Biological Molecules: Key Terms

Question 1

The key molecules that are required to build structures that enable organisms to function are:

Answer 1

Carbohydrates

Proteins

Lipids

Nucleic Acids

Water

Question 2

Monomers are

Answer 2

smaller units from which larger molecules are made

Question 3

Polymers are

Answer 3

molecules made from a large number of monomers(repeating units) joined together in a chain

Question 4

Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids contain the elements carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) making them

Answer 4

organic compounds

Question 5

Carbon atoms are key to the organic compounds because

Answer 5

Each carbon atom can form four covalent bonds – this makes the compounds very stable (as covalent bonds are so strong they require a large input of energy to break them)

Carbon atoms can form covalent bonds with oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur

Carbon atoms can bond to form straight chains, branched chains or rings

Question 6

What is polymerisation

Answer 6

Carbon compounds can form from small single subunits (monomers amino acids , glucose, nucleotides ) that bond with many repeating subunits to form large molecules (polymers)

Question 7

Macromolecules are

Answer 7

very large molecules
That contain 1000 or more atoms therefore having a high molecular mass

Polymers can be macromolecules, however not all macromolecules are polymers as the subunits of polymers have to be the same repeating units