Chemistry Of Life Matter

Chemistry of life I.

The Nature of Matter A. Chemistry 1. The structure/function of all living things governed by the laws of chemistry 2. An understanding of the fundamental principles of chemistry will give you a better understanding of living things and how they function

B.

Matter 1. Anything that occupies space and has mass 2. Mass is the quantity of matter an object has. a. Mass is not weight b. The same mass would not weigh as much on the moon because it has less gravitational pull a. It has the same mass because it has the quantity (amount) of matter.

C. Elements 1. pure substances that can't be broken down chemically into simpler kinds of matter 2. > 100 elements have been identified a. < 30 of them are important to living things b. > 90% of the mass of all kinds of living things is composed of 4 elements (1) a.

Oxygen (O), Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), and Nitrogen (N)

3. Each element has a symbol a. Most of them are the first or first two letters of the name (1) He = Helium

F = Fluorine

II. Properties of Water III. Carbon Compounds IV. Chemical Reactions and Enzymes.