AS - Unit 2 - Biological molecules Flashcards
What are the important roles of calcium ions in living organisms?
Nerve impulse transmission
Muscle contraction
What are the important roles of sodium ions in living organisms?
Nerve impulse transmission
Kidney function
What are the important roles of potassium ions in living organisms?
Nerve impulse transmission
Stomata opening
What are the important roles of hydrogen ions in living organisms?
Catalysing reactions
pH determination
What is the role of ammonium ions in living organisms?
Production of nitrate ions by bacteria
What is the role of nitrate ions in living organisms?
Nitrogen supply to plants for amino acid and protein formation
What is the role of hydrogen carbonate ions in living organisms?
Maintenance of blood pH
What is the role of chloride ions in living organisms?
To balance the positive charge of sodium and potassium ions in cells
What is the role of phosphate ions in living organisms?
Cell membrane formation
Nucleic acid and ATP formation
Bone formation
What is the role of hydroxide ions in living organisms?
Catalysis of reactions
pH determination
What are the 4 biological molecules?
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic acids
Give some characteristics of water
High boiling point
Solid state less dense than liquid state
Molecules are attracted to each other so moves as one (cohesion)
Water molecules are attracted to other things (adhesion)
Polar so acts as a solvent
Strong surface tension
Name three monosaccharides
Glucose
Fructose
Ribose
Name two disaccharides
Lactose
Sucrose
Name three polysaccharides
Glycogen
Cellulose
Starch
What are the two types of glucose
Alpha glucose
Beta glucose
What is the chemical formula for glucose?
C6H12O6
Where is the OH group in alpha glucose?
Below the plane
Where is the OH group in beta glucose?
Above the plane
Which way do you label and number the carbon atoms in glucose?
Clock wise
What is the bond called that forms between two glucose molecules?
Glycosidic bond
What reaction does glucose undergo to produce a disaccharide and form a glycosidic bond?
Condensation reaction
When two alpha glucose molecules join together which type of bond do they form and what is the name of the disaccharide formed?
1,4-glycosidic bond
Maltose
What are the two kinds of starch?
Amylose
Amylopectin
What type of glucose makes up starch?
Alpha glucose
Describe amylose
Alpha glucose bonded together by 1,4-glycosidic bonds
Angle of bond means long chain of glucose twists to form helix
Helix further stabilized by hydrogen bonds within the molecule
Polysaccharide becomes more compact
Less soluble with H bonds
Describe amylopectin
Branches coming off main chain
1,6-glycosidic bonds formed for branches
Branched units approx every 25 glucose subunits
What type of glucose is glycogen made out of?
Alpha
What’s the difference between glycogen and amylopectin?
Glycogen forms more branches than amylopectin meaning it is more compact and less space is needed for it to be stored
More branches means more free ends where glucose can be added or removed
Speeds up processes of storing or releasing glucose molecules required by the cell
What type of reaction occurs when glucose is removed from glycogen and starch?
Hydrolysis
What type of glucose is in cellulose?
Beta glucose
How do beta glucose molecules join together to form cellulose?
Each successive beta glucose molecule is flipped so the OH molecules are next to each other to form glycosidic bonds
How is cellulose formed from the polysaccharide?
Long chains of cellulose make hydrogen bonds with each other to form microfibrils
The microfibrils form together to form microfibrils
These combine to form fibres
Give some properties of cellulose
Strong
Insoluble
Used to make new cell walls
Important part of our diets
Hard to break down into glucose molecules
Formed the fiber part of our diet which is necessary for a functioning digestive system
What sugars are known as reducing sugars??
Monosaccharides and disaccharides
E.g. Maltose
E.g. Lactose
What test do you use for reducing sugars?
Benedicts test
How do you perform a benedicts test?
Place sample in test tube, in liquid form
Add equal amount of benedicts reagent
Heat mixture gently in a boiling water bath for five minutes
If a brick red color is produced it is a positive result
Meaning there is a reducing sugar in the solution
E.g. Mono or disaccharide
How do you test for non reducing sugars?
Also the benedicts test however you should get a negative result originally
Go back and boil with original solution with HCl then carry out the benedicts test again and this time you should get a positive result
What test do you carry out for starch and how does it work?
