General Biology - Inorganic Compounds PDF

GENERAL BIOLOGY –I Lesson 6 The Chemical Basis of Life: INORGANIC COMPOUNDS INORGANIC COMPOUNDS  An inorganic compound is a substance that does not contain both carbon and hydrogen.  A great many inorganic compounds do contain hydrogen atoms, such as water (H2O) and the hydrochloric acid (HC...

GENERAL BIOLOGY –I Lesson 6 The Chemical Basis of Life: INORGANIC COMPOUNDS INORGANIC COMPOUNDS  An inorganic compound is a substance that does not contain both carbon and hydrogen.  A great many inorganic compounds do contain hydrogen atoms, such as water (H2O) and the hydrochloric acid (HCl) produced by your stomach.  A. WATER (H2O)  Most abundant molecule in all organism  Properties: a. The ability to dissolve substances b. Hydrogen- Bonding Ability- composed of an extensive network of hydrogen bonds resulting in: 1. High Heat Capacity- minimizes the abrupt temperature changes in the organisms; thus, the effect of heat production and heat loss in living things is lessened. 2. High Heat of Vaporization – means a lot of heat is needed to vaporize a small quantity of water; that is why during summer we do noit heat up and lose all the water in our body. 3. High Heat of Fusion- more heat must be removed from water to freeze it because of its high heat of fusion (melting). In effect, organisms are also protected against freezing at low temperature ACIDS  An acid is a chemical species that donates protons or hydrogen ions and/or accepts electrons.  The word acid comes from the Latin words acidus or acere, which mean "sour," since one of the characteristics of acids in water is a sour taste (e.g., vinegar or lemon juice).  Turns blue litmus paper to red CLASSIFICATION OF ACIDS  A. Strong Acids 1. Hydrochloric Acid – synthesized in the stomach 2. Sulfuric Acid – used as industrial and laboratory reagents 3. Nitric Acid- used in nitrate distillation CLASSIFICATION OF ACIDS  B. Weak Acids 1. Citric Acid- formed in fruits 2. Boric Acid – in eye wash 3. Ascorbic Acid- Vitamin C 4. Carbonic Acid – carbonated drinks 5. Salicylic Acid – treat certain skin problems 6. Acetic Acid- Sour taste of vinegar C. BASES  A base is a proton acceptor. The species formed by the ionization of an acid is its conjugate base. Conversely, protonation of a base yields its conjugate acid. Acetic acid and acetate ion are a conjugate acid-base pair  Substances that yield hydrogen ions in a water solution  Taste bitter and feel slippery  Turns red litmus paper to blue  pH value between 8-14 CLASSIFICATION OF BASES  A. Strong Bases 1. Sodium Hydroxide 2. Potassium Hydroxide  B. Weak Bases 1. Ammonium Hydroxide OTHER INORGANIC ELEMENTS AND COMPOUNDS  1. Salts  2. Sulfur  3. Potassium  4. Calcium  5. Phosphorus  6. Sodium  7. Magnesium  8. Iron  9. Copper