2) Biological Molecules Flashcards
benedict’s test for reducing sugars
- Add Benedict’s reagent (which is blue as it contains copper (II) sulfate ions).
- Heat the test tube in a water bath/beaker.
- A positive test result is a colour change somewhere along a colour scale from blue
(no reducing sugar) to brown/brick-red (a high concentration of reducing sugar)
-This test is semi-quantitative as the degree of the colour change can give an
indication of how much (the concentration of) reducing sugar present
iodine test for starch
positive : blue-black
negative : orange-brown
emulsion test for lipids
- Add ethanol to the sample ,
shake to mix
add the mixture to a test tube of water. - positive : milky emulsion
negative : clear
biuret test for proteins
- A few drops of copper (II) sulfate solution (which is blue) is added to the sample.
-positive : lilac/purple
negative : remains blue
For this test to work, there must be at least two peptide bonds present in any protein
molecules, so if the sample contains amino acids or dipeptides, the result will be
negative.
benedict’s test for non-reducing sugars
add hydrochloric acid, and neutralise
- then add benedicts solution and heat
colourimeter
- measures absorbance and transmission.
- the paler the solution, the lower the absorbance, higher the transmission (as more light can pass through the sample).
- calibration curve used
serial dilutions
are created by taking a series of dilutions of a stock solution. The
concentration decreases by the same quantity between each test tube
what is a macromolecule ?
a large biological molecule (like protein/polysaccharide/nucleic acid)
define monomer
used as basic building block for SYNTHESIS OF POLYMER.
- many monomers join to form a polymer (usually by condensation reactions)
define polymer
made from many similar repeating subunits joined together in a chain (eg. polysaccharides, proteins, nucleic acids, cellulose)
define monosaccharide
consisting of single sugar unit with general formula (CH2O)n
eg : alpha & beta glucose
define disaccharide
sugar molecule consisting of 2 MONOSACCHARIDES joined together by a GLYCOSIDIC BOND
define polysaccharide
subunits are monosaccharides joined together by glycosodic bonds.
Eg: cellulose, glycogen
whats a glycosidic bond?
bonds between monosaccharides/disaccharides/polysaccharides
name 3 monosaccharides
-glucose
-fructose
-galactose
whats the difference between alpha & beta molecules ?
alpha - both OH is on the bottom
beta - rhs OH is above
glucose, fructose, and maltose are _______ sugars
reducing sugars
is sucrose reducing or non-reducing sugar
non-reducing sugar
what are the 2 branches of starch?
- amylose
- amylopectin
state bonds joining amylose & whether it has branching
- alpha 1-4
- no branching
state bonds joining amylopectin & whether it has branching
- alpha 1-4 & alpha 1-6
- yes branching
state bonds joining glycogen & whether it has branching
- alpha 1-4 & alpha 1-6
- yes branching (more than amylopectin)
state bonds joining cellulose & whether it has branching
- beta 1-4
- no branching
structural description of amylose
- helical
-long - compact
structural description of amylopectin
- helical
- compact
structural description of glycogen
- helical
- compact