Name
Section Instructor
Basic Chemistry for
Biology Students
OBJECTIVES
Place a check mark (✓) in the box in front of each item as you complete it.
❑ 1. I can list three major types of subatomic particles, their properties, and their
location in the atom.
❑ 2. Given the atomic number and mass number of an element, I can determine
the number of each type of subatomic particle which an atom of that element
contains.
❑ 3. Given the atomic number and mass number of an element, I can correctly draw
a planetary model of an atom of that element.
❑ 4. I can explain how ionic and covalent bonds form.
❑ 5. I can explain how ions form and determine the charge of an ion based on its
atomic structure.
❑ 6. I can explain how polymers are assembled and broken down and describe the
chemical processes that accomplish this.
INTRODUCTION
Why do biology students need to learn chemistry? Like all physical objects in the uni-
verse, living things are made up of matter. Matter is something that takes up space and
has mass. Matter is composed of atoms. In order to understand how living things work,
we must first gain an understanding of the atoms that form them.
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Basic Chemistry for Biology Students
PROCEDURE
1. Read the assigned chapter on chemistry in the textbook.
2. View the video “Basic Chemistry for Biology Students” during the lecture or lab
period. It is also available at the Circulation Desk in the library. The Circulation
Desk is located on the first floor of the library. To view the video you will need a
library card. Obtain one for free or have a barcode sticker placed on your student
ID at the Circulation Desk.
3. Fill out exercises 1–4 completely. Most of the terms are defined in the video, as well
as in your textbook. Remember that the scientific meaning of a word may differ
from its everyday meaning.
EXERCISE #1. DRAWING ATOMS
Task #1. Complete the following items.
1. protons
The mass number of an atom is equal to the number of _____________________
neutrons
plus the number of _________________________ it contains.
2. protons
The atomic number of an atom is equal to the number of ______________________it
contains.
3. An element is
An element is a substance that cannot be broken down by chemical reactions.
Task #2. Answer the following questions.
1. How do you determine the number of protons in an atom?
You can determine the number of protons in an atom by the atomic number.
2. How do you determine the number of neutrons in an atom?
You can determine the number of neutrons in an atom by subtracting the mass
number by the atomic number.
3. How do you determine the number of electrons in an atom?
You can determine the number of electrons in an atom by the atomic number.
4. How do you determine the number of shells an atom has?
You can determine the number of shells an atom has by the amount of electrons the
atom has since each shell only can have a certain amount of atoms.
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Basic Chemistry for Biology Students
Task #3. Drawing the atomic structure of atoms.
1. On the following page, draw the atomic structure of the elements using the follow-
ing directions and example.
2. Use the planetary model discussed in class.
3. First, use the atomic number and mass number of the element to determine the
number of protons and neutrons of the atom.
4. Next, draw a small circle to represent the nucleus (to match the example on the
next page).
5. Inside this circle, write the number of protons and the number of neutrons that
the atom has.
6. Determine the number of electrons of the atom.
7. Determine the number of shells of the atom. For simplicity, we will assume that the
first shell can hold up to 2 electrons, the second shell can hold up to 8 electrons,
and, for the main group elements used in this activity, the third shell can hold up
to 8 electrons. (Note that the transition elements can hold up to 18 electrons in
their third shell, but we will not be dealing with those elements in this activity.)
8. Draw circles around the nucleus to represent the shells.
9. Make large dots on each circle to represent the number of electrons in that shell.
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Basic Chemistry for Biology Students
Example:
Nucleus
Shells
Atomic number 6
Mass number 12 C 6P
Electron
6N
Carbon
Use the Comment tools and P:3 N:4 P:8 N:8 P:1 N:0
select the Pencil drawing
tool to draw the atomic
structures.
3 Li 8 O 1 H
7 Lithium 16 Oxygen 1 Hydrogen
P:7 N:7 P:4 N:5 P:2 N:2
7 N 4 Be 2 He
14 Nitrogen 9 Beryllium 4 Helium
P:12 N:12 P:9 N:10 P:11 N:12
12 Mg 9 F 11 Na
24 Magnesium 19 Fluorine 23 Sodium
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Basic Chemistry for Biology Students
EXERCISE #2. FORMING IONIC BONDS
Task #1. Answer the following questions.
1. What is an ion?
An ion is an atom that has either gained or lost an electron.
2. How do ionic bonds form?
Ionic bonds form through the exchange of electrons between atoms
Task #2. Transfer of electrons from one atom to another.
1. Determine which atom will gain electrons and which atom will lose electrons.
2. On the right side of the paper, draw the atomic structure of the ions that have been
formed by the loss or gain of electrons.
