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Accelerated Biology: Chapter 1 Learning Guide – Biochemistry 9/07
1.1 Atoms, Molecules, and Compounds
1. How are atoms and molecules related? How are the two terms different? Distinguish between an oxygen
atom and a molecule of oxygen.
2. Can you identify the symbols H, C, N, O, P, S, Na and Cl?
3. What information can you gather from a chemical formula such as 2C6H12O6?
4. Which elements are most important to living organisms?
1.2 The Structure of Atoms
5. Describe the structure of the atom including the properties of the three subunits and their arrangement in the
atom.
6. What property makes an atom very reactive? What does “reactive” or “unstable” mean? You may want to
read through 1.3 and come back to this one.
7. Describe the pattern relating to the number of electrons needed to fill the first three energy shells (energy
levels/electron clouds).
8. When charges in an atom are balanced, there is no net charge. What does this mean?
9. What does the atomic mass represent? What does the atomic number represent?
10. What is an isotope? Which differs between isotopes? How are isotopes used in radioactive dating?
1.3 Chemical Reactions
11. What is a chemical bond? Why don’t helium and neon form chemical bonds? [Hint: consider the electron
configuration for each atom]
12. Distinguish between a chemical bond and a chemical reaction.
13. What is activation energy and why is it needed?
1.4 Chemical Bonds
14. What are the two types of ions? How does each of these types of ions form?
15. How are electrons involved in forming an ionic bond?
16. How are electrons involved in forming a covalent bond?
17. Considering H only forms one bond and O can form two bonds, can you determine the bonding number for C
and N can form? Can you explain the reasoning for your determination?
18. What happens to electrons in a polar covalent bond? How does this result in a “slight” charge on the O and
H’s in water?
19. Explain the differences between ionic bonds, covalent bond