Biochemistry Wk 2 Flashcards
What do organic molecules of the body consist of
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
Nitrogen
Sulfur
Phosphorus
These are joined by covalent bonds
What is oxidation
Loss of electrons and results in the loss of hydrogen atoms, gain of oxygen atom or hydroxyl group
What is reduction
Gain of electrons and results in the gain of hydrogen atoms or loss of an oxygen atom
What charge do acidic groups contain
Proton groups that can dissociate, usually leaving the remainder of the molecule as an anion with a negative charge
What are the major anionic substituents
Carboxylate
Phosphate
Sulfate
Groups
What charge do nitrogen compounds contain
Usually basic and can acquire a positive charge
What are the four types of carbohydrates and what is its function
Monosaccharides
Disaccharides
Oligosaccharides
Polysaccharides
It is the main source of energy for the body
What do glycosidic bonds join to
To monosaccharides or longer chains to other carbohydrates, forming disaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides
Describe the formation of O glycosidic bond
If the anomeric carbon of the sugar forms the bond with the oxygen atom in the hydroxyl group in the alcohol the bond is named as O glycosidic bond
Describe the formation of N glycosidic bond
If the anomeric carbon of the sugar forms the bond with the nitrogen atom of an amine it forms an N glycosidic bond
What is a disaccharide
Contains two monosaccharides joined by an O- glycosidic bond
What is an oligosaccharide
Contain from 3 to roughly 12 monosaccharides linked together. They are often found attached through N or O glycosidic bonds to proteins to form glycoproteins
Examples of monosaccharides
Glucose
Fructose
Galactose
Examples of disaccharides
Sucrose
Lactose
Maltose
Examples of oligosaccharides
Raffinose
Stachyose
Examples of polysaccharides
Starch
Glycogen
Cellulose
What are fatty acids
They are usually straight aliphatic chains with a methyl group at one end (called the omega (w)- carbon) and a carboxyl group at the other end
Do saturated fatty acids have a double bond and what is the most common saturated fatty acids
No
Palmitic acid (c16)
Stearic acid (c18)
Unsaturated fatty acids have…
One or more double bonds
What does the ratio stand for (for example- 18:1delta9)
18 denotes the number of carbon atoms
1 denotes the number of double bonds
And delta 9 denotes the position of the double bond between the 9th and 10th atoms
What are acylglycerols
It comprises of glycerol with one or more fatty acids attached through ester linkages
What are phosphoacylglycerols and give an example
Contains fatty acids esterified to positions 1 and 2 of glycerol and a phosphate attached to carbon 3
Phophatidylcholine is one of the major phosphoacylglycerols found in membranes. The amine is positively charged at neutral ph and the phosphate is negatively charged so the molecule is amphipathic
What are sphingolipids
They do not have a glycerol backbone; they are formed from a sphingosine
For example, ceramides are amides formed from a sphingosine by attaching a fatty acid to amino group
What are steroids
They are a four ring structure
For example, cholesterol is not very water soluble it is converted to amphipathic water soluble bile salts such as cholic acid
What are functional groups
Biochemical molecules are defined both by their carbon skeleton and by structures
What is a monosaccharide
Consist of linear chain of three or more carbon atoms, one of which forms a carbonyl group through double bonds with oxygen
The unmodified monosaccharide contains hydroxyl groups
If the carbonyl group is an aldehyde it is Aldose sugar
If the carbonyl group is a ketone it is ketose sugar
