Acids Bases and Building Blocks Flashcards
What are the 3 types of reactions that occur in the body?
Synthesis reactions, degradation reactions and exchange reactions.
What is an example of a degradation reaction?
Digestion of food.
What is the defining feature of an organic molecule?
It contains a carbon atom.
What are the 4 types of organic molecules in the body?
Lipids, proteins, carbohydrates & nucleic acids.
What aspect of homeostasis do acids and bases affect?
The pH of the body.
When an acid is added to water what ion is released?
A hydrogen ion (H+).
When a base (alkali) is added to water what ion is released?
A hydroxide ion (OH-).
Is a solution with a pH of 3 acidic or basic?
Acidic.
What part of the body can safely contain a strong acid?
The stomach contains acid with a pH of 1.5.
What is produced chemically when an acid and a base are mixed?
A salt and water and heat are produced.
What is a buffer solution?
It is a solution that can neutralize small amounts of strong acids or bases safely.
What are the uses of carbohydrates in the body?
Energy storage and energy and as part of cellular structures.
What are the two types of proteins in the body?
Functional and structural.
What is the main quality of functional proteins in the body?
They are chemically active.
What is the main quality of structural proteins in the body?
They are long stranded and rigid.
What are the building blocks of protein?
Amino acids.
How many structural levels does a protein have?
Four.
What is the name of substances in the body that act to speed up chemical reactions?
Enzymes
True or false. Enzymes are general purpose, with one enzyme catalyzing multiple different reactions.
False. Enzymes are specific to the reaction that they catalyze just as a key is specific to a lock.
What is the name of the molecule that is used to supply power at the cellular level?
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
What factors in the body could cause protein denaturation?
Extreme heat, acidosis and alkalosis.
What are the 3 functions of lipids in the body?
Energy storage, as chemical messengers and structural in the form of the phospholipid bilayer in cell membrane.
What are the names of the two types of chemical messengers that are made up of lipids?
Steroid hormones
Describe the structure of cell membranes.
It is a lipid bilayer with the hydrophilic polar region on the outside of the membrane and the hydrophobic non polar region on the inside.
What are the two types of nucleic acids in the body?
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
What is the function of DNA?
It contains all the instructions needed by the cell to build proteins which in turn determine the shape and function of every tissue in the body and therefore the shape and function of the living organism
What are the functions of RNA?
It is the template that is used within ribosomes to create proteins. This is called coding RNA. Many structures in the cell are made up of RNA. This is called non-coding RNA.
