Italy Secondaria di secondo grado – classe 3ª Natural sciences (liceo scientifico)

Chapters: 3

1. Biology

Molecular biology and organisms

Molecular Basis of Inheritance – DNA is the genetic material in most living things (some viruses use RNA). It is a double helix: two antiparallel strands of nucleotides, A pairs with T by 2 hydrogen bonds and G with C by 3. Long DNA is packed on histones into nucleosomes and then chromatin. DNA copies itself semi-conservatively (Meselson–Stahl). The central dogma says DNA → RNA → protein. Transcription makes RNA from one strand; in eukaryotes the hnRNA is capped, tailed and spliced. The genetic code is a triplet, has 64 codons (61 for amino acids, 3 stops), starts with AUG, is nearly universal and degenerate. Ribosomes translate mRNA into protein with tRNA adaptors. Genes are switched on and off; the lac operon is the classic example. The Human and Rice Genome Projects read whole genomes, and DNA fingerprinting uses repeat DNA (VNTRs) to identify people.

2. Chemistry

Inorganic compounds and structure of matter · Organic chemistry basics · Energy, rate and equilibrium

Quantum Mechanical Model: Quantum Numbers, Orbitals and Configuration – Moving electrons also behave like waves: λ = h/mv (de Broglie). Because of this we cannot know exact position and momentum together: Δx·Δp ≥ h/4π (Heisenberg). So we drop sharp orbits and use orbitals: regions where the electron is likely to be, from the Schrödinger equation (ψ² gives probability). Four quantum numbers describe each electron: n (shell, size, energy), l (subshell, shape: 0 to n−1), mₗ (orientation: −l to +l) and mₛ (spin: +½ or −½). s is spherical, p is dumbbell, d is mostly four-lobed. Electrons fill by the Aufbau (n + l) rule, Pauli principle (max 2, opposite spins) and Hund's rule (single first). Half-filled and fully filled subshells are extra stable, so Cr is 3d⁵4s¹ and Cu is 3d¹⁰4s¹.
Carbon and Its Compounds: Bonding, Hydrocarbons and Naming – Carbon has 4 outer electrons, so it shares electrons (covalent bonds) instead of gaining or losing them. Because it bonds to itself (catenation) and always makes 4 bonds (tetravalency), it forms millions of compounds: chains, branches and rings, saturated or unsaturated. Compounds with the same functional group form a homologous series that differs by –CH₂–, and IUPAC names are built from the number of carbons + a suffix or prefix for the functional group.
Chemical Equilibrium: Kc, Kp, Q and Gibbs Energy – In a closed container a reversible reaction goes both ways. After some time the forward and backward rates become equal, so amounts stop changing, but the reaction does not stop. This is dynamic equilibrium. At equilibrium the ratio of products to reactants (each raised to its coefficient) is a fixed number, the equilibrium constant K. Kc uses concentrations, Kp uses partial pressures, and Kp = Kc(RT)^Δn. Pure solids and liquids are left out of K. The reaction quotient Q tells the direction: Q < K goes forward, Q > K goes backward, Q = K is equilibrium. K and Gibbs energy are linked: ΔG = ΔG° + RT ln Q and ΔG° = −RT ln K.

3. Earth science

Minerals, rocks, volcanoes, earthquakes

Rocks and Minerals – A mineral is a natural, non-living solid with a fixed chemical make-up and a regular crystal shape, like quartz or halite. A rock is a mixture of one or more minerals. Rocks are of three types: igneous (from cooled magma or lava), sedimentary (from layers of pressed bits) and metamorphic (changed by heat and pressure). The rock cycle slowly turns each type into the others over millions of years.