Matter and Energy Basics

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.