1: Biological Molecules Flashcards
Polar Molecule
A molecule with an uneven distribution of charge, e.g. H2O
Polymerisation
The process by which many monomer sub-units are joined to form polymer
Condensation
Reactions that produce water, e.g. the joining of two monosaccharides to form a disaccharide.
Hydrolysis
Splitting a molecule into its constituent parts, by adding water.
Monosaccharide
A single monomer of carbohydrate
Disaccharide
A pair of monosaccharides combine to form a disaccharide
Polysaccharide
Many monosaccharides combine to form a polysaccharide
Glycosidic Bond
The bond between two monosaccharides that forms in a condensation reaction
Saturated
A Carbon chain that doesn’t contain any carbon-carbon double bonds.
Mono-unsaturated
When there is a single carbon-carbon double bond within the carbon chain
Polyunsaturated
When there is more than one carbon-carbon double bond within the carbon chain
Peptide bond
The bond that links two amino acids together, between carbon and nitrogen
Polypeptide
A chain consisting of many amino acids joined by a peptide bond
Activation energy
A minimum amount of energy needed to activate a reaction
Active site
A specific region of the enzyme, which is functional, and has a specific shape due to its tertiary structure, where the substrate binds
Substrate
The molecule on which the enzyme acts
Enzyme-substrate complex
This forms because the substrate molecule is held within the active site by bonds that temporarily form between certain amino acids of the active site and the groups on the substrate
Complementary
The way to describe the shape/structures of a specific substrate and enzyme and how they fit together.
Denaturation
A permanent change, meaning the enzyme can no longer function, involving a change to the tertiary structure of the active site.
Competitive inhibitors
Enzyme inhibitors which bind to the active site of the enzyme
Non-competitive inhibitors
Enzyme inhibitors which bind to the enzyme at a position other than the active site
