BIOL 11000 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Van Der Waals Force, Electron Shell, Ionic Bonding
Document Summary
Biol 11000 textbook notes chapter 2 the chemical context of life. Matter consists of chemical elements in pure form and in combinations called. Matter: anything that takes up space and has mass: made of elements. Element: substance that cannot be broken by chemical reactions. Compound: substances made of 2 or more different elements. Emergent properties: compound has chemical and physical characteristics different of its original elements. Only 20-25% natural elements are essential elements to live: humans need 25 elements while plants need only 17. Oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen make up 96% of living matter: calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulphur make up the rest. Trace elements: required by an organism in only small amounts. Some species have adapted to environments with toxic elements. An element"s properties depend on the structure of its atoms. Atoms are composed of even tinier particles: neutron (neutral) 1 dalton, proton (positive) 1 dalton, electrons (negative) 1/2000 dalton.