Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Biology > Biological molecules > Flashcards

Biological molecules Flashcards

1
Q

What’s the general formula for monosaccharides?

A

(CH2O)n n=3-7

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are monosaccharides?

A

Sweet-tasting soluble substances

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Why are they called reducing sugars?

A

A sugar that can donate electrons to another chemical

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What do alpha and beta glucose look like?

A

Alpha hydroxyl group is on the bottom of the right and beta is in the top right

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is Benedict’s reagent?

A

An alkaline solution of copper (II) sulfate

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What happens when a reducing sugar is heated with Benedict’s reagent?

A

Forms an insoluble red precipitate of copper (I) oxide

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What colours do the Benedict’s reagent test move through?

A

Blue, green, yellow, orange then red depending on the concentration of sugar molecules

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What happens when monosaccharides are joined together?

A

Condensation reaction forms glycosidic bond

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What disaccharides are reducing sugars?

A

Maltose is and sucrose isn’t

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

How do we test for non-reducing sugars?

A

Add dilute hydrochloric acid in a test tube and boil for 5 minutes, the HCl will hydrolyse the disaccharide present int its constituent monosaccharides, add sodium hydrogen carbonate to neutralise and then perform Benedict’s reagent

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Are polysaccharide soluble?

A

No, they are large, this makes them suitable for storage

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

How many alpha glucose molecules are in starch?

A

200-100,000

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What’s the main role of starch?

A

Energy storage

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Why does starch not affect water potential?

A

It’s insoluble, no osmosis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Why does starch being large and insoluble benefit it?

A

It does not diffuse out of cells

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Why is starch being compact beneficial?

A

Stored in a small place

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Why is starch being made of alpha glucose beneficial?

A

Hydrolysis allows transport and readily used in respiration

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Why is starch having branched ends beneficial?

A

Each can be acted on simultaneously meaning that glucose monomers are released very rapidly

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

How is glycogen stored?

A

Mainly as granules in the muscles and liver

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What are the structures of glycogen?

A

Insoluble-no osmosis and doesn’t diffuse out
Compact- increase storage efficiency
Highly branched- ends can be acted on simultaneously by enzymes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What’s the shape of cellulose?

A

Straight, unbranched chains which run parallel to one another, allowing hydrogen bonds to form cross-linkages between adjacent chains

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What do cellulose molecules group together to form?

A

Microfibrils, which are in turn arranged into parallel groups called fibres

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

How does cellulose prevent the cell wall bursting by osmosis?

A

Exerting an inward pressure that stops any further influx of water, as a result living plant cells are turgid and pushed against one another, making non-woody parts of the plant semi-rigid

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

How does carbon-based life lead to a variety of life on Earth?

