3 - Biological Molecules Flashcards
What is a polar molecule? Give an example.
A molecule with a slight positive charge at one end (𝛿+) and a slight negative at the other (𝛿-). eg. water
What bond is formed between 2 monosaccharides in a condensation reaction?
glycosidic
Name the bond holding amino acid monomers together
peptide
What reaction breaks polysaccharides into their constituent parts? (What are the additional reactants/products)
Hydrolysis reaction
you must add water
Give 3 examples of globular proteins
- enzymes
- antibodies
- hormones
Water is a solvent. How does water affect reactions?
increases the rate of reaction (more particles to collide with and change direction)
Glucose, fructose and galactose are all what type of sugars?
Hexose monosaccharides
Water helps control the temperature in our cells. What 2 properties help it do this?
High specific heat capacity (a buffer for temperature change)
High latent heat of vaporisation (cooling effect through evaporation)
α-glucose + α-glucose –>
maltose
Are polar molecules hydrophilic or hydrophobic? How can we tell?
Hydrophilic, they dissolve in water
What is the molecular formula of galactose?
C₆H₁₂O₆
What happens to polar molecules in water? Why is this important?
- All polar molecules dissolve in water
- Water can therefore be used as a solvent to transport polar molecules in and out of cells
Describe the structure of amylopectin
- polymer of glucose (1,4 glycosidic bonds)
- branched (1,6) glycosidic bonds
A chain of β-glucose molecules makes what?
cellulose
A chain of α-glucose molecules makes what?
starch
What are the 2 types of starch?
Amylopectin and amylose
Disaccharides are made through what type of chemical reaction? (what additional products/reactants are needed?)
condensation (also makes water)
What type of protein (shape) is insulin? Why does it do this and what bonds are formed?
- globular
- hydrophobic components protected from aqueous environments of the blood or the cell
- hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions
Define isomer
compounds with the same moleclar formulae but different arrangements (structural formulae) and therefore different properties
Which type of starch hydrolyses more quickly? Why?
Amylopectin
-branched, therefore, more accessible bonds to hydrolysed at one time
Describe the structure of amylose
- polymer of glucose
- helical
- unbranched
Water’s polarity means it has _____ properties
cohesive
glucose + fructose –>
sucrose
glucose + galactose –>
lactose
Describe the structure of an amino acid
- Central carbon atom
- H atom
- Amine group (NH3)
- Carboxylic acid functional group (COOH)
- R group
What are the 4 types of bonds between proteins monomers? (tertiary structure)
- hydrogen
- ionic
- disulfide bridges
- hydrophillic and hydrophobic interactions
What type of sugar is maltose and how is it made (reactants and type of reaction)?
disaccharide
α-glucose + α-glucose
condensation reaction
What makes a protein have a quarternary structure?
2 or more seperate polypeptide chains
What elements do nucleic acids contain?
CHONP
What elements do carbohydrates contain?
CHO
What elements do proteins contain?
CHONS
What elements do lipids contain?
CHO
What is the structure of a triglyceride?
Glycerol backbone with 3 fatty acid groups coming off
Suggest why a specific fatty acid may be liquid at room temperature.
It is unsaturated (C=C) casuing kinks, unable to pack as tightly together
What is a fatty acid?
Long polymers of carbon and hydrogen
with a carboxyl group at the end (-COOH)
What bond is present between each glycerol and fatty acid in a triglyceride?
An ester bond
How many ester bonds are present in a triglyceride
3
Lipids are short-term/long-term energy stores
Lipids are long-term energy stores
What is the structure of a phospholipid?
Phosphate ion with 2 fatty acid branches
Which enzyme catalyses the addition of amino acids in the ribosomes?
Peptidyl transferase
What are the 2 types of secondary protein structure?
alpha helix or a beta pleasted sheet
What bonds determine the secondary protein structure?
Hydrogen
What is a conjugated protein?
a protein that contains a non-protein component or a prothestic group (eg. haem in haemoglobin)
State the properties of collagen
strong
flexible
inelastic
State the properties of keratin
inelastic
insoluble
fibrous
strong
Describe the quarternary structure of collagen
3 polypeptide chains twisted and held together by cross-linkages
Why is collagen inelastic
Cross-linkages
stabilised by twisted polypeptide chains
What 5 things should you mention when you compare proteins
SPADES S-shape P-purpose (funtional/structural) A-acid sequence (repetitive/irregular) D-durability (to pH and temp) E-examples S-solubility
Compare the acid sequence in globular and fibrous proteins
globular=irregular
fibrous=repetitive
Compare the durability (pH and temp) in globular and fibrous proteins
globular=more sensitive
fibrous=less sensitive
Compare the functionality in globular and fibrous proteins
globular=functional
fibrous=structral
What is the name of the test for reducing sugars?
Benedicts test
What does a positive test for reducing sugar look like?
