Key Definitions in Chemistry and Biology
Chemistry Concepts
A chemical reaction is the process by which one or more substances are transformed into different ones.
The greenhouse effect is the warming of the atmosphere and land surface following the absorption of radiation from the sun.
Body Mass Index (BMI): A measure that indicates whether a person is obese or underweight, calculated from height and weight.
A chemical formula is an abbreviated formulation of a chemical reaction.
Acid rain: Rain in which some substances react with water, making it acidic.
Molar mass is the mass of one mole of particles.
The ozone hole is a depletion in the ozone layer caused by emissions of polluting gases into the atmosphere. Without this layer, some of the sun’s ultraviolet rays, which are harmful to living beings, pass through.
Biology Concepts
Apparatus: A set of organs in a living being performing the same function.
System: All bodies involved in some capacity.
Food: A set of activities and processes by which we take in food.
Nutrition is the set of processes by which nutrients are strained, processed, and incorporated into our structures.
Cell Structure and Organelles
- Cell membrane: Regulates the passage of substances into and out of the cell.
- Nucleus: Contains DNA (genetic material).
- Mitochondria: Produce energy through chemical reactions.
- Ribosomes: Sites of protein synthesis in the cell.
- RER (Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum): Synthesis of proteins for export.
- REL (Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum): Lipid synthesis.
- Golgi apparatus: Expulsion of foreign substances from the cell.
- Vacuoles: Vesicles from the Golgi apparatus that store and expel waste substances.
- Lysosomes: Responsible for cellular digestion.
- Centrioles: Involved in cell division.
Essential Vitamins
- Retinol: Deficiency causes night blindness. Found in carrots, cod liver oil.
- Calciferol: Deficiency causes rickets. Found in milk, eggs.
- Tocopherol: Deficiency causes sterility. Found in vegetable oils.
- Naphthoquinone: Deficiency causes bleeding. Found in lettuce, spinach.