biomolecules

Question 1

what are the four major types of biomolecules?

Answer 1

proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic acids

Question 2

which are the six elements that most living matter is composed of?

Answer 2

carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous and sulfur

Question 3

how many covalent bonds can carbon form?

Answer 3

4

Question 4

how many covalent bonds can hydrogen form?

Answer 4

1

Question 5

how many covalent bonds can nitrogen form?

Answer 5

3

Question 6

how many covalent bonds can oxygen form?

Answer 6

2

Question 7

how many covalent bonds can phosphorous form?

Answer 7

5

Question 8

how many covalent bonds can sulfur form?

Answer 8

2

Question 9

in which environment do biological reactions most commonly occur?

Answer 9

aqueous environments; within watery environments

Question 10

what are functional groups?

Answer 10

small groups of atoms that are common in biomolecules which confer specific chemical properties when attached to larger molecules such as biomolecules

Question 11

how do multiple monomers become polymers such as protein and nucleic acids?

Answer 11

through a series of condensation reactions

Question 12

how are polymers such as carbohydrates broken down / reverted back to monomers?

Answer 12

through hydrolysis reactions

Question 13

what is the function of enzymes?

Answer 13

catalyze biochemical reactions

Question 14

what is the function of structural proteins?

Answer 14

provide physical stability and movement

Question 15

what is the function of defensive proteins?

Answer 15

recognize and respond to nonself substances (e.g., antibodies)

Question 16

what is the function of signaling proteins?

Answer 16

control physiological processes (e.g., hormones)

Question 17

what is the function of receptor proteins?

Answer 17

receive and respond to chemical signals

Question 18

what is the function of membrane transporters?

Answer 18

regulate passage of substances across cellular membranes

Question 19

what is the function of storage proteins?

Answer 19

store amino acids for later use

Question 20

what is the function of transport proteins?

Answer 20

bind and carry substances within the organism

Question 21

what is the function of gene regulatory proteins?

Answer 21

determine the rate of expression of a gene

Question 22

what is the function of motor proteins?

Answer 22

cause movement of structures in the cell

Question 23

what does protein consist of?

Answer 23

20 amino acids in different amounts and sequences

Question 24

how do amino acids differ from one another?

Answer 24

their side groups, referred to as R-groups

Question 25

what are carbohydrates?

Answer 25

large group of molecules of similar atomic compositions but can differ greatly in size, chemical properties and most notably biological functions.

Question 26

what are the four types of carbohydrates that are biologically important?

Answer 26

monosaccharides, disaccharides, polysaccharides and oligosaccharides

Question 27

what are monosaccharides?

Answer 27

simple sugars that may exist in multiple forms although a ring form is predominent in biological system. an example of a monosaccharide is glucose wih is an essential energy source for living cells

Question 28

what are disaccharides?

Answer 28

two monosaccharides linked via a covalent bond, produced in a condensation reaction

Question 29

what are polysaccharides?

Answer 29

polymers of monosaccharides connected by glycosidic linkages. an example of a polysaccharide is cellulose, the most abundant organic compound on earth

Question 30

what are oligosaccharides?

Answer 30

several monosaccharides bound by glycosidic linkages, Often covalently bonded to proteins and lipids on the outer cell surface (glycosylation)

Question 31

what are nucleic acids?

Answer 31

polymers specialized for the storage, transmission and use of genetic information. the two main types are DNA & RNA