Ch. 4 Biology Lecture Flashcards
dynamic study module
In pharmaceutical industry, two enantiomers of a drug –
may not be equally effective.
What chemical group is involved in regulating DNA?
methyl group (-CH3)
6 most important chemical elements of life:
Carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and phosphate
Although the structures of the functional groups that are most important to life vary, they share one thing in common:
They all help give each biological molecule its unique properties
When three phosphate groups are covalently attached to adenosine –
ATP is formed
Which chemical group is most likely to be responsible for an organic molecule behaving as a base?
Amino
Enantiomers –
mirror-image isomers of a molecule
Miller’s 1953 laboratory experiment
abiotic compounds cycled through the apparatus and were sampled for organic compounds
What chemical group helps stabilize protein structure?
Sulfhydryl group (-SH)
Significance of Stanley Miller’s experiments:
a variety of simple organic compounds could be spontaneously synthesized from components in Earth’s primitive atmosphere.
The carbon skeleton can vary in –
In their length, branching structure, presence of rings, location of double bonds, and overall shape.
It cannot vary in lacking hydrogen atoms.
What chemical group acts as an acid?
carboxyl group (-COOH)
Carboxyl is to_____ as _______ is to base.
Carboxyl is to a acid as amino is to a base.
A weak acid molecule:
R-COOH
significance of chemical groups:
They contribute to the molecular shape of a molecule and its unique properties.
What does it mean when a carbon atom is tetravalent?
a carbon atom can complete it’s valence shell by forming four covalent bonds
Biologically, what is an important chemical group?
water (H2O)
What element is associated with organic chemistry?
Carbon
What are the properties of hydrocarbons?
Hydrophobic, nonpolar, and a good source of stored energy.
Whena double bond joins two carbon atoms –
cis-trans isomers
What is found in all amino acids?
Both -COOH and -NH2
Molecules that contain only carbon and hydrogen?
They’re called hydrocarbons
How do inorganic (CO2) and organic carbons differ?
organic carbon always has a hydrogen atom covalently attached to it.
Why is ATP important in a cell?
ATP stores the potential to react with water, thereby removing a phosphate group and releasing energy for cellular processes.
Why is it important to use only one form of an enantiomer?
One enantiomer may provide an effective treatment whereas the other may be ineffective or even toxic.
A weak base molecule:
R-NH2
Structural isomers have –
the same molecular formula but different covalent arrangements of their carbon skeleton.