A

Readily forms bonds with other carbon atoms, which allows various lengths to form a backbone (versatility of the atom)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
What are the roles of lipids?
Waterproofing, source of energy, insulation and protection
26
How does the structure of triglycerides relate to their properties?
Low mass: energy, good storage Insoluble: no osmotic effect High hydrogen oxygen ratio: releasing water when oxidised
27
What type of bonds form the secondary structure of proteins?
Hydrogen bonds
28
What is the role of DNA?
Base sequence of genes codes for functional RNA and amino acid sequence of polypeptides Genetic information determines inherited characteristics
29
What is the theory of evolution?
The idea that all organisms evolved from one or a few ancestors as we all have the same biochemistry
30
What's the difference between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids?
Saturated don't have any double bonds whereas unsaturated do between carbon atoms, causing the chain to kink
31
Why are lipids insoluble?
Long fatty acid hydrocarbon tails are hydrophobic
32
What do lipids do in the body?
Insulate, hormone coordination, energy yield and energy storage
33
Why are lipids different from carbs and proteins?
They all contain hydrocarbons and a variety of different components relating to their lipids function
34
What type of proteins are enzymes?
Globular
35
What are prosthetic groups?
Non-protein groups associated with quaternary structures of protein, such as iron containing haem group in haemoglobin
36
What are the key words for enzymes?
Activation energy, substrates and enzyme-substrate complexes
37
What does the induced fit model propose?
Active site forms as the enzyme and substrate interact, the enzyme is flexible and moulds around the substrate
38
How do pH changes affect an enzyme?
Alters amino acid charges so no ES complexes form and may break the bonds in tertiary structure
39
What's the name of the bond between two mono nucleotides?
Phosphodiester bond
40
What are the four types of RNA nucleotides and how do they bond?
Adenine- Uracil Cytosine- Guanine
41
How are the two polynucleotide chains bonded together?
Hydrogen bonds
42
How many complimentary base pairs form the H bonds?
C-G form 3 A-T form 2
43
What's DNA responsible for?
Passing genetic information from cell to cell and generation to generation
44
How many base pairs of DNA are there in a typical mammalian cell?
3.2billion
45
What are the four requirements for semiconservative replication?
Four types of nucleotides, both strands act as a template, DNA polymerase and source of chemical energy
46
What breaks down the hydrogen bonds in semi-conservative replication?
DNA helicase
47
What type of molecule is ATP?
Phosphorylated macromolecules
48
How does ATP store energy?
Between phosphate groups- bonds have low activation energy, so they release a considerable amount of energy
49
How is ATP broken down?
Hydrolysis by ATP hydrolase ATP + H2O = ADP + Pi + E
50
How is ATP synthesised?
Addition of a phosphate molecule to ADP: Photophosphorylation Oxidative phosphorylation Substrate level phosphorylation
51
What enzyme catalyses ATP synthesis?
ATP synthase
52
What is photophosphorylation?
Chlorophyll-containing plant cells during photosynthesis
53
What is oxidative phosphorylation?
In plant and animal cells during respiration
54
What is substrate level phosphorylation?
In plant and animal cells when phosphate groups are transferred from donor molecules to ADP
55
Why is ATP a good short term energy store?
The energy released from ATP is less than glucose, releasing smaller ad more manageable quantities Hydrolysis of ATP is a single immediate reaction
56
When is ATP used?
Metabolic processes Movement Active transport Secretion Activation of molecules
57
How is ATP used in metabolic processes?
Provide the energy needed to build up macromolecules from their basic units
58
How is ATP used in movement?
Provides the energy for muscle contraction, it gives the energy for the filaments of muscles to slide past one another and therefore shorten the overall length of a muscle fibre
59
How is ATP used in active transport?
Energy changes shape of the protein carrier in plasma membranes
60
How is ATP used in secretion?
Formation of lysosomes necessary for the secretion of cell products
61
How is ATP used in activation of molecules?
Inorganic phosphate released during the hydrolysis of ATP can be used to phosphorylate other compounds in order to make them more reactive, thus lowering the activation energy in enzyme-catalysed reactions
62
What are the properties of water?
High specific heat capacity, high latent heat of vaporisation and cohesion and surface tension
63
Why is high latent heat of vaporisation beneficial in water?
Sweat is an effective means of cooling
64
Why is cohesion a beneficial property of water?
Pull water up through xylem When water molecules meet air they are pulled back into the body of water so it doesn't escape
65
Why is water important in metabolism?
Hydrolysis Aqueous mediums for chemical reaction Photosynthesis
66
Why is water important as a solvent?
Gases dissolve, wastes dissolve, inorganic ions and enzymes dissolve, this allows transport
67
Why is evaporation as cooling an important feature of water?
Allows them to control their temperature
68
Why is water being transparent beneficial?
Aquatic plants can photosynthesise as light can pass through
69
What percent of jellyfish are water?
98%
70
What percent of mammals are water?
65%
71
What are lipids?
Macromolecules containing oxygen, hydrogen and carbon atoms
72
What is cellulose?
A polymer of long-chain beta glucose joined by glycosidic bonds
73
What is a carbonyl?
A carbon atom double bonded to an oxygen atom
74
What is a monomer?
A small basic molecular unit
75
What are triglycerides?
One molecule of glycerol with 3 fatty acids attached through ester bonds
76
What are phospholipids?
Lipids found in cell membranes , which is a glycerol bonded with two fatty acids and a phosphate group
77
What is an ester bond?
A hydroxyl group (OH) and carboxyl group (COOH) bonded together in a condensation reaction
78
What is starch?
A mixture if two polysaccharides amylose and amylopectin

Biology (22 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions