Chapter 1

Question 1

Covalently linked carbon atoms in biomolecules can form

Answer 1

linear

chains, branched chains, and cyclic structures.

Question 2

It seems likely
that the bonding versatility of carbon, with itself and with other
elements, was a major factor in

Answer 2

the selection of carbon
compounds for the molecular machinery of cells during the
origin and evolution of living organisms.

Question 3

Dissolved in the aqueous phase (cytosol) of all cells is a collection
of

Answer 3

f perhaps several thousand different small organic molecules

(Mr~100 to ~500),

Question 4

There are other small biomolecules, specific to certain types of
cells or organisms. For example, vascular plants contain, in
addition to the universal set, small molecules called secondary
metabolites, which

Answer 4

play roles specific to plant life. These
metabolites include compounds that give plants their
characteristic scents and colors, and compounds such as
morphine, quinine, nicotine, and caffeine that are valued for
their physiological effects on humans but have other purposes in
plants.

Question 5

The entire collection of small molecules in a given cell under a
specific set of conditions has been called the metabolome,

Answer 5

, in
parallel with the term “genome.” Metabolomics is the systematic
characterization of the metabolome under very specific
conditions (such as following administration of a drug, or a
biological signal such as insulin).

Question 6

Proteins,

Answer 6

long polymers of amino acids, constitute the largest
mass fraction (besides water) of a cell. Some proteins have
catalytic activity and function as enzymes; others serve as
structural elements, signal receptors, or transporters that carry
specific substances into or out of cells. P

Question 7

Proteins are perhaps the
a
a
137
most v

Answer 7

versatile of all biomolecules;

Question 8

proteome and proteomics

Answer 8

The sum of all the proteins
functioning in a given cell is the cell’s proteome, and proteomics
is the systematic characterization of this protein complement
under a specific set of conditions.

Question 9

enantiomers and diastereomers

Answer 9

Stereoisomers that are mirror images of each other are called
enantiomers (Fig. 1-19). Pairs of stereoisomers that are not
mirror images of each other are called diastereomers (

Question 10

good summary on pg 152

Answer 10

kk lol

Question 11

Because of its bonding versatility, carbon can

Answer 11

produce a broad
array of carbon–carbon skeletons with a variety of functional
groups; these groups give biomolecules their biological and
chemical personalities.

Question 12

A nearly universal set of several thousand small molecules is
found in living cells; the interconversions of these molecules in
the central metabolic pathways have been conserved in e

Answer 12

evolution

Question 13

Proteins and nucleic acids are macromolecules-

Answer 13

long, linear
polymers of simple monomeric subunits; their sequences contain
the information that gives each molecule its three-dimensional
structure and its biological functions.

Question 14

Molecular configuration can be changed only by

Answer 14

breaking and
re-forming covalent bonds. For a carbon atom with four different
substituents (a chiral carbon), the substituent groups can be
arranged in two different ways, generating stereoisomers with
distinct properties. Only one stereoisomer is biologically active.
Molecular conformation is the position of atoms in space that can
be changed by rotation about single bonds, without covalent
bonds being broken.

Question 15

Interactions between biological molecules are often stereospecific meaning:

Answer 15

there is a close fit between complementary

structures in the interacting molecules