Chap. 4 Flashcards
Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life
carbon is the
backbone of life
cells are 70-95% of water the rest consist of
carbon based compounds
Proteins, DNA, carbohydrates, and other molecules that distinguish living matter are components of
carbon compounds
organic chemistry
study of compounds that contain carbon, regardless of origin
Most organic compounds contain hydrogen atoms in addition to
carbon atoms
Stanley Miller’s classical experiment
demonstrated the abiotic synthesis of organic compounds
what are the major elements of life
C, H, O, N, S and P
how many bounds does carbon make
4
with four valence electrons, carbon can form
4 covalent bonds with a variety of atoms
carbon chains vary in
length and shape
Hydrocarbons
organic molecules consisting of only carbon and hydrogen
Hydrocarbons can undergo reactions that
release a large amount of energy
estradiol and testosterone are both steroids with a
common carbon skeleton, in the form of four fused rings (these sex hormones differ only in the chemical groups attached to the rings of the carbon skeleton)
functional groups
components of organic molecules that are most commonly involved i chemical reactions
The 7 most important in the chemistry life
-Hydroxy; group (-OH)
- Carbonyl group
Carbonxyl group (-COOH)
-Amino group (-NH2)
- Sulfhydryl group (-SH)
- Phosphate group
-Methyl group (-CH3)
