Bio Lecture Series 3 Vocabulary Organic Chemistry

Question 1

organic chemistry

Answer 1

the study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-containing compounds, including hydrocarbons and compounds with any number of other elements, including hydrogen

Question 2

monomer

Answer 2

a molecule that can be bonded to other identical molecules to form a polymer; all organic molecules have these basic repeating units

Question 3

polymer

Answer 3

a substance that has a molecular structure consisting almost entirely of a large number of similar units bonded together, e.g., many synthetic organic materials used as plastics and resins. It is formed by the joining of monomers through a very important reaction called dehydration synthesis (synonymous with organic molecules, biological molecules, macromolecules)

Question 4

functional group

Answer 4

a group of atoms responsible for the characteristic reactions of a particular compound. They impart certain chemical characteristics to the molecules and always impart the same characteristics or react in the same way regardless of what organic molecule they are attached to.

Question 5

carbohydrates

Answer 5

1 of 4 categories of organic molecules, primary function is as immediate E source for animals and structural for plants, glucose is the most common monomer and \most important–it is the sugar that nourishes the cells of most animals (blood sugar).

Question 6

lipids

Answer 6

a class of organic compounds that are fatty acids or their derivatives and are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents. They include many natural oils, waxes, and steroids.

Question 7

proteins

Answer 7

a class of nitrogenous organic compounds that consist of large molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids and are an essential part of all living organisms, especially as structural components of body tissues such as muscle, hair, collagen, etc., and as enzymes and antibodies.

Question 8

nucleic acids

Answer 8

a complex organic substance present in living cells, especially DNA or RNA, whose molecules consist of many nucleotides linked in a long chain.

Question 9

dehydration synthesis

Answer 9

the process of joining two molecules, or compounds, together following the removal of water.

Question 10

hydrolysis

Answer 10

the chemical breakdown of a compound due to reaction with water.

Question 11

monosaccharide

Answer 11

the class of sugars (e.g., glucose) that cannot be hydrolyzed to give a simpler sugar.

Question 12

disaccharide

Answer 12

any of a class of sugars whose molecules contain two monosaccharide residues.

Question 13

polysaccharide

Answer 13

a carbohydrate (e.g., starch, cellulose, or glycogen) whose molecules consist of a number of sugar molecules bonded together.

Question 14

glucose

Answer 14

an important carbohydrate, essential for the production of ATP, or the molecule of energy in the body.

Question 15

fructose

Answer 15

a simple ketonic monosaccharide found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and galactose, that are absorbed directly into the bloodstream during digestion.

Question 16

maltose

Answer 16

A sugar made by the action of various enzymes on starch. It is formed in the body during digestion. Maltose is a disaccharide consisting of two linked glucose molecules.

Question 17

sucrose

Answer 17

Sucrose is a common, naturally occurring carbohydrate found in many plants and plant parts. The molecule is a disaccharide combination of the monosaccharides glucose and fructose.

Question 18

lactose

Answer 18

a sugar present in milk. It is a disaccharide containing glucose and galactose units.

Question 19

starch

Answer 19

Starch, a white, granular, organic chemical that is produced by all green plants and is a polysaccharide comprising glucose monomers.

Question 20

glycogen

Answer 20

A polysaccharide stored in animal liver and muscle cells that is easily converted to glucose to meet metabolic energy requirements

Question 21

cellulose

Answer 21

a polysaccharide of glucose units that constitutes the chief part of the cell walls of plants, occurs naturally in such fibrous products as cotton

Question 22

chitin

Answer 22

A tough, semitransparent substance that is the main component of the exoskeletons of arthropods, such as the shells of crustaceans and the outer coverings of insects. Chitin is also found in the cell walls of certain fungi and algae. Chemically, it is a nitrogenous polysaccharide (a carbohydrate).

Question 23

ruminants

Answer 23

herbivorous even-toed hoofed mammals (such as sheep, oxen, deer, and camels) that chew the cud and have a complex 3- or 4-chambered stomach.

