Lecture 5
Molecules and Matter
BIO100
Sumaiya Afrin Soha
Lecture Outline
Terminologies
Matter
Atom
Elements
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
Nitrogen
Chemical Bonds
Big concept
All life is made of matter
Terminologies
◍ Atom : Particle that is a fundamental building block of matter
◍ Atomic number: Number of protons in the atomic nucleus; determines the identity of
element.
◍ Charge: Electrical property of some subatomic particles. Opposite charges attract;
like charges repel.
◍ Electron: Negatively charged subatomic particle that occupies orbitals around the
atomic nucleus.
◍ Element: A pure substance that consists only of atoms with the same number of
protons.
◍ Isotopes: Forms of an element that differ in the number of neutrons their atoms
carry
◍ Mass number: Total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an element's
atoms.
◍ Neutron: Uncharged subatomic particle in the atomic nucleus.
◍ Nucleus: Core of an atom; occupied by protons and neutrons.
◍ Proton: Positively charged subatomic particle that occurs in the nucleus of all
atoms.
Matter is anything that has mass
and occupies a space:
◌ Atoms
◌ Elements
◌ Molecules
Atoms
• It the smallest component of an
element having the chemical
properties of the element
• It consisting of a nucleus
containing combinations of neutrons
and protons and one or more
electrons bound to the nucleus by
electrical attraction
• The number of protons determines
the identity of the element.
• Atoms have equal numbers of
electrons and protons.
• Because these subatomic particles
have equal but opposite charges,
atoms are neutral.
◍ Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and
oxygen are the most abundant
atoms in living things
◍ But there are also very
important micronutrient atoms;
we only need these in small
amounts, but we would die
without them
◌ e.g. sodium, iron,
chlorine, calcium,
manganese
“
Elements
◍ An element is a substance
consisting of atoms which all
have the same number of
protons - i.e. the same atomic
number.
◍ Elements are chemically the
simplest substances and hence
cannot be broken down using
chemical methods. Elements can
only be changed into other
elements using nuclear
methods.
“
Elements common in living systems
Carbon
◍ Carbon is the atomic
backbone for all of biology
◍ 0.1% of Earth’s atmosphere
is carbon dioxide gas
◍ Carbohydrates, proteins,
lipids all have a carbon
backbone (human body is
about 18% carbon by weight)
◍ All fossil fuels (petrol,
coal, gas) are hydrocarbons
Oxygen
◍ We need oxygen for respiration
◍ 21% of Earth’s atmosphere is oxygen gas
◍ Component of carbohydrates, proteins
and lipids
Nitrogen
◍ 78% of Earth’s
atmosphere is nitrogen
gas
◍ Plants get nitrogen from
ammonia made by soil
bacteria
◍ Major constituent of
fertilizers
◍ Nitrogen is the building
block of amino acids and
nucleic acids
Hydrogen
◍ Smallest possible atom
◍ Hydrogen atoms are one
of the basic building
blocks of life (all
organic molecules and
water)
◍ About 75 percent of all
the known elemental
matter that exists is
composed of hydrogen
Molecules and Compounds
◍ Atoms join together to form molecules
◍ Groups of atoms are tightly held together
by chemical bonds
◍ Molecules that consist of two or more
different elements are called compounds
Chemical bond
The force that holds the atoms together in
a molecule is called a chemical bond
◍ Covalent bond
◍ Ionic bond
Ionic Compounds Covalent Bonds
◍ Form when electrons are ◍ Formed when a pair of
transferred from one atom electrons is shared between
to another. two atoms.
◍ Ions - Atoms with a net ◍ Sometimes the atoms share
charge due to gaining or two pairs of electrons and
losing electrons form a double bond, or
◌ Gaining electrons gives three pairs of electrons to
an ion a negative form a triple bond.
charge
◌ Losing electrons gives
an ion a positive charge
The End
