Matter and Energy Basics

What is the primary characteristic that makes carbon unique in forming organic compounds?

What type of energy is associated with the movement of charged particles?

What is the term for the process in which water is released during the formation of a polymer?

What type of energy is stored in the bonds of chemical substances?

What is the term for the process in which a water molecule is consumed during the breakdown of a polymer?

What is the state of matter characterized by the absence of a fixed shape and volume?

What type of radiation has a shorter wavelength than visible light?

What is the term for the energy associated with the movement of objects?

What is the term for the process in which a polymer is formed from monomers?

What is the term for the energy that is stored but not currently being used?

Matter and Energy

Matter is the stuff that occupies space and has mass, existing in solid, liquid, and gaseous states.
Energy has no mass, takes no space, and can be measured by its effects on matter, being the capacity to do work or put matter into motion.

Types of Energy

Kinetic energy: energy in action, moving objects.
Potential energy: stored energy with the potential to do work but not presently doing so.

Forms of Energy

Chemical energy: stored in the bonds of chemical substances (e.g., food energy captured temporarily in ATP bonds).
Electrical energy: movement of charged particles (e.g., ions moving along or across cell membranes).
Mechanical energy: energy directly involved in moving matter (e.g., pedaling a bike).
Radiant energy or electromagnetic radiation: energy that travels in waves, including the electromagnetic spectrum (visible light, infrared waves, radio waves, ultraviolet waves, X-rays).

Dehydration Synthesis and Hydrolysis

Organic compounds (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids) contain carbon, which is special due to its electroneutral properties, always sharing electrons.
Carbohydrates and proteins are polymers formed through dehydration synthesis, where H is removed from one monomer and HO is removed from another, forming a covalent bond and releasing a water molecule.
Hydrolysis is the opposite reaction, where a water molecule is added to break down molecules, releasing building blocks or smaller molecules.
Biological molecules are formed from monomers through dehydration synthesis and broken down to monomers through hydrolysis reactions.

Learn the fundamentals of matter and energy, including their definitions, states, and forms. Understand the difference between kinetic and potential energy, and explore the various forms of energy.