Ch.5 The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules Flashcards
Four classes of large biological molecules
carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids
Macromolecules
Large, complex molecules
Polymers
Long molecules consisting of many similar building blocks.
Monomers
Repeating units, building blocks.
Enzymes
Specialized macromolecules that speed up or catalyze chemical reactions. Most are proteins.
Ribozymes
Enzymes made up of RNA.
Dehydration Synthesis
When two monomers bond together through the loss of a water molecule.
Hydrolysis
When polymers are disassembled into monomers through the addition of a water molecule.
Metabolic Water
When your body chemically creates water rather than getting it from an outside source like water or the environment.
Carbohydrates
Sugars and the polymers of sugars. 2:1 ratio.
Monosaccharides
Monomers in carbohydrates. Simple sugars responsible for major fuel in cells (ATP), and the building material for other molecules.
Simple Sugars
3-7 C atoms with a carbonyl group.
Aldose
Aldehyde sugars
Ketose
Ketone sugars
Triose
3 C sugar
Pentose
5 C sugar
Hexose
6 C Sugar
Disaccharide
Formed when dehydration synthesis joins two monosaccharides.
Glycosidic Linkages
A covalent bond formed between two monosaccharides by dehydration synthesis.
Maltose
A disaccharide of glucose + glucose. Malt sugar used to ferment/make alcohol.
Sucrose
A disaccharide of glucose + fructose. Table sugar made by plants and used in baking.
Lactose
A disaccharide of glucose + galactose. Milk sugar found in dairy products.
Monosaccharides you must know
Fructose, Galactose, Glucose
Glucose
Sugar of life, C6H12O6
Lactose Intolerance
When someone lacks lactase, so they cannot digest lactose.
Lactase
Enzyme that breaks down lactose.
Polysaccharides
The polymers of sugars, have storage and structural roles.
Starch
Short-term energy storage in plants. Stored as granules within chloroplasts and plastids.
Amylose
Simplest form of starch.
Amyloplasts
Organelles that store starch.
Glycogen
Short-term energy storage in animals. Made by vertebrae in the liver, stored in muscle tissue.
Cellulose
Structural polysaccharide in plants. Used to build the cell wall. Unbranched and never spirals.
Cellulase
Enzyme needed to digest cellulose. NO LIVING ANIMAL CAN DIGEST CELLULOSE
Chitin
Strucutral “polysaccharide”. Found in the exoskeleton of arthropods. Not technically a true polysaccharide.
Cell walls of fungi, exoskeletons of arthropods.
The two places in the natural world where chitin is found.
Microfibrils
Parallel cellulose molecules held together by hydrogen bonds; located in plant cell walls and considered a strong building material
Lipids
Large biological molecules that don’t include true polymers (can’t go on forever). Hydrophobic, nonpolar, consist mostly of hydrocarbon regions
Lighter way to store calories, cushions vital organs.
Triglycerides
Long-term energy storage (fats and oils). Has 3 fatty acids and 1 glycerol.
Ester Linkages
Type of bond between the hydroxyl and carboxyl groups. Bond positively with our taste receptors.
Fats
Solid at room temperature, produced by animals. Saturated with no C-to-C double bonds. Insulation.
Adipose Cells
Where humans/mammals store their long-term food reserves; they swell and shrink as fat is deposited and withdrawn from storage
Oils
Liquid at room temperature, produced by plants. Unsaturated. One or more C-to-C double bonds (has bending that prevents them from being densely packed).