Chapter 1 - Biological Molecules Flashcards
what are carbohydrates
compounds comprising only of hydrogen carbon and oxygen units
what type of molecule is a carbohydrate
a polymer
characteristics of polymers
long complex molecules made of chains of monomers
examples of three monomers
monosaccharides
amino acids
nucleotides
what are the monomers of carbohydrates
monosaccharides
examples of monosaccharides 3
glucose fructose and galactose
what type of sugar is glucose and why
hexose sugar - it had 6 hydrogen atoms
glucose + glucose =
maltose
glucose + fructose =
sucrose
glucose + galactose =
lactose
what are the two types of glucose
alpha and beta glucose
what are isomers
molecules with the same molecular formula but the atoms are bonded in a different way
what is a condensation reaction
two monosaccharides join together to form a disaccharide and a molecule of water is produced
what bond is formed in a disaccharide
glycosidic
what can a hydrolysis reaction do
break apart polymers
how does a hydrolysis reaction work
it breaks the glycosidic bond in a disaccharide using a water molecule to form the original monosaccharides ut only under the correct conditions
what are reducing sugars
chemicals that readily reduce other when in solution
how to test for a reducing sugar
add 1cm3 sugar to test tube
add 1cm3 benedicts reagent
heat in a water bath at 70c for 4 minutes
positive result for benedicts test for reducing sugar
goes brick red if a lot of sugar is present
how to test for a non reducing sugar
add 1cm3 solution to test tube
add 1cm3 hydrochloric acid to hydrolyse the sugar
add sodium carbonate until universal indicator paper turns green
add 1cm3 benedicts solution
place in a water bath at 70c for 4 minutes
non reducing result for benedicts test for non reducing sugars
goes brick red
when are polysaccharides formed
when more than two monosaccharides join together in a condensation reaction
examples of polysaccharides 3
starch glycogen and cellulose
which monomers make up cellulose
beta glucose
structure of cellulose
straight unbranched chains of beta glucose run parallel to each other
hydrogen bonds form between the chains
this forms microfibrils which group to make fibres
function of cellulose
structural support
which monomers make up glycogen
alpha glucose
structure of glycogen
large branched chains of alpha glucose provide a large surface area for enzymes to act upon
function of glycogen
stores glucose to be released when we need it
how do you test for starch
add a solution of iodine dissolved in potassium iodide solution and it should change from brown to blue black
function of starch
plant store excess glucose as starch so it can be broken down into glucose when the plant needs energy
advantages of starch 2
large so can’t fit through cell membranes to upset osmotic potential
insoluble so doesn’t impact osmotic potential balance
which monomers make up starch
alpha glucose
structure of starch
made of two alpha glucose polysaccharides
amylose- long unbranched chains which coil up and make it very compact
amylopectin - long branched chain of glucose which provides a large surface area for enzymes to act on
what are triglycerides
one molecule of glycerol with three fatty acids tail
what are the fatty acids made from
hydrocarbons
are fatty acids tails hydrophilic or phobia
hydrophobic they repel water
how are triglycerides produced
a condensation reaction occurs between one fatty acid tail and the glycerol molecule forming an ester bond and a molecule of water
this happens three times
bonding in triglycerides
ester