SCI 9 UNIT C VOCAB

• Elements


  Found on the periodic table: any substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances
• Nitrogen Fixation


  The process of converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that plants can absorb and use
• Pollution


  Release of harmful materials into the environment
• Issue


  an important topic or problem for debate or discussion
• Fertilizer


  a substance that provides nutrients to help crops grow better - usually made of a ratio of N, P, and K
• Pesticides


  Chemicals used on plants that do not harm the plants, but kill pests (may also harm other organisms that ingest them)
• Pest


  Unwanted organism that directly or indirectly interferes with human activities.
• Sewage


  The water and human wastes that are washed down sinks, toilets, and showers
• Septic tank


  A large tank where liquid waste water, solid matter, or sewage from a house is broken down by bacteria
• Sewage treatment plant


  a facility that cleans the waste materials found in water that comes from sewers or drains (so that the water can be recycled and used again)
• Effluent


  liquid waste or sewage that is released into a river or the sea
• Storm sewers


  Sewers that collect water from streets and sidewalks (may also collect harmful chemicals from streets as well)
• Fossil fuels


  coal, oil, natural gas
• Sour gas


  natural gas that contains hydrogen sulfide
• pH


  potential hydrogen (measures acidity or alkalinity)
• Acid


  A substance with a pH lower than 7, produces hydrogen ions in a solution
• Base


  A substance with a pH greater than 7, produces hydroxide ions in a solution
• Neutral


  A substance with a pH of exactly 7
• Neutralization


  A chemical reaction between an acid and a base that produces water and a salt
• Salt


  An ionic compound made from the neutralization of an acid with a base.
• Organic compounds


  Compounds that contain carbon
• Inorganic compounds


  Compounds that do not contain carbon
• Nutrients


  Substances in food that your body needs to grow, to repair itself, and to supply you with energy
• Macronutrients


  Nutrients that you need in large amounts - carbohydrates, proteins, and fats
• Micronutrients

  Nutrients that you need in small amounts (vitamins and minerals)
• Optimum amounts


  The perfect amount of a substance that provides an organism with the best health
• Carbohydrates


  Starches and sugars present in foods (simple compounds broken down into glucose to provide energy). Made of C, H, and O
• Lipids


  Fats, oils, and waxes. Made of C, H, and O
• Proteins


  complex organic molecules used to build and maintain living cells. Made of C, H, O, and N
• Enzymes


  Proteins that speed up chemical reactions (such as digestion)
• Amino acids


  The building blocks of proteins
• Nucleic acids


  The building blocks for DNA and RNA (genetic material)
• Diffusion


  Movement of molecules from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration
• Osmosis


  Diffusion of water through a membrane
• Hydrolysis


  The breakdown of a compound using water as a reactant (e.g. in digestion)
• Hydrolyzed


  when something has been broken down by water
• Substrate


  the surface or material on which an organism lives, grows, or obtains its nourishment.
• Ozone layer


  Protective layer in atmosphere that shields earth from UV radiation.
• Monitoring


  observing something (and sometimes keeping a record of it)
• Invertebrates


  Animals without backbones (libe bugs and crustaceans)