Biochemistry Grade 12 Vocabulary Flashcards
a chemical that compensates for pH changes in a solution by accepting or donating H+ ions
buffer
a process in which small subunits are linked to form a large molecule
polymerization
an ion that has a negative charge
anion
a non-protein group that binds to an enzyme and is essential for catalytic activity
cofactor
a chain of amino acid subunits that are connected by covalent bonds
peptide
the amount of thermal energy required to raise the temperature of a given quantity of a substance by 1 degree C
specific heat
a covalent bond that links amino acids
peptide bond
a peptide with more than 50 amino acids
polypeptide
a chemical reaction in which subunits of a larger molecule are joined by the removal of water; also called a condensation reaction
dehydration reaction
a fat with one or more double bonds in the fatty acid chain (monounsaturated = one double bond; polyunsaturated = more than one double bond)
unsaturated fat
the loss of both the structure and function of a protein
denaturation
a small molecule that can bind chemically to other molecules
monomer
a bond that results from the attraction between two oppositely charged atoms or molecules
ionic bond
a type of fat in which the fatty acid chains have single bonds
saturated fat
a lipid with a structure consisting of four fused hydrocarbon rings forming the bulky steroid structure
cholesterol
the force of attraction between two molecules
intermolecular force
a molecule that is composed of hundreds to thousands of monosaccharides linked together
complex carbohydrate
polar or charged molecules that are strongly attracted to water
hydrophilic molecules
oriented in opposite directions
antiparallel
Non-polar molecules that are not strongly attracted to water
hydrophobic molecules
-COOH, with a double bond between the carbon and one of the oxygens
carboxyl group
the simplest form of carbohydrate, consisting of a single sugar unit; a building block for more complex carbohydrates
monosaccharide
a biological catalyst, usually a protein, that speeds up a chemical reaction
enzyme
a biomolecule that consists of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogens, usually with a hydrogen:oxygen atom ratio of 2:1
carbohydrate
a group of atoms that affects the function of a molecule by participating in chemical reactions
functional group
C3H8O3; its chemical structure consists of three hydroxyl (-OH) group attached to the carbon atoms
glycerol
an ion that has a positive charge
cation
a link that is formed between nucleotides by a phosphate bridge
phosphodiester bond
a model of enzyme activity that describes how an enzyme changes shape to better accommodate a substrate
induced-fit model
a large molecule that is formed when monomers link together chemically in a chain
polymer
a non-polar compound that is made mostly of carbon and hydrogen
lipid
the process in which a molecule spontaneously dissociates into ions
autoionization
a reaction in which a molecule loses electrons
oxidation
three fatty acid chains linked to a glycerol molecule
triglyceride
a molecule that has the same composition as another, but a different arrangement of atoms
isomer
a lipid that consists of two fatty acids and a phosphate group bound to glycerol
phospholipid
the regulation of a pathway by one of the products of this pathway
feedback inhibition
the attractive force between a partially positively charged hydrogen atom and a partially negatively charged atom in another molecule
hydrogen bond
a bond between two monosaccharides
glycosidic bond
a region of space that is occupied by electrons located around the nucleus of the atom
orbital
partial positive or negative charge at the ends of a molecule
polarity
the measure of an atom’s attraction to shared electrons
electronegativity
a large molecule that consists of many amino acid subunits that are joined together by peptide bonds folded into a specific three-dimensional shape
protein
a carbohydrate molecule that is made from two monosaccharide units
disaccharide
a bond between two atoms, made up of unequally shared electrons
polar covalent bond
a binding site on an enzyme that binds regulatory molecules
allosteric site
a reaction in which an acid and a base combine to create a salt and water
neutralization reaction
a molecule that contains a carboxyl group and an amino group; serves as the monomer subunit of proteins
amino acid
a blueprint for proteins that are synthesized in cells; stores hereditary information
nucleic acid
a chemical reaction in which water is used as a reactant to split a larger molecule into smaller subunits
hydrolysis reaction
the regulation of one site of a protein by binding to another site on the same protein
allosteric regulation
the building block of nucleic acids; consists of a 5-carbon sugar, a nitrogenous base, and one to three phosphate groups
nucleotide
a molecule that consists of a carboxyl group and a hydrocarbon chain
fatty acid
a lipid that is formed when long fatty acid chains are joined to alcohols or carbon rings
wax
an electron in the outermost energy level or shell of an atom
valence electron
a chemical compound derived from an acid in which at least one hydroxyl group is replaced by an alkoxy group (usually derived from a carboxylic acid and an alcohol)
ester
a lipid that is composed of four carbon rings
steroid
an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group (-OH) is bound to a carbon atom, which in turn is bound to other hydrogen and/or carbon atoms
alcohol
a situation in which molecules bind to an enzyme at a site that is not the active site, thus blocking enzyme activity
noncompetitive inhibition
an organic molecule that acts as a cofactor of an enzyme
coenzyme
a molecule that contains many linked monosaccharides
polysaccharide molecule
an electron transfer reaction
redox reaction
a situation in which a competitor substance binds to a normal substrate binding site to block enzyme activity
competitive inhibition
very weak attractions between two molecules, or parts of molecules, when they are close together
van der Waals forces
a reaction in which a molecule gains electrons
reduction
