Pre-Assignment #1.............................................Chemical Level of Organization
Name:______________________________ Section #:_______
NOTE: When doing pre-assignments, use your book as a primary reference and read the entire
chapter that corresponds to the title seen at the top (Chemical Level chapter in this particular
case). You will sometimes have to use outside resources for some of the questions as well
(such as the web or D-2-L), but I will usually indicate that for the question itself (for example, in
questions #1 & 2 for this assignment). Finally, when you have finished your answer, read back
through the question itself and make sure that you did not leave any portion uncovered! Each
one is worth 2 points and I give partial credit in 0.5 point increments.
1) After visiting the “Atoms, Bonds, and pH” link in the content area of D-2-L,
answer the following questions: Atoms are composed of 3 different parts: ___,
___, and ___. Atoms with unfilled outer shells form ___ to become stable. Ionic
bonds form with the transfer of ___ between atoms. Anions are ___ while cations
are ___. Covalent bonds become stable by ___. CH4 becomes stable because
carbon has a total of ___ electrons in it’s outer shell. When N or O bind with
hydrogen atoms, they always form a ___ compound. Hydrogen bonds occur in
water, but also form the 3-D shapes of ___ and ___.
2) After visiting the “Atoms, Bonds, and pH” link in the content area of D-2-L,
answer the following
questions: The pH scale
measures how many ___
are in solution. If there are
an equal number of H+ and
OH- ions in solution, the pH
will be ___. If HCl is added to
water, the pH will be ___. If KOH is added to water, the pH will be ___. Common
pH’s for items we see every day include ___ at 1.7, ___ at 3.5, ___ at 6.5, ___ at
7.4, and ___ at 8.0. Human blood is a buffer that holds pH at ___. Breathing CO2
from a bag on your face makes the blood pH become ___. Ammonia is created
from protein metabolism and it grabs H+ ions. This makes the blood pH ___ and
thus ammonia must be a ___.
3) Explain how inorganic compounds, organic compounds, nutrients, and
metabolites differ from one-another. Provide at least two good examples for
nutrients and inorganic compounds in your body!
4) Go online and print a good example of a Periodic Table from the web. Using the
table, use carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen and explain how you can figure out the
number of protons, neutrons, and electrons contained in each element. Why is
mass number needed to determine the number of neutrons?
5) How does the distribution of
electrons determine whether a
covalent molecule is polar or
nonpolar? Now provide at least two
good examples for each type of
molecule. If you can list more than two each time,
that is even better!
6) What factors determine whether a molecule is
hydrophobic (water fearing) or hydrophilic
(water loving)? Provide at least two good
examples for each type of molecule. Again,
providing more examples on your list helps later
when you try and remember them on tests!
7) How do catabolic (hydrolysis), anabolic
(dehydration synthesis), and exchange reactions
differ from one-another? Can you now list a specific
example for each type of reaction from your body
(NOTE: A web search might help with this)?
8) Determine what the four most common
elements are in the human body and place them in
a chart like this. Now write the number for each
subatomic particle for each one. NOTE: You will need a Periodic Table to do this!
Element Name
# of Protons
# of Neutrons
# of Electrons
1)
2)
3)
4)
9) What are the three most common
states of matter? What is the only
compound that simultaneously
exists in all three states (at normal
temperatures for life) on the Earth?
10) How does an
isotope differ from a radioisotope? Why is their mass number
important in determining when an isotope becomes a radioisotope?
What is their half-life defined as? What is the half-life for carbon?