Question 24

microbes

Answer 24

bacteria or viruses, many of which are beneficial

Question 25

glycerol

Answer 25

A sweet, syrupy liquid obtained from animal fats and oils or by the fermentation of glucose. It is used as a solvent, sweetener, and antifreeze and in making explosives and soaps. Glycerol consists of a propane molecule attached to three hydroxyl (OH) groups. Also called glycerin, glycerine.

Question 26

fatty acids

Answer 26

A sweet, syrupy liquid obtained from animal fats and oils or by the fermentation of glucose. It is used as a solvent, sweetener, and antifreeze and in making explosives and soaps. Glycerol consists of a propane molecule attached to three hydroxyl (OH) groups. Also called glycerin, glycerine.

Question 27

saturated

Answer 27

A saturated substance is one in which the atoms are linked by single bonds.

Question 28

unsaturated

Answer 28

(of organic molecules) having carbon–carbon double or triple bonds and therefore not containing the greatest possible number of hydrogen atoms for the number of carbons.
denoting fats containing a high proportion of fatty acid molecules with at least one double bond, considered to be healthier in the diet than saturated fats.

Question 29

steroids

Answer 29

natural or synthetic organic compounds characterized by a molecular structure of 17 carbon atoms arranged in four rings.

Question 30

cholesterol

Answer 30

a waxy type of lipid, a substance that is insoluble in water, like oil or fat. Specifically, cholesterol is a type of fat that is made up of four interlocked rings of carbon called a steroid.

Question 31

estrogen

Answer 31

A female steroid hormone that is produced by the ovaries and, in lesser amounts, by the adrenal cortex, placenta, and male testes.

Question 32

testosterone

Answer 32

the primary male sex hormone and an anabolic steroid

Question 33

anabolic steroid

Answer 33

any of a group of usually synthetic hormones that are derivatives of testosterone, are used medically especially to promote tissue growth, and are sometimes abused by athletes

Question 34

transfats

Answer 34

hydrogenated fats, they are oils that have been saturated through a chemical process (hydrogenation)

Question 35

hydrogenation

Answer 35

to treat with hydrogen – is a chemical reaction between molecular hydrogen (H2) and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a catalyst such as nickel, palladium or platinum. The process is commonly employed to reduce or saturate organic compounds.

Question 36

bilayers

Answer 36

the lipid bilayer (or phospholipid bilayer) is a thin polar membrane made of two layers of lipid molecules.

Question 37

micelle

Answer 37

In aqueous solution, molecules having both polar or charged groups and non polar regions (amphiphilic molecules) form aggregates called micelles.

Question 38

protein chemistry

Answer 38

all about shape – proteins have a distinctive 3 dimensional structure

Question 39

amino acid

Answer 39

20 different kinds of monomers that form all the proteins; amino acids are joined together by peptide bonds

Question 40

hemoglobin

Answer 40

the iron atom that binds oxygen as the blood travels between the lungs and the tissues. There are four iron atoms in each molecule of hemoglobin.

Question 41

antibody

Answer 41

a blood protein produced in response to and counteracting a specific antigen. Antibodies combine chemically with substances that the body recognizes as alien, such as bacteria, viruses, and foreign substances in the blood.

Question 42

peptide

Answer 42

a compound containing two or more amino acids in which the carboxyl group of one acid is linked to the amino group of the other.

Question 43

peptide bond

Answer 43

a chemical bond formed between two molecules when the carboxyl group of one molecule reacts with the amino group of the other molecule, releasing a molecule of water (H2O).

Question 44

RNA

Answer 44

ribonucleic acid, a nucleic acid present in all living cells. Its principal role is to act as a messenger carrying instructions from DNA for controlling the synthesis of proteins, although in some viruses RNA rather than DNA carries the genetic information.

Question 45

nucleotide

Answer 45

any of a group of molecules that, when linked together, form the building blocks of DNA or RNA