Basic Units of Matter and Life
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This set covers definitions of basic units of matter and life, including subatomic particles, atoms, and cell components, designed for students.
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Cards · 52
- Particle
- A tiny localized object to which can be ascribed physical properties such as volume, mass, and charge.
- Subatomic Particle
- Any unit of matter or energy that is smaller than an atom, such as protons, neutrons, and electrons.
- Elementary Particle
- A fundamental subatomic particle with no known substructure, not composed of other particles.
- Quark
- An elementary particle of matter that combines to form composite particles called hadrons, such as protons and neutrons.
- Lepton
- An elementary particle with half-integer spin that does not undergo strong interactions, such as an electron.
- Boson
- A force-carrying subatomic particle that obeys Bose-Einstein statistics and has an integer spin.
- Photon
- A quantum of light or electromagnetic radiation that carries energy proportional to its radiation frequency.
- Electron
- A stable subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge, found orbiting the atomic nucleus.
- Proton
- A stable subatomic particle found in the atomic nucleus, bearing a positive electric charge equal in magnitude to an electron's.
- Neutron
- A neutral subatomic particle present in all atomic nuclei except that of ordinary hydrogen.
- Atomic Nucleus
- The small, dense, positively charged region at the center of an atom composed of protons and neutrons.
- Atom
- The basic building block of chemistry and the smallest unit of an element that retains its chemical properties.
- Atomic Number
- The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, uniquely identifying a chemical element.
- Mass Number
- The total number of protons and neutrons contained in an atomic nucleus.
- Isotope
- Variants of a particular chemical element that share the same number of protons but have differing numbers of neutrons.
- Ion
- An atom or molecule with a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons.
- Cation
- A positively charged ion formed when an atom or molecule loses electrons.
- Anion
- A negatively charged ion formed when an atom or molecule gains electrons.
- Valence Electron
- An outer-shell electron that can participate in the formation of chemical bonds with other atoms.
- Chemical Bond
- An attractive force that holds atoms or ions together to create molecules and compounds.
- Covalent Bond
- A chemical bond formed when two atoms share one or more pairs of valence electrons.
- Ionic Bond
- An electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions created by electron transfer.
- Metallic Bond
- A chemical bond resulting from the electrostatic attraction between positively charged metal ions and delocalized electrons.
- Molecule
- An electrically neutral group of two or more atoms held together by covalent chemical bonds.
- Diatomic Molecule
- A molecule composed of only two atoms of the same or different chemical elements.
- Polyatomic Molecule
- A molecule consisting of three or more covalently bonded atoms.
- Compound
- A pure substance formed when two or more distinct chemical elements are chemically bonded in fixed proportions.
- Molecular Compound
- A chemical compound whose fundamental constituent units are discrete molecules formed by covalent bonds.
- Ionic Compound
- A chemical compound composed of ions held together by electrostatic forces in a regular lattice structure.
- Mixture
- A physical combination of two or more pure substances in which each retains its distinct chemical identity.
- Macromolecule
- A very large molecule, such as a protein, nucleic acid, or synthetic polymer, composed of thousands of covalently bonded atoms.
- Polymer
- A large molecule composed of repeating structural units, called monomers, connected by covalent chemical bonds.
- Monomer
- A small molecule that can chemically bind to other identical or different molecules to form a polymer.
- Cell
- The basic structural, functional, and biological unit of all known living organisms.
- Prokaryotic Cell
- A unicellular organism lacking a membrane-bound nucleus and other specialized membrane-bound organelles.
- Eukaryotic Cell
- A cell that possesses a clearly defined, membrane-bound nucleus containing genetic material and complex organelles.
- Plasma Membrane
- A biological membrane separating the interior of a cell from the external environment, regulating molecular transport.
- Phospholipid Bilayer
- A two-layered sheet of phospholipid molecules forming the fundamental structural barrier of cellular membranes.
- Cytoplasm
- The entire contents within a living cell, excluding the nucleus, comprising the cytosol and organelles.
- Cytosol
- The fluid portion of the cytoplasm in which organelles, proteins, and other cellular inclusions are suspended.
- Organelle
- A specialized subunit within a cell that performs a specific biochemical or physiological function.
- Cell Nucleus
- A membrane-bound organelle in eukaryotic cells containing genetic material organized into chromosomes.
- Mitochondrion
- A double-membraned organelle that generates most of the chemical energy needed to power cellular reactions via ATP synthesis.
- Ribosome
- A complex macromolecular machine composed of RNA and protein that synthesizes polypeptide chains from mRNA.
- Endoplasmic Reticulum
- A continuous membrane system involved in protein folding, lipid biosynthesis, and molecular transport within eukaryotic cells.
- Golgi Apparatus
- An organelle that modifies, sorts, and packages macromolecules for secretion or delivery to other cellular destinations.
- Lysosome
- A membrane-bound organelle containing digestive enzymes that break down waste materials, cellular debris, and foreign targets.
- Chloroplast
- A plastid containing chlorophyll that conducts photosynthesis in plant cells and eukaryotic algae.
- Cell Wall
- A rigid structural layer surrounding the plasma membrane in plant, fungal, and bacterial cells that provides support and protection.
- Cell Division
- The biological process by which a parent cell divides into two or more daughter cells.
- Mitosis
- A type of cell division that results in two daughter cells each having the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent.
- Meiosis
- A specialized cell division that reduces chromosome numbers by half, producing four genetically diverse gametes.