Molecules Study Guide

8th Grade Living Environment

Mr. Ardito’s Classes

Study Guide
Homeostasis – Molecules

All living things must coordinate their life processes (Mr. L. Strnger) in order to live.
Each of these life processes are a set of chemical reactions.
Chemical reactions are a where molecules rearrange themselves to form new molecules.

Some basic facts about molecules:

- Molecules are three-dimensional objects. They are very, very, very small, but they
are still 3-D.
- Molecules are made from atoms.
- Different kinds of atoms are called elements. Examples of these are Carbon,
Hydrogen, and Oxygen.
- Molecules are held together by connections called bonds (or chemical bonds)
- When molecules come together they tend to use or store energy, like when carbon
dioxide and water come together to form sugar and oxygen during photosynthesis.
- When molecules split apart they tend to release energy, like when glucose is
broken down during cellular respiration.
- Some common chemicals used by living things are starches (carbohydrates),
lipids (fats), and proteins.
- These common chemicals have building blocks.
o Sugars are the building blocks for starches
o Amino acids are the building blocks for proteins
o Fatty acids are the building blocks for lipids

What we said in class about molecules:

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Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

These are two the most important chemical reactions to living things.
If we understand them, we understand how energy flows from the sun to all living things.

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Photosynthesis – takes place in the chloroplasts

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Cellular Respiration – takes place in the mitochondria

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Cells
Cells are the places where these chemical reactions take place.
We can think of cells like chemical factories.

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