2.2 - E - Biological Molecules Flashcards
What is a condensation reaction?
A reaction that occurs where 2 molecules are joined together and water is removed
CONdensation - CONnect
What is a hydrogen bond?
A weak interaction that can occur wherever molecules contain a slightly negatively charged atom bonded to a slightly positively charged hydrogen atom.
What is a hydrolysis reaction?
A reaction that occurs where a molecule is split into 2 smaller molecules with the addition of water
Hydro - water
Lysis - split
What is a monomer?
A small molecule which binds to many other identical molecules to form a polymer
What is a polymer?
A large molecule made from many monomers
How many covalent bonds can the following form: Carbon Oxygen Nitrogen Hydrogen
4
2
3
1
What is a covalent bond?
Where 2 atoms share an electron(s)
This allows the outer shell to be full
What is formed when 2 monomers join together?
A dimer
What are the monomers and polymers of carbohydrates called?
Monomer - monosaccharide
Polymer - polysaccharide
What are the monomers and polymers of proteins called?
Monomer - amino acid
Polymer - polypeptides and proteins
What are the monomers and polymers of nucleic acids called?
Monomer - nucleotide
Polymer - DNA and RNA
What 3 things happen when a condensation reaction occurs?
A water molecule is released
A covalent bond is formed
A larger molecule is formed
What 3 things happen when a hydrolysis reaction occurs?
A water molecule is used
A covalent bond is broken
Smaller molecules are formed
Define polar
When an atom is slightly positively or negatively charged
In water, is the oxygen slightly positive or negative?
Is the hydrogen slightly positive or negative?
Why is this?
Oxygen is slightly negative.
Hydrogen atoms become slightly positive.
This is because the oxygen atom has a greater number of positive protons in its nucleus, this exerts a stronger attraction for the shared electrons.
What is weaker - a hydrogen bond or a covalent bond?
A hydrogen bond
What do polymer functions often rely on?
What helps this?
Their shape
Hydrogen bonds help them keep their shape
What can water do because it’s a liquid at room temperature?
Provide habitats for living things in rivers, lakes and seas
Form a major component if the tissues in living organisms
Provide a reaction medium for chemical reactions
Provide an effective transport medium, eg: in blood and vascular tissue
How is water a liquid at room temperature?
Hydrogen bonds between water molecules make it more difficult for them to escape to become a gas
Regarding organisms, what would happen if water was less dense?
They would struggle to float
Explain the density of water and ice
Why is this important?
It becomes more dense as it gets colder until 4°C. Between 4°C and 0°C, the water molecules align themselves in a structure which is less dense than liquid water, due to its polar nature.
Because ice is less dense than water, aquatic organisms have a stable environment in which to live through winters. Pond and rivers are insulated against extreme cold - the layer of ice reduces the rate of heat lost from the rest of the pond.
How is water soluble?
Because it’s polar, the + and - of water molecules are attracted to the - and + parts of the solute (the electrostatic charges). The water molecules cluster around the charged parts and help to separate and keep them separate.
H2O is a good solvent. What does this allow?
Molecules and ions can move and react together in water. Many such reactions happen in cytoplasm of cells (over 70%). Molecules and ions can be transported around living things whilst being dissolved in water.
Water molecules demonstrate cohesion.
Explain how.
Water molecules are hydrogen-bonded to the molecules beneath them in the surface of the water.
This means they are more attracted to the water than the air. This means the surface of the water contracts (molecules are being pulled inwards).
The surface is able to resist forces applied to it (aka: surface tension)
Water molecules demonstrate cohesion.
What does this allow?
Transpiration in xylem vessels take place
Insects like pond-skaters can walk on water
What is the specific heat capacity of water?
Is this high or low?
What does this mean?
Why is this important?
4.2kJ for 1kg of water by 1°C
High
This means that a lot of energy is needed to increase the temp of water - it doesn’t heat/cool easily.
This is important because:
Living things need a stable temperature for enzyme-controlled reactions.
Aquatic organisms need a stable environment in which to live.
Explain why water has a high latent heat of vapourisation
What does this allow?
When water evaporates, heat energy, known as the latent heat of vaporisation, helps the molecules to break away from each other to becomes a gas. Due to strong hydrogen bonds, large amounts of energy are needed to evaporate water.
