Chapter 1
1. Know about the properties of life: order, evolutionary adaptation, response to the
environment, reproduction, growth and development, energy processing, and
regulation
2. Understand the levels of the biological hierarchy (fig. 1-4)
3. Know the differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells
4. Understand the basics of DNA structure and function
5. Understand negative and positive feedback (fig. 1-13)
6. Know the three domains of life and their characteristics. Know the basic features
of the three multicellular eukaryotic kingdoms and protests
7. Understand the concept of “Unity in diversity”
8. Understand two main conclusions of Darwin
Chapter 2
1. Understand that all living things are composed of matter.
2. Understand the difference between an element and a compound.
3. Identify the four major chemical constituents of life.
4. Know about subatomic particles (charge, mass, position in an atom)
5. Understand the concepts of atomic number, atomic mass, and isotopes
6. Understand the energy levels of electrons (i.e. shells, fig. 2-8)
7. Using the periodic table, determine the number of valence electrons of an atom
and its bonding potential, or valence number.
8. Understand electron orbitals (fig. 2-10)
9. Know the differences between covalent, ionic bonds, and intermolecular bonding
10. Understand the importance of hydrogen bonding, and identify molecules that
might participate in hydrogen bonding
11. Understand electronegativity, polar, and non-polar bonds
12. Understand the difference between cations and anions
13. Understand the relative strength of covalent vs. non-covalent bonds
14. Know that there is a relationship between the structure and the function of a
molecule
Chapter 3
1. Know that molecular structure of water
2. Know that water is polar, and be able to draw the hydrogen bonding arrangement
in water
3. Identify and understand the four important emergent properties of water
(cohesion, ability to moderate temperature, expansion on freezing, versatility as
solvent)
4. Understand adhesion, cohesion, and surface tension
5. Understand the concept of specific heat, and know what it means if a substance
has a higher specific heat than another substance
6. Know the reasons for waters high specific heat
7. Understand evaporative cooling
8. Know the difference between water and ice at the molecular level
9. Know the definition of a solution, a solvent, and a solute
10. Understand the principles of like dissolving like, hydrophilic, and hydrophobic
substances
11. Understand molecular mass (the sum of the mass of all atoms in a molecule),
moles (1 mole = 6.02 x 10^23 and 6.02 x 10^23 daltons = 1 gram), and molarity
(moles/liter)
12. Understand the dissociation of water into the hydronium ion and hydroxide ion
13. Know the definition given in class for an acid and a base
14. Know what the pH scale is, and be able to determine how a change in pH relates
to the change in hydronium ion concentration
15. Convert from molarity to pH (i.e. if [H+] = .00001 = 10^-5, pH = 5)
16. Understand in general terms what buffers do
Chapter 4
1. Know the characteristics of carbon that make it a good basis for biomolecules
2. Know the valences of the four major chemical constituents of life
3. Understand the different forms that carbon chains can take (i.e. straight, branched,
ring, double bonds)
4. Understand and know the differences between structural and geometric isomers
(trans and cis) and enantiomers.
5. Be able to identify the functional groups (fig. 4-10) and know their properties
Chapter 5
1. Understand polymers and monomers
2. Understand the role of condensation reactions, dehydration reactions, hyrolysis,
and enzymes in polymerization (fig. 5-2)
3. Understand the diversity of macromolecules as a function of building polymers
from monomers
4. Be able to differentiate between the structures of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins,
and nucleic acids
5. Understand the biological roles of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic
acids
6. Understand the general structure of the monomer units of carbohydrates, proteins,
and nucleic acids
7. Know the structure and name of the bonds that link monomer units in
carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids
8. Know the different types of polysaccharides (i.e. starch, glycogen, cellulose,
chitin)
9. Know how the bonding in starch and cellulose is different, and how this
contributes to the different roles
10. Know the basic structure of the three important lipids (fats, steroids, and
phospholipids)
11. Understand the importance of phospholipids in biological membranes
12. Know the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats
13. Know the components of a fat molecule (fatty acids and glycerol), and how
they’re linked together
14. Know the various biological roles that proteins play (Table 5.1)
15. Understand the basics of catalysis (fig. 5-16)
16. Understand the structure of amino acids and peptide bonds
17. Know and be able to identify the three types of amino acids (polar, non-polar,
charged)
18. Understand primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure and the forces
that are associated with each
19. Know the two major secondary structures- alpha helices and beta pleated sheets
(fig. 5-21)
20. Understand denaturation, renaturation, and the role of chaperonins
21. Know the components of nucleotides
22. Know the differences between purines and pyrimidines, DNA and RNA, and how
the five bases pair
23. Know the differences in the structure of DNA and RNA
24. Understand the directionality of nucleic acid strands (i.e. 5’ to 3’)