Iodine test
A few drops of iodine dissolved in potassium iodide solution are mixed with a sample
If the solution changes color from yellow/brown to purple/black then starch is present in the sample
Why are lipids not soluble in water?
They are non polar, so they don’t form hydrogen bonds with water, therefore not soluble
How are triglycerides formed?
Combining one glycerol molecule with three fatty acids
How do you add fatty acids to a glycerol molecule?
The OH groups on both the glycerol and the fatty acid will interact, in a condensation reaction three H2O molecules are formed, these are called ester bonds.
What is a risk factor?
A factor than increases your chance of developing a particular disease
What is metabolism?
The sum total of all the biochemical reactions taking place in the cells of an organism
Give an example of a carbohydrate as an energy source
Release of glucose during respiration
Give an example of a carbohydrate as an energy store
Starch
Give an example of a carbohydrate as a structure
Cellulose
Give the word equation for respiration
Glucose + oxygen —> carbon dioxide + water + energy that is used to form ATP
Animals and plant cells have enzymes which can only break down which type of glucose?
Alpha
Alpha glucose + alpha glucose = ?
Maltose
Maltose + maltose + maltose + maltose etc =
Amylose
What structure does Beta glucose take on when reacted in a condensation reaction?
A long straight chain
Where is cellulose only found?
In plants
How is each cellulose chain connected to all the other cellulose chains?
By hydrogen bonding
Explain the larger structure of cellulose?
The beta glucose chains are all hydrogen bonded to each other to produce a tightly packed fibril, the fibrils join together to create a microfibril then these microfibrils all join together to create a macrofibril. This is also known as fibre which is what keeps your digestive system moving as it carries everything out.
What is cellulose?
A carbohydrate polymer made by bonding many beta glucose molecules together in long chains
What does the polysaccharide chitin do?
Forms the exoskeleton of insects
What does the polysaccharide peptidoglycan do?
The basis of cell walls found around most bacterial cells
Give two examples of monosaccharides
Glucose
Deoxyribose
What is the role of glucose?
To provide energy via respiration
What is the role of deoxyribose?
Part of DNA - information molecule
Give an example of a disaccharide
Maltose
What is the role of maltose?
Obtained when starch is broken down in hydrolysis reactions
can be split further to glucose for respiration
Give three polysaccharides
Starch
Glycogen
Cellulose
Give the roles of starch and glycogen
Energy storage carbohydrates
Starch in plants
Glycogen in animals and fungi
What is the role of cellulose?
Structural
Found only in plants, where it forms cell walls
What are the characteristics of glucose?
Small, soluble, sweet and crystalline
What are the characteristics of maltose?
Small, soluble, sweet, and crystalline
What are the characteristics of starch and glycogen?
Large molecules of many alpha glucose molecules joined by condensation reaction. Insoluble in water. Forms grains/ granules
What are the characteristics of cellulose?
Large molecules of many beta glucose molecules joined by condensation reactions. Insoluble in water very strong
What is the monomer of a protein?
An amino acid
Give 5 functions of proteins
Structural components e.g. muscle and bone Membrane carriers and pores All enzymes are proteins Many hormones are proteins Antibodies are proteins
When amino acids are joined together which part of the molecules makes up the ‘backbone’?
The NCC part
NCCNCCNCCNCCNCC (a protein polymer backbone)
How many different types of amino acid are there?
20
What part of the amino acid determines the differences between them?
The R group
What does the body do when it has excess amino acids it doesn’t need?
The amino group is removed (deamination), in mammals this takes place in the liver. The amino groups removed are converted to a substance called urea and removed in the urine
What bond is formed between two amino acids and what is the process called that joins them?
Peptide bond
Condensation reaction
What is the primary structure of a protein?
The primary structure of a protein is given by the specific sequence of amino acids that make up the protein
What is the name for the structure when two amino acids are joined together?
A dipeptide
Where are proteins synthesised?
In the cell on the ribosomes
Which enzyme breaks down peptide bonds in proteins?
Protease
Give two examples of where protease is used in the body
Hormone regulation - hormones need to be broken down so the effects aren’t permanent
Ageing - young skin contains lots of the protein collagen. Older skin cannot rebuild it as easily
What is the secondary structure of a protein?
The coiling and pleating of parts of the polypeptide molecules