Example:
Sodium atom + Chlorine atom Sodium ion + Chlorine ion
11P 17P 11P 17P
12N 18N 12N 18N
Magnesium atom + 2 Chlorine atoms Magnesium ion + 2 Chlorine ions
12P 17P
12N 18N
17P
18N
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Basic Chemistry for Biology Students
EXERCISE #3. FORMING COVALENT BONDS
Task #1. Answer the following questions.
1. How do covalent bonds form?
Covalent bonds are formed when a pair of elections are shared between
elements.
2. What is a molecule?
A molecule is two or more atoms bonded together.
Task #2. Sharing electrons between atoms.
1. Determine which electrons will be shared when a covalent bond is formed.
2. Draw the molecule with the outer shells of the atoms overlapping one another.
3. Draw the electrons that are being shared at the point(s) where the shells overlap.
Example:
Hydrogen atom + Hydrogen atom Hydrogen molecule (H2)
1P 1P 1P 1P
0N 0N 0N 0N
Carbon atom + 4 Hydrogen atoms Methane molecule (CH4)
1P 1P
6P 0N 0N
6N
1P 1P
0N 0N
Oxygen atom + 2 Hydrogen atoms Water molecule (H2O)
1P 1P
8P 0N 0N
8N
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Basic Chemistry for Biology Students
INTRODUCTION TO POLYMERS
We have already seen how atoms can form relationships with each other through the
formation of chemical bonds. Similarly, small molecules can form relationships with
each other to build much larger molecules. These small molecules that act as build-
ing blocks are called monomers (mono = one, mer = part or unit), while the complex
molecules they form when they are strung together are called polymers (poly = many).
Polymers are very important in biological systems. Three of the four categories of
biologically important macromolecules are polymers. Polysaccharides, proteins, and
nucleic acids are all polymers. Living organisms are constantly building and taking apart
polymers. In this section, you will explore how monomers are used to build polymers,
and how polymers can be broken back down into monomers.
EXERCISE #4. DEHYDRATION SYNTHESIS AND HYDROLYSIS
Task #1.
Fill in the blanks using the following terms: monomer, hydrolysis, dehydration
synthesis, water, and polymer. All the items refer to the diagram in Figure 1.
D B
Figure 1. Synthesis and hydrolysis
1. What process is taking place along the line that begins with the letter A and ends
with the letter C? __dehydration
_________________________________________________________
2. Name the molecule(s) marked with the letter A. __Monomer
_____________________________
3. Polymer
Name the molecule(s) marked with the letter C. ______________________________
4. What process is taking place along the line that begins with the letter C and ends
hydrolsis
with the letter A? ___________________________________________________________
5. water
Name the molecule(s) being inserted at D. ____________________________________
6. water
Name the molecule(s) being removed at B. ___________________________________
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Basic Chemistry for Biology Students
7. How many of the molecules from question #6 were removed to make the molecule
marked with the letter C?
None of the molecules were removed.
Example of Dehydration Synthesis
Monosaccharide + Monosaccharide Disaccharide (maltose) + Water
(glucose) (glucose)
CH2OH CH2OH CH2OH CH2OH
O O O O
H H H H H H H H
H H H H
H H
OH H OH H OH H O OH H O
HO OH HO OH HO OH
H OH H OH H OH H OH
Example of Hydrolysis
Monosaccharide + Monosaccharide
Disaccharide (maltose) + Water (glucose) (glucose)
CH2OH CH2OH CH2OH CH2OH
O O O O
H H H H H H H H H H H H
H H
OH H O OH H O OH H OH H
HO OH HO OH HO OH
H OH H OH H OH H OH
Task #2. Answer the following questions.
1. What is a monomer?
A monomer is a molecule that can be bonded to other molecules identical to it to
form polymers.
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Basic Chemistry for Biology Students
2. What is a polymer?
A polymer is a compound made of many identical molecules
3. Dehydration synthesis is a chemical reaction in which
Dehydration synthesis is when a Hydrogen atom is removed from one monomer and a Hydroxide molecule is removed fro
4. Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction in which
Hydrolysis is when a water molecule is broken down and splits a monomer from the polymer chain
5. Imagine that you just ate a meal containing polysaccharides and proteins. What
chemical reaction in your digestive system is breaking down those large molecules
into smaller components?
The chemical reaction breaking the polyaccharides and proteins is Hydrolysis.
6. Imagine that you are doing strength training at the gym. What chemical reaction
in your muscle cells is building muscle proteins from smaller molecules?
The chemical reaction that is building muscle protein from smaller molecules is
dehydration.
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