Biochem Key Terms Flashcards
Aerobic
living, active, or occurring only in the presence of oxygen
Anaerobic
relating to, involving, or requiring an absence of free oxygen
Prokaryotes
a microscopic single-celled organism that has neither a distinct nucleus with a membrane nor other specialized organelles
Eukaryotes
organisms whose cells contain a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles
Metabolites
a substance that is produced or used when the body breaks down food, drugs, chemicals, or its own tissue
Homeostasis
the tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes
Macromolecules
a molecule containing a very large number of atoms, such as a protein, nucleic acid, or synthetic polymer
Hydrophobic
a property of molecules that do not mix with water
Hydrophilic
something is attracted to water or can easily dissolve, mix with, absorb, or be saturated by water
Stereoisomers
each of two or more compounds differing only in the spatial arrangement of their atoms
Chiral
large organic molecules that have one or more chiral centers where four different groups are attached to a carbon atom
Achiral
large organic molecules that do not have one or more chiral centers where four different groups are attached to a carbon atom
Geometric Isomers
each of two or more compounds which differ from each other in the arrangement of groups with respect to a double bond, ring, or other rigid structure
Diastereomers
non-mirror image, non-identical stereoisomers
Endergonic
a reaction that requires energy to be driven
Exergonic
a metabolic or chemical process accompanied by the release of energy
Amphipathic
a molecule, especially a protein, having both hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts
Aromatic
containing a planar unsaturated ring of atoms that is stabilized by an interaction of the bonds forming the ring
Aliphatic
relating to or denoting organic compounds in which carbon atoms form open chains (as in the alkanes), not aromatic rings
Isotonic
relating to a solution having the same osmotic pressure as some other solution, especially one in a cell or a body fluid
Hypotonic
having lower osmotic pressure than a particular fluid, typically a body fluid or intracellular fluid
Hypertonic
having higher osmotic pressure than a particular fluid, typically a body fluid or intracellular fluid
in vitro
performed or taking place in a test tube, culture dish, or elsewhere outside a living organism
in vivo
performed or taking place in a living organism
Nucleotide
a compound consisting of a nucleoside linked to a phosphate group
Nucleoside
a compound (e.g., adenosine or cytidine) commonly found in DNA or RNA, consisting of a purine or pyrimidine base linked to a sugar
Anomeric
relating to a carbon atom that has an aldehyde or ketone functional group in the open-chain form of a sugar
Hydrolysis
the chemical breakdown of a compound due to reaction with water
condensation
a reaction in which two molecules combine to form a larger molecule, producing a small molecule such as H2O as a byproduct
Epigenetic
relating to changes, especially heritable changes, in the characteristics of a cell or organism that result from altered gene expression or other effects not involving changes to the DNA sequence itself
hypochromic effect
The observed decrease in absorption of certain frequencies of electromagnetic radiation by solutions of some macromolecules when the structure of the molecules becomes more ordered
hyperchromic effect
the increase of absorbance (optical density) of a material
dimerization
the process of joining two identical or similar molecular entities by bonds
zwitterion
a molecule or ion having separate positively and negatively charged groups
isoelectric point
the pH at which a molecule carries no net electrical charge or is electrically neutral in the statistical mean