This means water can help cool living things and keep temperatures stable eg: sweat.
Give examples of when water is a reactant
Photosynthesis
Hydrolysis reactions such as digestion’s of starch, proteins and lipids
What is water’s role as a reactant extremely important for?
Digestion and synthesis of large biological molecules
What is a carbohydrate?
A group of molecules containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms
What is a glycosidic bond?
A bond formed between 2 monosaccharides by a condensation reaction
What are the 3 functions of carbohydrates?
Give examples for each
Source of energy - glucose
Store of energy - starch, glycogen
Structural units - cellulose in plants, chitin in insects
What are the 3 main groups of carbohydrates?
Monosaccharides
Disaccharides
Polysaccharides
How can monosaccharides exist?
How do triose, hexose and pentose exist in solution?
Either as straight chains or in ring/cyclic forms
Triose - straight chains
Pentose, hexose - ring/cyclic form
What is the backbone of monosaccharides?
Single-bonded carbon atoms, one double-bonded to an oxygen atom to form a carboxyl group.
How many carbon atoms do each of the following sugars have:
Hexose
Pentose
Triose
6
5
3
What are monosaccharides important for?
How are they well suited for this role?
They are a source of energy in living things
There is a large number of carbon-hydrogen bonds
Explain the solubility of monosaccharides
Soluble in water
Insoluble in non-polar solvents
What is an isomer?
Molecules with the same formula, but whose atoms are arranged differently in space.
What is the difference between alpha and beta glucose?
Alpha has H coming up out of C1 and OH coming down out of it.
Beta has OH coming up out of C1 and H coming down out of it.
List the 3 most common disaccharides.
Are they reducing or non-reducing sugars?
Maltose - reducing
Lactose - reducing
Sucrose - non-reducing
What 2 monosaccharides form the following disaccharides: Maltose Sucrose Lactose Cellobiose
Alpha glucose + alpha glucose
Alpha glucose + fructose
Beta glucose + alpha glucose
Beta glucose + beta glucose
What type of reaction occurs to form a glycosidic bond?
Condensation reaction
What is the most common type of monosaccharide?
Hexose sugar
What are homopolysaccharides?
What are heteropolysaccharides?
Give an example of each
Homopolysaccharides - polysaccharides made solely of one kind of monosaccharide - starch
Heteropolysaccharides - polysaccharides made of more than one monosaccharides - hyaluronic acid (in connective tissue)
Why do polysaccharides form good stores of monosaccharides?
Glycogen and starch are compact - they don’t take up much space in cells. They both occur in dense granules within the cell.
Polysaccharides hold glucose molecules in chains, so they can be easily “snipped off” from the end by hydrolysis for respiration.
So,w chains are branched and unbranched. Branched chains tend to be more compact but also offer the chance for lots of glucose molecules to be snipped off at once, when lots of energy is required quickly.
Polysaccharides are less soluble in water that monosaccharides - due to their size. Sometimes the amylose molecule forms a double helix, which presents a hydrophobic external surface in contact with the surrounding solution. This presents a hydrophobic external surface.
Which enzymes hydrolyse which glycosidic bonds?
1,4 - amylase
1,6 - glucosidase
Describe amylose
Found in plants. It’s insoluble. It’s a long chain of alpha glucose molecules (homopolysaccharide). It has 1,4 glycosidic bonds.
It coils into a spiral shape, with hydrogen bonds holding the spiral in place. Hydroxyl groups on carbon 2 are situated on the inside of the coil, making the molecule less soluble and allowing hydrogen bonds to form to maintain the coils structure.
Describe amylopectin
Found in plants. It’s like amylose, but with extra branches formed by 1,6 glycosidic bonds. It coils into a spiral shape, held together with hydrogen bonds, but with branches emerging from the spiral.
Explain glycogen
Found in animals. Similar to amylopectin - 1,4 and 1,6 glycosidic bonds. The 1,4 bonded chains tend to be smaller than in amylopectin, so glycogen has less tendency to coil. However, it does have more branches, which makes it more compact. And it is easier to remove monomer units as there are more ends.
What is starch comprised of?
Amylose and amylopectin molecules
Where is glycogen found?
Found in glycogen granules in animal cells e.g. in liver and muscles.