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Chemistry for Biologists

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Which four elements make up 96% of the mass of living things?

  1. carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen
  2. carbon, phosphorus, hydrogen, and oxygen
  3. carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids
  4. carbon, water, nitrogen, and phosphorus

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Which of the following can be used to help track atoms through biochemical reactions/pathways?

  1. viruses
  2. nanotechnology
  3. radioisotopes
  4. electron microscopes

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Why are living things made from molecular rather than ionic compounds?

  1. ionic compounds form soluble crystalline salts
  2. molecules come in limitless structures with limitless properties
  3. soluble ionic compounds dissociate into ions in water
  4. all of the above

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Which of the following allows cells to maintain a constant pH?

  1. production of acids
  2. production of weak bases
  3. production of buffers
  4. using the nervous system

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What is meant by the phrase �“likes dissolve likes”

  1. polar solutes only dissolve in non-polar solvents
  2. polar solutes only dissolve in polar solvents
  3. all polar molecules are hydrophobic
  4. water is the universal solvent

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