The cells are placed in test tubes, their DNA is isolated, and unused ingredients are removed.

12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Ingredients for making DNA are added to human cells. One ingredient is labeled with 3H, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. Nine dishes of cells are incubated at different temperatures. The cells make new DNA, incorporating the radioactive tracer with 3H.

16

Temperature (°C)

The frequency of flashes, which is recorded as counts per minute, is proportional to the amount of the radioactive tracer present, indicating the amount of new DNA. In this experiment, when the counts per minute are plotted against temperature, it is clear that temperature affects the rate of DNA synthesis—the most DNA was made at 35°C.

10 20 30 40 50

Optimumtemperaturefor DNAsynthesis

30

20

10

0

Counts

per

min

ute

(x 1

,00

0)

RESULTS

3

RESULTS

A solution called scintillation fluid is added to the test tubes and they are placed in a scintillation counter. As the 3H in the newly made DNA decays, it emits radiation that excites chemicals in the scintillation fluid, causing them to give off light. Flashes of light are recorded by the scintillation counter.

Figure 2.5

17

Other uses– Can be used in medicine to treat tumors

Cancerous throat tissue

Figure 2.6

18

Energy

• Energy– Is defined as the capacity to cause

change

• Potential energy - Is the energy that matter possesses

because of its location or structure

• Kinetic Energy - Is the energy of motion

19

Electrons and Energy

• The electrons of an atom– Differ in the amounts of potential energy

they possess

A ball bouncing down a flightof stairs provides an analogyfor energy levels of electrons,because the ball can only reston each step, not betweensteps.

(a)

Figure 2.7A

20

Energy Levels of Electrons• An atom’s electrons Vary in the amount of energy they

possess• Electrons further from the nucleus have more energy• Electron’s can absorb energy and become “excited” • Excited electrons gain energy and move to higher

energy levels or lose energy and move to lower levels

21

Energy Levels• Are represented by electron shells

Third energy level (shell)

Second energy level (shell)

First energy level (shell)

Energyabsorbed

Energylost

An electron can move from one level to another only if the energyit gains or loses is exactly equal to the difference in energy betweenthe two levels. Arrows indicate some of the step-wise changes inpotential energy that are possible.

(b)

Atomic nucleus

Figure 2.7B

22

Why do some elements react?• Valence electrons

– Are those in the outermost, or valence shell

– Determine the chemical behavior of an atom

23

Chemical Bonding

24

Covalent Bonds

Figure 2.10

• Sharing of a pair of valence electrons

• Examples: H2

Hydrogen atoms (2 H)

Hydrogenmolecule (H2)

+ +

+ +

+ +

In each hydrogenatom, the single electronis held in its orbital byits attraction to theproton in the nucleus.

1

When two hydrogenatoms approach eachother, the electron ofeach atom is alsoattracted to the protonin the other nucleus.

2

The two electronsbecome shared in a covalent bond,forming an H2

molecule.

3

25

Covalent Bonding

• Electronegativity– Is the attraction of a particular kind of

atom for the electrons in a covalent bond

• The more electronegative an atom– The more strongly it pulls shared

electrons toward itself

26

Covalent Bonding

• In a nonpolar covalent bond– The atoms have

similar electronegativities

– Share the electron equally

27

Figure 2.12

This results in a partial negative charge on theoxygen and apartial positivecharge onthe hydrogens.

H2O

–

O

H H+ +

Because oxygen (O) is more electronegative than hydrogen (H), shared electrons are pulled more toward oxygen.

• In a polar covalent bond– The atoms have differing

electronegativities– Share the electrons unequally

Covalent Bonding

28

Ionic Bonds

• In some cases, atoms strip electrons away from their bonding partners

• Electron transfer between two atoms creates ions

• Ions– Are atoms with more or fewer electrons

than usual– Are charged atoms

29

Ions

• An anion– Is negatively

charged ions

• A cation– Is positively

charged

30

Ionic Bonding

Cl–

Chloride ion(an anion)

–

The lone valence electron of a sodiumatom is transferred to join the 7 valenceelectrons of a chlorine atom.

1 Each resulting ion has a completedvalence shell. An ionic bond can formbetween the oppositely charged ions.

2

Na NaCl Cl

+

NaSodium atom(an uncharged

atom)

ClChlorine atom(an uncharged

atom)

Na+

Sodium on(a cation)

Sodium chloride (NaCl)

Figure 2.13

• An ionic bond– Is an attraction between anions and

cations

31

Ionic Substances

Na+

Cl–Figure 2.14

• Ionic compounds– Are often

called salts, which may form crystals

32

Weak Chemical Bonds

• Several types of weak chemical bonds are important in living systems

33

Hydrogen Bonds

– +

+

Water(H2O)

Ammonia(NH3)

OH

H +

–

N

HH H

A hydrogenbond results from the attraction between thepartial positive charge on the hydrogen atom of water and the partial negative charge on the nitrogen atom of ammonia.+ +

Figure 2.15

• A hydrogen bond– Forms when a hydrogen atom covalently

bonded to one electronegative atom is also attracted to another electronegative atom

34

Van der Waals Interactions• Van der Waals interactions

– Occur when transiently positive and negative regions of molecules attract each other

35

Weak Bonds

• Weak chemical bonds– Reinforce the shapes of large molecules– Help molecules adhere to each other

36

Molecular Shape and Function

• Structure determines Function!• The precise shape of a molecule

– Is usually very important to its function in the living cell

– Is determined by the positions of its atoms’ valence orbitals

37

Shape and Function

• Molecular shape– Determines how biological molecules

recognize and respond to one another with specificity

38

Morphine

Carbon

Hydrogen

Nitrogen

Sulfur

OxygenNaturalendorphin

(a) Structures of endorphin and morphine. The boxed portion of the endorphin molecule (left) binds toreceptor molecules on target cells in the brain. The boxed portion of the morphine molecule is a close match.

(b) Binding to endorphin receptors. Endorphin receptors on the surface of a brain cell recognize and can bind to both endorphin and morphine.

Naturalendorphin

Endorphinreceptors

Morphine

Brain cell

Figure 2.17

39

Chemical Reactions

• Chemical reactions make and break chemical bonds

• A Chemical reaction– Is the making and breaking of chemical

bonds– Leads to changes in the composition of

matter

40

Chemical Reactions

Reactants Reaction Product

2 H2 O2

2 H2O

+

+

• Chemical reactions– Convert reactants to products

41

Chemical Reactions• Photosynthesis

– Is an example of a chemical reaction

Figure 2.18

42

Chemical Reactions

• Chemical equilibrium– Is reached when the forward and

reverse reaction rates are equal