WHY IS CARBON IMPORTANT?
INTRODUCTION TO CARBON
1. ________________ is the basic building block for all forms of life on Earth.
2. Fortunately, carbon is also one of the most _____________ elements on our planet.
3. It is the fourth most abundant element in the universe and it is the _____________ most
abundant element in the human body.
WHY IS CARBON IMPORTANT
1. ______% of all living things on earth is comprised of __________________.
2. That includes human beings, plants, and animals. Like all animals, humans have a
___________________________________________________________________.
Why IS CARBON IMPORTANT
1. ______________ is the set of life-sustaining chemical transformations within the cells of living
organisms. These _________________________ allow organisms to:
a) _____________________________________________
b) _____________________________________________
c) _____________________________________________
HOW DO WE GET CARBON
1. We get carbon by __________________ which are _________________________________.
PLANTS
1. Carbon is the key for ______________________, which ultimately __________________
for all living things on Earth.
AN OVERVIEW OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS
1. Photosynthesis is the process by which _______________________ organisms
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
AN OVERVIEW OF CELLULAR RESPIRATION
1. Cellular respiration is the process by which __________________ and ______________ organisms
break down food molecules, like ______________, and convert it into
____________________________________________________________________________
THE CARBON CYCLE
1. Carbon is part of the ocean, air, rocks, etc.
2. In the atmosphere, carbon is attached to oxygen called _________________________________
3. Plants use __________ and _____________ to make _____________. Carbon becomes part of
the plant.
4. Plants that die and are buried may turn into __________________ (coal, oil, natural gas).
5. When humans burn fossil fuels, carbon is released back into the __________________.
6. CO2 is a ______________ that traps heat in the atmosphere. Without carbon, Earth would be a
frozen world
THE FOOD WEB
ANIMALS
1. Animals are dependent upon water to drink as well as oxygen to breathe.
2. Without carbon, plants would not be able to produce:
a) _____________________
b) _____________________
c) _____________________
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WHY IS CARBON IMPORTANT?
INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
1. Definition: Carbon bonds to other atoms and determine structure and function of living
things.
2. Carbon usually bonds with:
a) ________________________________
b) ________________________________
c) ________________________________
d) ________________________________
3. Why do you think carbon usually bonds with these four elements?
CELL STRUCTURE
1. Due to their physical structure and chemical properties, carbon atoms may form a
number of structures
a) ______________________________ that are key to cell structure and functioning.
THE CHEMISTRY OF CARBON
1. Carbon is the chemical basis for most of the molecules that are important to
maintaining life.
a) ______________________________
b) ______________________________
c) ______________________________
d) ______________________________
THE BASIS OF LIFE
1. Carbon atoms are found not only in all plants and animals, but in all other living life
forms as well. Without carbon, life as we know it would simply not exist.
CARBON FOOTPRINT
Your carbon footprint is the __________________________________________,
which is induced by your activities in a given time frame. Usually a carbon
footprint is calculated for the time period of a year.
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