Carbs, Lipids and Proteins Flashcards
What 5 main biological molecules are all living organisms made from?
carbohydrates
lipids
protein
DNA/RNA
water
What is a monomer?
an individual unit that makes a polymer
What is a polymer?
many repeating units of monomers
What are 4 types of monosaccharides?
alpha glucose
beta glucose
galactose
fructose
What are all 4 monosaccharides an example of?
reducing sugars (act as reducing agents in chemical reactions)
What are 3 types of disaccharides?
maltose
lactose
sucrose
What is sucrose an example
of?
a non reducing sugar
What are 3 types of polysaccharides and which glucose isomer are they formed by?
starch (alpha glucose)
glycogen (alpha glucose)
cellulose (beta glucose)
What is starch?
-polysaccharide of alpha glucose joined via condensation reaction
-energy store found in plant cells in the form of grains
What kind of bonds form starch?
1,4 and 1,6 glycosidic bonds
Describe 4 structural features of starch:
-large
-insoluble
-helix shape
-branched
How does starch being large aid its function?
it won’t diffuse out of cells
How does starch being insoluble aid its function?
won’t affect water potential so it is osmotically inactive
How does starch being in a helix shape aid its function?
it makes it a compact energy store
How does starch being branched aid its function?
increases the surface area so glucose can rapidly be released when needed for aerobic respiration
What is glycogen?
-polysaccharide of many alpha glucose joined via condensation reaction to form glycosidic bonds
-energy store in the form of granules in the cytoplasm
What bonds form glycogen?
1,4 glycosidic bonds and many more 1,6 glycosidic bonds compared to starch
Describe the structure of glycogen and explain how this aids its function:
SEE STARCH
What is cellulose?
-polysaccharide of many beta glucose molecules joined through condensation reactions
-used to make cell walls
How is cellulose formed?
1,4 glycosidic bonds
How is cellulose joined together?
joined together by hydrogen bonds in long straight/ unbranched chains that forms fibrils
Describe the structure of cellulose:
-Made from beta glucose
-Parallel chains can form hydrogen bond ‘cross links’
-Can form microfibrils which join to form fibres
How does cellulose being made from beta glucose aid its function?
Allows long straight chains to form
How does cellulose being in parallel chains that can form hydrogen bonds aid its function?
adds strength to cell walls
How does cellulose being able to form microfibrils aid its function?
adds strength to cells walls
What is reduction?
the gain of electrons
What is a reducing sugar able to do and how do we test for this ?
-able to lose an election and give it to another
-by giving them something to reduce
What does Benedict’s raegent contain?
cu2+ ions in the form of copper II sulfate
(blue colouring)
When does copper sulfate become red copper oxide ?
When the cu2+ ions gain an electron from a reducing sugar they become cu+ ions in the form of red copper I oxide
How do you do the test for reducing sugars?
-Add Benedict’s solution
-Heat
-Colour change from blue to green , yellow, orange and red if positive
What are the possible colour results for a benedict’s test?
blue- negative
green- very low
yellow- low
orange- moderate
red- high
What type of results are the benedict’s test and what does this mean?
-Semi- quantitative
- They give an idea of concentration but not fully quantitatively as numbers would
How do you do the test for a non-reducing sugar?
- Get a negative Benedict’s test
- Boil with HCL to hydrolyse the non-reducing sugar
- Neutralise HCL using NaOH
- Add Benedict’s
- Heat
- Colour change from blue to red
Why does the colour change at the top of the solution first in a reducing sugars test?
The hotter particles in the bottom of the solution are rising because they are being heated and so the hottest point in the solution is at the top. Molecules have more kinetic energy at the top so more successful collisions (convection currents)
What is a colorimeter?
A light-sensing device that is used to measure the absorbance and transmittance of light as it moves through a sample of liquid.
What must be done before using a colorimeter?
Filter off the red precipitate leaving just the blue Benedict’s solution
What type of testing is a colorimeter?
Quantitative testing
How does a colorimeter work?
-Test tube of solution into colorimeter
-Light inside of unit in colorimeter shines into solution
-Solution absorbs light
-This is picked up by a light receptor which is connected to the screen giving an absorbance reading
What are the steps for identifying an unknown glucose solution?
Step 1- make known concentrations of glucose (0, 12.5, 25, 50, 100)
Step 2- Perfom a benedict’s test
Step 3- Perform colorimetry to identify absorbance (0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1)
Step 4- Produce a calibration curve with concentration on x and absorbance on y
Step 5- Perfom benedict’s and colorimetry on unknown sample to identify absorbance
Step 6- Read off graph to identify concentration of unknown solution
What does an absorbance and concentration graph look like?
What does the absorbance reading read if the concentration of the solution is 100 and why?
1 because the solution is absorbing all the light and no light makes it to the sensor (maximum concentration)
What does a transmission value show?
The higher the number, the more light can pass through. 0= max concentration 1= dilute
What are lipids used for?
- Energy store
- Insulation (thermal, electrical)
- Water proofing (waxy cuticle)
- Protection (heart, kidneys)
What are the two types of lipids?
Triglycerides and Phospholipids
What do triglycerides consist of?
They consist of fats (solid at room temp) and oils (liquid at room temp)
What is the general structure of triglycerides?
Do fatty acid molecules join together?
NO. They are individual molecules that don’t join together. Lipids are neither polymers nor are they monomers.
What does this chemical structure show?
Glycerol