Coloured precipitate will form Blue=none Green/yellow orange/red brick red=large amounts
Is Benedicts test quanitative?
Semi-quanititative and subjective
How does Benedicts test for reducing sugars work?
Reagent blue from Cu2+ ions
Reducing sugars are able to donate electrons
coloured precipitate formed
more sugar more Cu2+ ions reduced
Which sugars are reducing sugars
All monosaccharides Some disaccharides (maltose and lactose)
How do you test for non-reducing sugars?
if reducing sugar test does not work
boil sugar solution with dilute HCl (this hydrolyses into monosaccharides)
neutralise with sodium hydrocarbonate
repeat benedicts
What is the test for starch?
Iodine, goes from yellow to blue/black
What is the structure of a nucleotide?
Pentose sugar (deoxyribose or ribose)
1’ - nitrogenous base
3’ - OH
4’ to 5’ to phosphate group (PO4 3-)
oxygen at top
How do nucleotides join together
Condensation reaction OH on one joins with phosphate group on the next
What are the 4 bases in DNA
Adenine
Thyamine
Guanine
Cytosine
What are the 4 bases in RNA
Adenine
Uracil
Guanine
Cytosine
What is the difference between a pyramidine and a purine?
Pyramidine = single ring purine = dounle ring
Which nucleotides are pyramidines?
C and T and U
Which nucleotides are purine?
A and G
How many hydrogens bonds can T and A bases form between each other?
2
How many hydrogens bonds can C and G bases form between each other?
3
State 3 differences between DNA and RNA
- DNA has thyamine RNA has uracil
- DNA deoxyribose, RNA ribose
- DNA double stranded, RNA single stranded
What is the sense strand?
Strand of protein used to code for proteins, 5’ to 3’
What is the Anti-sense strand?
Template for mRNA, 3’ to 5’
What is the backbone of DNA made of
Alternating phosphate sugar backbone
What bond is formed between 2 nucleotide bases in a polynucleotide?
Phosphodiester bond
What reaction adds a nucleotide base of to DNA?
condensation
What is important about the backbone of DNA?
shields base pairs and protects them from damage
Define triplet code
3 bases (1 codon) code for an amino acid
Define degenerate
Different codons can code for the same amino acid
What can mutations result in, in regard to proteins
- protein not functional
- protein not as effective
- no protein is made
Where does Transcription occur?
nucleus
Where does translation occur?
ribosomes
What is transcription?
The formation of a complementary molecule of mRNA from the DNA template (anti-sense strand)
What enzymes catalase transcription
DNA helicase- unzips
DNA polymerase- joins to make one backbone from free nucleotides
What is an exon
A region fo DNA that codes for proteins
What is an intron
A region of DNA that does not code for proteins
How does transcription work?
DNA unzips, free nucleotides pair up with anti-sense strand and form mRNA, leaves through nuclear pores
What has to happen to the mRNA before it leaves the nucleus
introns removed by enzymes
What is tRNA
transfer RNA
a single-stranded ribonucleotide chain folded into a cloverleaf shape, carries a specific amino acid
What happens in translation?
- mRNA enters ribosome
- tRNA molecule with complementary bases joins mRNA
- next tRNA molecule joins next codon
- bonds form between amino acids they carry
- first tRNA released and next one joins
- repeated until stop codon
Name the long term store fo energy for plants
starch
Name the long term store fo energy for animals
glycogen
What is the structure of an ATP molecule
Ribose (pentose sugar) bonded to
1’—3x phosphate groups
5’—adenine (base)
What does ATP stand for?
Adenosine triphosphate
ATP + H2O–>
ADP +Pᵢ (inorganic phosphate) +energy
What enzyme catalyses the breakdown of ATP
ATP hydrolase (ATPase)
Can ATP be stored?
No
What feature of ATP makes it an efficient source of energy
It releases small and discrete quantities of energy
Name 5 uses of ATP
synthesis of macromolecules movement active transport secretion Activiation of molecules
Suggest, with reasons, why water is such an important component of the blood (5 marks)
- polar solvent - can transport things as:
- many biological molecules are polar
- and ions are charged
- liquid so transport medium
- coolant to resistant to temp change
Describe why water is such an important component of stroma in the chloroplasts and the matrix in the mitochondria. (5 marks)
(these are places where chemical reactions take place)
- liquid
- therefore allows movement of enzymes and substrates
- that need to move in order for the reaction to occur
- polar solvent
- substrate, enzyme, products are polar
What makes fats solid at r.t and oils liquid at r.t.
oils- unsaturated fatty acids
kinks therefore can’t pack tightly together
fats - saturated fatty acids
Describe the formation of an ester bond in triglycerides
hydroxyl group from glycerol and hydroxyl group from fatty acid (actually -cooh) in condensation reaction
describe how the emulsion test for lipids works
dissolve lipids in ethanol
mix water in
water is more soluble in ethanol than lipids so it displaces the lipids
lipids are not soluble in water so forms a suspension