1 - Intro to Biochem Flashcards
What are the six principle elements of life?
Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous and sulfur
Alcohol Significance
Polar (therefore water soluble), forms hydrogen bonds
Aldehyde significance
Polar, found in some sugars
Ketone significance
Polar, found in some sugars
Acid (carboxyl group) significance
Weakly acidic, bears a negative charge when it donates a proton
Amine significance
Weakly basic, bears a positive charge when it accepts a proton
Amide significance
Polar but does not bear a charge
Thiol significance
Easily oxidized, can form S-S (disulfide) bonds easily
Ester significance
Found in certain lipid molecules
Alkene significance
Important structural component of many biomolecules, (eg. found in lipid molecules)
What are the two types of nucleotide bases?
Purine and pyrimidine
DNA Structure
Two antiparallel polynucleotide strands forming a right hand double helix. Held together by hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions
What are the two purine nitrogenous bases?
Adenosine and guanine
What are the three pyrimidine nitrogenous bases?
Thymine, cytosine and uracil
Metabolism is defined as (4 things)
The acquisision and utilisation of energy
Synthesis of molecules needed for cell structure and growth
Growth and development
Removal of waste products
Hydrolysis reaction is what type of reaction?
Nucleophilic substitution
What is an isomerization reaction?
Occurs when atoms or groups undergo intramolecular shifts
The reducing agent ____
donates electrons
The oxidizing agent ____
Accepts electrons
3 Terms of Systems biology and their meanings
Emergence (interaction of old parts leading to new properties)
Robustness (many biological systems remain stable despite perturbations
Modularity (complex systems are composed of modules)
What are three shapes that organic molecules can form?
- Straight structures
- Branched chains
- Rings
Nucleotides are involved in what two general functions?
- Genetic information (DNA)
- Protein synthesis (RNA)
What are the four classes of small biomolecules?
- Amino acids
- Sugars
- Fatty acids
- Nucleotides
How are amino acids classified as α, β or γ?
According to amino group location, if they are next to the carbon attached to the R group, they are alpha.
Alpha is the most common type of amino acid
What is the precursor of pantothenic acid (vitamin)?
β-alanine (an example of a beta amino acid)
What two types of functional groups do carbohydrates have?
Alcohol and carbonyl functional groups
What is Autopoiesis?
A cell’s ability to be self-reliant, a factory which makes all its own materials.
The combination of fumarate with H20 to form malate is what type of reaction?
an addition reaction
The transition from an aldose to a ketose is what type of reaction?
An isomerization reaction, where aldose underwent an intramolecular shift.
What type of reactions involve electron transfer?
Redox reactions
What is energy defined as?
The capacity to do work
Cells use what type of reactions to generate most of their energy?
redox reactions
What are the four processes observed in all organisms (coherent unity)?
- Synthesis of biomolecules
- Transport across membranes
- Cell movement
- Waste removal
