R&J, 8th Edition chapters 1 - 6 (correction from previous guide).

• What are the criteria for life as I covered them (though they vary by book)?
• ~25/92 elements are essential to life. What 4 elements make up ~96% of all living matter?
• What 4 elements make up the other ~4%? What are trace elements?
• List 3 types of chemical bonds in order of strength.
• Why are molecules so strongly linked?
• Why is water a unique molecule?
• What type of bond does water form with other molecules?
• What 5 properties of water make it important for life?
• What does it mean to have an acidic pH?
• How do bases behave?
• What is the internal pH of most cells?
• What 2 basic parts determine the properties of organic molecules?
• What are the 3 types of chemical bonds that connect biological molecules?
• What are the relative strengths of these bonds?
• What are the various functional groups found in biological molecules?
• Describe how dehydration synthesis (condensation Rx) compares to hydrolysis Rx.
• What is the molecular composition of a typical animal cell (% weight)?
• What are the 4 general classes of biological molecules: give examples of each.
• What is a carbohydrate?  List 3 major types of carbohydrates.
• How is maltose different from sucrose?
• What type of bond holds starch together?
• How does starch (amylose) and amylopectin or glycogen differ?
• How is cellulose different from starch?
• What is the most abundant biological molecule on the planet Earth?
• What is a triglyceride made of?  Describe saturated vs. unsaturated fats.
• What other important lipids do cells require?
• What is a protein?  What do they do?  What is a protein's conformation (structure)?
• What does the R group contribute to an amino acid's chemical properties?
• What type of bonds contribute to primary, secondary, tertiary, & quaternary structure?
• Nucleic acids are made up of what components?
• What 3 ways can a nucleotide vary?  
• What is the difference between DNA and RNA?
• What types of bonds hold nucleic acids together in nucleotide chains.
• Describe the Miller-Urey experiment.  Why was it so important?
• What is the "Fluid Mosaic" model of cell membranes?  What makes up a cell membrane?
• How do transmembrane (intergal) proteins stay in place?
• How does membrane diffusion differ from facilitated diffusion (draw a graph)?
• What is a hypertonic cell?  Hypotonic cell?  Isotonic cell?
• How does endocytosis and exocytosis differ from diffusion?
• List 4 ways that a molecule can get into a cell
• How do prokaryotic cells differ from eukaryotic cells? (make a list)
• List functions for the following organelles:  membrane, nucleus, mitochondria........
•      chloroplast, rough ER, smooth ER, golgi apparatus.
• According to the symbiosis theory, where did eukaryotes come from?
• Know the function of the following organelles:  nucleus, rough endoplasmic reticulum, smooth endoplasmic reticulum, golgi body, peroxisomes, lysosomes, vacuole, mitochondria, chloroplasts.
• Why are ribosomes NOT considered organelles?
• Why are viruses not considered living beings (according to the cell theory).
• What is a cytoskeleton?  What types of structural proteins make it up?
• What is energy of activation?
• What is an enzyme and what do they do?
• What is free energy (G) and why is it important in chemical reactions?
• What is entropy?
• Compare/contrast exergonic vs. endergonic reactions..
• Why are exothermic reactions detrimental to living systems?
• What part of an enzyme attaches to the substrate?
• Why is a enzyme-substrate complex considered to be an "induced fit"?
• Compare a competitive inhibitor to a non-competitive (allosteric) inhibitor.