A1 Biological Molecules Flashcards
What is the meaning and formula of carbohydrates?
Hydrated carbon and Cn(H2O)n (n is the number of carbon atoms)
What is the use of carbohydrate in the body?
ATP production, energy storage, structural support, lipid metabolism
What is a monosaccharide?
They are monomers, a single carbohydrate molecule.
What happens two monosaccharides bond together by a glycosidic bond?
They form a disaccharide. An example of this is a sucrose.
What happens when more than two monosaccahardes bond together?
They form a complex carbohydrate called a polysaccharide e.g starch and glycogen
What are the properties of monosaccharides?
They are soluble in water, form crystals, and taste sweet
How are monosaccharides classified?
By the number of carbon atoms they have
What are the types of monosaccharide sugars?
3-carbon triode, 5-carbon pentose, 6-carbon hexose
What is glucose?
A hexose monosaccharide
Glucose molecules are…
Polar and soluble in water
What is the function of alpha glucose?
Respiration in animals and plants
What is the function of beta glucose?
They join together to form a polymer called cellulose which is a polysaccharide used in the structure of plants
What are some common examples of disaccharides?
Maltose, lactose, and sucrose
How can the bond between a glycosidic bond be broken?
Adding water, this is known as hydrolysis reaction
What is a polysaccharide?
Polymers of monosaccharides.
What does a polysaccharide consist of?
Thousands of monosaccharide monomers bonded together to form a single large molecule
What does a polysaccharide consist of?
Thousands of monosaccharide monomers bonded together to form a single large molecule
What are some examples of polysaccharides?
Amylose, amylopectin, glycogen and cellulose
What is amylose composed of?
Unbranched chains of glucose monomers connected by alpha 1,4 glycosidic linkages
What does amylopectin consist of?
1,4 glycosidic bonds and 1,6 glycosidic bonds
What is the function of amylopectin?
To store glucose for later use as an energy source. E.g plants store excess glucose in the form of starch
What is the function of glycogen?
Stores excess energy for later use. Animals store excess in the form of glycogen.
What is a monomer?
A small chemical unit that makes up a polymer e.g monosaccharide, amino acids, nucleotides
What is a polymer?
Large molecule formed from combinations of many monomers bonded together e.g carbohydrates, proteins and nucleic acid
