3.1.1 Monomers and Polymers

Question 1

What are monomers?

Answer 1

Monomers are small, identical or similar molecules, that can be joined together to make
larger molecules - called polymers.

Question 2

What are polymers?

Answer 2

Polymers are large molecules which are formed by joining many identical or very similar
monomers together.

Question 3

Give examples of monomers

Answer 3

Nucleic acids, amino acids, α&β glucose, fructose, fatty acids and glycerol

Question 4

What three components is a nucleotide made of ?

Answer 4

1. A nitrogenous base
2. A pentose sugar
3. One or more phosphate groups

Question 5

What sugars are found in DNA and RNA nucleotide ?

Answer 5

deoxyribose (found in DNA) and
ribose (found in RNA)

Question 6

What is the difference between deoxyribose and ribose ?

Answer 6

Deoxyribose is similar in structure to ribose but it has an H
instead of an OH at the 2’ positions.

Question 7

What is glucose ?

Answer 7

Glucose is a hexose sugar (a monosaccharide) which has six carbon atoms in each
molecule.

Question 8

What are the two isomers of gucose called and draw their structures ?

Answer 8

Alpha and Beta glucose

Question 9

What are the three main polymer chemical bonds ?

Answer 9

1. Carbohydrates - monomers are joined by glycosidic bonds
2. Proteins - monomers are joined by peptide bonds
3. Lipids - monomers are joined by ester bonds

Question 10

How does a peptide bond form ?

Answer 10

The carboxyl group of one
amino acid is linked to the amino group of the incoming amino acid. In the process, a
molecule of water is released

Question 11

How is an ester bond formed ?

Answer 11

A condensation reaction between glycerol and a fatty acid (RCOOH) forms an ester bond.