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Biological Molecules Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 4 main Biological Molecules?

A
  • Carbohydrates
  • Proteins
  • Lipids
  • Nucleic Acids
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2
Q

What are the major elements of Biological Molecules?

A
  • Carbon
  • Hydrogen
  • Oxygen
  • Nitrogen
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3
Q

What bonds are used in Biological Molecules?

A
  • Covalent bonding
  • Ionic bonding
  • Hydrogen bonding
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4
Q

What is Covalent bonding?

A

When the 2 atoms share a pair of electrons in their outer shells. As a result, the outer shell of both atoms is filled and a more stable compound is made

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5
Q

What is Ionic bonding?

A

The attraction of ions with opposite charges

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6
Q

What is Hydrogen bonding?

A

An attraction between a Hydrogen atom and an atom with a negative charge eg. oxygen

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7
Q

What are large Biological molecules called?

A

Polymers

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8
Q

What are Polymers made up of?

A

Monomers which join together in a condensation reaction

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9
Q

How are Polymers broken down?

A

In a hydrolysis reaction

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10
Q

What is a Molar Solution?

A

A solution that contains one Mole of solute in each litre of the solution

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11
Q

What is a Mole?

A

One Mole contains the same number of particles as there are in 12g of Carbon-12 atoms

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12
Q

What are Carbohydrates made up of?

A
  • Carbon
  • Hydrogen
  • Oxygen
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13
Q

What are the uses of Carbohydrates?

A
  • Sources of energy in all organisms
  • Structural materials used in cell walls and cell membranes
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14
Q

What are Monosaccharides?

A

The simplest form of sugars. They cannot be hydrolyzed into a simpler sugar

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15
Q

What is the general formula for Monosaccharides?

A

(CH2 O)n
(the n can be between 3-7)

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16
Q

What is the most common Monosaccharide?

A

Glucose (C6 H12 O6)

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17
Q

What are the 4 main Monosaccharides?

A
  • Glucose
  • Fructose
  • Galactose
  • Ribose
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18
Q

What are the 2 types of Glucose?

A
  • Alpha Glucose (a)
  • Beta Glucose (b)
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19
Q

What is Alpha Glucose used for?

A

It is used to make Starch and Glycogen

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20
Q

What is Beta Glucose used for?

A

It is used to make Cellulose

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21
Q

What are Disaccharides?

A

They are 2 Monosaccharides joined together by a Glycosidic Bond

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22
Q

How are Disaccharides formed?

A

Formed in a Condensation reaction involving water

23
Q

How is the Disaccharide Maltose formed?

A

From 2 Glucose molecules

24
Q

How is the Disaccharide Sucrose formed?

A

From 1 Glucose molecule and 1 Fructose molecule

25
Q

How is the Disaccharide Lactose formed?

A

From 1 Galactose molecule and 1 Glucose molecule

26
Q

What are Reducing Sugars?

A

Reducing sugars are sugars that can act as reducing agents by donating electrons to other substances. Which include all monosaccharides and some disaccharides,

27
Q

What is the Benedict’s test?

A

When a Reducing Sugar reacts with Benedict’s solution and reduces the copper(II) ions to copper(I) ions, changing the colour from blue to orange.

28
Q

What do you do when the Disaccharide cannot reduce the copper(II) ions?

A

The Disaccharide must be hydrolyzed into into Monosaccharides, which are all Reducing Sugars, so they can reduce the copper(II) ions

29
Q

What are Polysaccharides?

A

They are long chains of Monosaccharides joined together by Glycosidic bonds via Condensation reactions

30
Q

What are the 3 main Polysaccharides?

A
  • Starch
  • Glycogen
  • Cellulose
31
Q

What are the functions of Starch?

A
  • Storage for plants
  • Insoluble
  • Forms starch grains inside many plant cells
  • Can be broken down into Glucose and used as an energy source
32
Q

What is Starch made out of?

A

Many Alpha Glucose molecules joined together in a Condensation reaction

33
Q

How is starch good for storage?

A

Insoluble: Doesn’t affect water potential
Large: Doesn’t diffuse out of cells
Compact: Stored in small spaces
Hydrolysis: Forms Alpha Glucose, easily transported and used in respiration
Branched: High surface area for quick and easy hydrolysis

34
Q

What is the difference between Glycogen and Starch?

A

Glycogen has shorter chains and is more highly branched

35
Q

Where is glycogen mainly stored?

A

Small granules in in the muscles and liver

36
Q

Why does glycogens’ structure suit it for storage?

A

Insoluble - doesn’t draw water from osmosis and it can’t diffuse out of cells
Compact - so lots can be stored in a small space
More branched than starch - so can be hydrolysed quicker than starch

37
Q

What is cellulose made out of?

A

Beta glucose

38
Q

What is different about cellulose’s structure to starch’s or glycogen’s

A

Cellulose has straight unbranched chains which allows lots of hydrogen bonds to form, making cellulose very strong

39
Q

What is cellulose a major component of?

A

Plant cell walls. Cellulose provides rigidity to the plant cell and prevents it from bursting as water enters it by osmosis

40
Q

What is the structure of triglycerides?

A

1 glycerol + 3 fatty acids joined by an ester bond

41
Q

What are the roles of lipids?

A

Source of energy
Waterproofing
Insulation
Protection

42
Q

What is the structure of phospholipids?

A

Two fatty acids, a phosphate group, and a glycerol molecule

43
Q

What is the test for lipids?

A

The emulsion test
Add 5cm^3 of ethanol to 2cm^3 of the solution you want to test. Shake thoroughly to dissolve any lipid in the sample. Add 5cm^3 of water and shake again, A cloudy white colour indicates the presence of a lipid

44
Q

What is the primary structure of proteins?

A

Polypeptides

45
Q

How are amino acids linked to form polypeptides?

A

Through polymerization, which is a series of condensation reactions.

46
Q

What is the secondary structure of proteins?

A

Alpha helix

47
Q

What is the tertiary structure of proteins?

A

Alpha helices twisted and folded together and held together with disulfide bridges, ionic bonds and hydrogen bonds

48
Q

What is the quaternary structure of proteins?

A

A complex molecule containing a number of individual polypeptide chains that are linked in various ways

49
Q

What is the test for proteins?

A

The Biuret test
Place a sample of the solution in a test tube and add equal volume of room temperature sodium hydroxide solution
add a few drops of very dilute copper(II) sulfate and mix gently
A purple colour indicates the presence of peptide bonds and therefore a protein

50
Q

How do enzymes speed up chemical reactions?

A

They lower the activation energy required for the chemical reaction to start.

51
Q

Explain the lock and key model of enzyme action

A

Enzymes work like a lock and key. The substrate will only fit the active site of one particular enzyme.

52
Q

Explain the induced fit model of enzyme action

A

The active site forms as the enzyme and substrate interact. The proximity of the substrate leads to a change in the enzyme that forms the functional active site.

53
Q

What is a catalyst?

A

An enzyme that alters the rate of a chemical reaction without undergoing permanent changes themselves

Bio (6 decks)

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