2.4 Organic Molecules

Question 1

What are organic molecules?

Answer 1

units of life that always contain carbon and hydrogen

Question 2

What does the chemistry of carbon account for?

Answer 2

the formation of the very large variety of organic molecules found in living organisms

Question 3

What is a functional group?

Answer 3

a specific combination of bonded atoms that always react in the same way

Question 4

What is a macromolecule?

Answer 4

many molecules joined together

Question 5

What is a monomer?

Answer 5

a simple organic molecule that exists individually or can link with other monomers to form a polymer

Question 6

What is a polymer?

Answer 6

monomers linked together

Question 7

What is the monomer of the carbohydrate polymer?

Answer 7

monosaccharide

Question 8

What is the monomer of the lipid polymer?

Answer 8

fatty acids

Question 9

What is the monomer of the protein polymer?

Answer 9

amino acid

Question 10

What is the monomer of the nucleic acid polymer?

Answer 10

nucleotide

Question 11

What is a dehydration reaction?

Answer 11

a reaction to build polymers in which the components of water are removed

Question 12

What is a hydrolysis reaction?

Answer 12

a reaction to degrade polymers in which the components of water are added

Question 13

Functional Group: Hydroxyl

• compound
• significance
• presence

Answer 13

compound: alcohol as in ethanol
significance: polar, forms hydrogen bond
presence: sugars and some amino acids

Question 14

Functional Group: Carbonyl

• compound
• significance
• presence

Answer 14

compound: aldehyde as in formaldehyde, ketone as in acetone
significance: polar (both compounds)
presence: sugars (both compounds)

Question 15

Functional Group: Carboxyl (acidic)

• compound
• significance
• presence

Answer 15

compound: carboxylic acid as in acetic acid
significance: polar, acidic
presence: fatty acids and amino acids

Question 16

Functional Group: Amino

• compound
• significance
• presence

Answer 16

compound: amine as in tryptophan
significance: polar, basic, forms hydrogen bonds
presence: amino acids

Question 17

Functional Group: Sulfhydrl

• compound
• significance
• presence

Answer 17

compound: thiol as in ethanethiol
significance: forms disulfide bonds
presence: some amino acids

Question 18

Functional Group: Phosphate

• compound
• significance
• presence

Answer 18

compound: organic phosphate as in phosphorylated molecules
significance: polar, acidic
presence: nucleotides, phospholipids

Question 19

Explain how differences in carbon skeleton and attached functional groups cause organic molecules to have different chemical properties.

Answer 19

hydrocarbon chain can turn back on itself to form a ring compound, or a spiral or a series of folds due to the interaction between the atoms and the functional groups