8–11% of the AP exam. Key topics: Elements essential for carbon-based life, Properties of water: cohesion, adhesion, specific heat, polarity, hydrogen bonding, Biological macromolecules: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids — structure and function, Enzyme structure: active site, substrate specificity, activation energy, Factors affecting enzyme activity: temperature, pH, substrate concentration, inhibitors, Free energy and thermodynamics: Gibbs free energy (ΔG), endergonic vs. exergonic reactions, ATP as biological energy currency.
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