C3 Biological molecules Flashcards
light microscope
-Poor resolution due to the long wavelength of light
-living samples can be examined and a colour image is obtained
Transmission electron microscope
-High magnification and resolution
-Electrons pass through the specimen to create an image
Scanning electron microscopes
-High magnification and resolution
-Electrons bounce of the surface of the specimen to create an image
Laser scanning confocal microscopes
-High resolution and 3D imaging
-Laser light is used to create an image
Types of microscopes (4)
-Light microscopes
-Transmission electron microscopes
-Scanning electron microscopes
-Laser scanning confocal microscopes
What is the definition of resolution?
- minimum distance between two objects in which they can be viewed as separate.
- Optical microscope = determined by the wavelength of light
- Electron microscope = determined by the wavelength of the beam of electrons
What is the definition of magnification ?
Refers to how many times larger the image is compared to the object
What is an eyepiece graticule ?
inside light microscopes , there is a scale on a glass disc called the EPG
what do we use the eyepiece graticule for?
Used to measure the size of objects you are viewing under the microscope
Why do we need to calibrate our eye piece graticule?
We need to calibrate the eyepiece each time we change the objective lens as the magnification changes
How do we calibrate? (3)
1) Line up the stage micrometer and eye piece graticule looking through the eyepiece whilst looking through the eyepiece
Why is water represented in a v shape?
- Each bond represents a pair of shared electrons
- 2 lone pair of electrons on the oxygen
What is more electronegative in water?
O is more electronegative than H
- electrons will orbit around the o a lot more than the H
what is a polar molecule
Unequal share of electrons
Example of polar molecules
glucose
HCL
What bond is formed between different polar molecules ?
hydrogen bond
why do we represent hydrogen bonds as dotted lines?
they are weak bonds, straight lines are covalent bonds
Important functions of water
Using examples of E and P
- they can be a solvent , mainly dissolve polar molecules EG: enzymes
- Medium for chemical reactions
-transport medium
-coolant for your body
-habitat
Prokaryotes use water to obtain some elements and compounds for their survival.
Water’s solvent properties allow it to dissolve and transport many biological molecules, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids
what is cohesion ?
hydrogen bonds between water molecules
What is adhesion
Force between water molecules and the surface it is attached to
What is glucose known as?
a hexose (6carbon) monosaccharide
What are the two different types of glucose molecules?
-alpha
-beta
What bonds do glucose molecules form
glycosidic bonds
How do we form glycosidic bonds between glucose molecules?
condensation - when two glucose molecules join together and produce a water molecule
how do you bring down a glycosidic bond ?
Hydrolysis- breaking down using water
What two types of glycosidic bonds can we form?
1,4 glycosidic bonds - form straight chains of glucose molecules
1,6 glycosidic bonds- forms branches
example of alpha glucose in plants
starch (made up of two different parts)
-amylose (straight chain 1,4)
-amylopectin (branched chain 1,4 and 1,6)
difference between glycogen and amylopectin
glycogen is more branched
Example of an alpha glucose in animal
glycogen - branched 1,6 and 1,4
Why is a branched molecule ideal for energy storage?
compact (stable) and hence doesn’t react with water or any other molecule, wont lose glucose as quick , we can retain more stuff to do respiration or anything else
What are the different types of lipids?
-triglyceride (1 glycerol molecules and 3 fatty acid chains)
-phospholipid
ESQ: They mixed oil and pH indicator Jan practical, when they added lipass, why did the PH drop?
A triglyceride is broken down by lipase to release glycerol and fatty acids , the fatty acids are what make the mixture acidic
How is an ester bond formed in a triglyceride ?
Triglycerides are formed by the condensation of one molecule of glycerol and three molecules of fatty acid. A condensation reaction between glycerol and a fatty acid (RCOOH) forms an ester bond.
What are the three different types of fatty acids that you can find in a tryglyceride?
-saturated (no double bonds)
-unsaturated (double bonds)
-ployunsaturated ( more than one double bond)
Why are phospholipids so important ?
it makes up the plasma membrane
In a phospholipid bilayer what properties do the phosphate and fatty acids have?
-the phosphate head is hydrophilic
(can deal with charged molecules Eg: Water )
-fatty acid tails - hydrophobic
What molecules can not go through the hydrophobic layer?
polar molecules- EG: An oily layer
what do we have in a plasma membrane?
-phosphate heads and fatty avid tails
(phospholipid bilayer)
-cholesterol
-protein channels (passage of polar molecules)
Facts we need to know about cholesterol
- 4-ring structure
-dual hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties
-provides stability to a plasma membrane
protein channel for water
aquaporins