2.1 Molecules to Metabolism Flashcards
What is an organic compound?
A compound that contains carbon and is found in living things.
except for carbides, carbonates, oxides of carbon, and cyanides
What makes carbon so easy to bond with other atoms?
It can form four covalent bonds since it has 4 valence electrons (capacity of 8 electrons total).
What are the four principle groups of carbon compounds?
Carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins.
What is the structure and function of carbohydrates?
S—composed of C, H, O atoms, found in DNA+RNA
F—short-term energy storage, found in recognition molecules (ex. glycoproteins)
What is the structure and function of lipids?
S—non-polar, hydrophobic molecules
F—major component of membranes found in phospholipids and cholesterol, long-term energy storage, signalling molecule (in steroids)
What is the structure and function of nucleic acids?
S—genetic material of all cells
F—determines inherited features of an organism, DNA is master coder for protein assembly, RNA manufactures proteins
What is the structure and function of proteins?
S—composed of C, H, O, and N atoms (some have S)
F—involved in catalysis bc all enzymes are proteins, cellular signalling in transduction pathways
What is an inorganic compound?
A compound that does not contain carbon
What is the relationship between monomers and polymers?
Monomers that make up carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and proteins are built into polymers through polymerisation to form organic molecules.
lipids do not contain monomers
What are carbohydrates composed of?
Monomers called monosaccharides. They make up disaccharides (2) and polysaccharides (3+).
What are lipids composed of?
They are composed of fatty acid chains, which are long chains of hydrocarbons.
What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated compounds?
Saturated compounds do not contain double bonds, where as unsaturated compounds do.
What are proteins composed of?
They are composed of monomers called amino acids, that join to form polypeptide chains.
What is the structure of an amino acid?
A central carbon connected to an amine group (NH2) and carboxyl group (COOH) and a variable group, denoted ‘R’.
What are nucleic acids composed of?
They are composed of monomers called nucleotides that join to form polynucleotide chains.
What is a nucleotide composed of?
A pentose sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.
What are the 3 main types of lipids?
simple lipids (triglycerides), compound lipids (phospholipids & glycoplipids), and derived lipids (steroids).
What is a dipeptide?
The fusion of two amino acids through peptide bonds.
How are polypeptide chains formed?
Multiple dipeptide formations and bondings.
How are polynucleotide chains formed?
Nucleotides form bonds between pentose sugar and phosphate groups.
How is DNA formed?
2 complementary chains of polynucleotides will pair up through hydrogen bonding between nitrogenous bases to form double strands, which twists into a double helix.
What are the functions of metabolic reactions?
The provide a source of energy for the cellular processes (MR. SHENG). They also enable synthesis and assimilation of new materials within the cell.
What are condensation reactions?
When monomers are covalently joined in the presence of an enzyme to catalyze, and water is a byproduct.
What is an anabolic reaction?
Metabolic reactions that use simple molecules to build up complex molecules through condensation reactions.
What is an example of an anabolic reaction?
Amino acids are joined via peptide bonds to form polypeptide chains.
What is a hydrolysis reaction?
The consumption of water molecules to break down polymer bonds in presence of an enzyme to catalyze.
What is an example of a hydrolysis reaction?
-Starch (polysaccharides)–> glucose molecules
-Protein (polypeptides)–>amino acids
-Lipid (tryglycerides)–>fatty acids + glycerol molecules
What is a catabolic reaction?
A set of metabolic reactions that break down complex molecules into simple molecules via hydrolysis reactions.
What is an example of an catabolic reaction?
Glycolysis
