Chapter 1: Facts of Life Flashcards
Is the logic of biological phenomena.
Chemistry
are self-sustaining systems of chemical reactions.
Living organisms
Distinctive properties of Living systems
- Complicated and highly
organized - Biological structures serve functional purposes
- Living systems are actively engaged in energy transformation
- Living systems have a remarkable capacity for self-replication
The most obvious quality of living organisms
Complicated and highly
organized
cells possess subcellular structures called __
Organelles
Organalles, which are complex assemblies of very large polymeric molecules are called ___
Macromolecules
Macromolecules themselves show an exquisite degree of organization in their intricate __
three-dimensional architecture
The complex three-dimensional structure of a macromolecules, knows as its __
conformation
biological structures play a role in the organism’s existence, from limbs to organs, down to chemical agents of metabolism.
Biological structures serve functional purposes
The 5 Biological Structures
- Protein
- Carbohydrates
- Nucleic acid
- Lipid
- Small Molecules
Mostly sending signals
Small molecules
Energy source, energy storage structure
Carbohydrates
Energy storage, insulation cushioning of membrane
Lipids
Information storage (DNA and RNA)
Nucleic acid
Most of the structure and function of the living organism; enzymes
Protein
What are proteins made of?
long chain of 20 kinds amino acids
What are nucleic acids made of?
lond and short chains of nucleic acid bases form DNA, RAN, also ATP and GTP
What are lipids made of?
Phosphate or other charged head with long hydrocarbon tail
what are carbohydrates made of?
long and short chains of sugar molecules, like glucose, fructose
what are small molecules made of?
various molecules such as hormones, vitamins, neurotransmitters, porphyrins
Maintenance of the highly organized structure and activity of living systems depends on their ability to extract energy from the environmen
Living systems are actively engaged in energy transformations
What are the two specialized energized biomolecules?
ATP and NADPH
What does ATP and NADPH drive?
- Biosynthesis
- Movement
- osmotic work against concentration
gradients - light emission
is moving to a condition of increasing disorder or, in thermodynamic terms, maximum entropy
Inanimate matter
What characterizes the living state?
The living state is characterized by the flow of energy through the organism
What is the steady-state?
The state of apparent constancy over time. Energy and material are consumed by the organism and used to maintain its stability and order
What is entropy?
A thermodynamic term used to designate that amount of energy in a system that is unavailable to do work
Generation after generation, organisms reproduce virtually identical copies of themselve
Living systems have a remarkable capacity for self-replication
Elements that constitute more than 99% of the atoms in the human body
H,O,C,N
H,O,C,N constitute more than __% __ _ __ in the human body
99% of the atoms
Most abundant atoms in the earth’s crust
(O,S,Al, Fe)
-Oxygen
- Silicon
- Aluminum
- Iron
Relatively rare (less than 0.2%)
H, C, N. (Hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen)
is the predominant gas in the atmosphere
Dinitrogen (N2)
What kinds of molecules are biomolecules?
All biomolecules contain carbon (C).
Property unites H, O, C, and N and renders these atoms so suitable to the chemistry of life.
- Ability to form covalent bonds by electron-pair sharing.
- Among the lightest elements in the periodic table.
Why is carbon so prevalent?
Because of its unparalleled versatility in forming stable covalent bonds through electron-pair sharing.
Two properties of carbon covalent bonds.
- Able to form covalent bond
- Tetrahedral nature
What is the range in strength for single, double, and triple bonds?
Single: 300-400 kJ/mol
Double: 400-600 kJ/mol
Triple: ~900 kJ/mol
are the units for building complex structures
Simple molecules
Inorganic precursors
1) Water
2) Carbon dioxide (CO2)
3) Ammonium (NH4+)
4) Dinitrogen (N2)
5) Nitrate (NO3-)
(3-5 are inorganic nitrogen compounds)
What are the steps/levels for creating cells (biomolecular order)?
Inorganic precursors -> Metabolites -> Building blocks -> Macromolecules -> Supramolecular complexes -> Organelles -> The cell
simple organic compounds that are intermediates in cellular energy transformation and in the biosynthesis of various sets of building blocks
Metabolites
Give the 5 Building blocks
- amino acids
- sugars
- nucleotides
- fatty acids
- glycerol
Metabolites
simple organic compounds that are intermediates in cellular energy transformation and in the biosynthesis of varioussets of building blocks
What formed . Through covalent linkage of these building blocks?
the Macromolecules
Give the macromolecues form from buildings blocks
- protein
- polysaccharides
- polynucleotides (DNA and RNA)
- lipids
formed/ result of interactions of macromolecules via non-covalent interactions
Supramolecular complexes
Example of non-covalent interactions to form supramolecular complexes
Hydrogen bonds
Ionic attractions
Van der waals forces
Hydrophobic interactions
Arise because water molecules prefer to interact with
each other rather than with nonpolar substances
Hydrophic interactions
form between a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to an electronegative atom (such as oxygen or nitrogen) and a second electronegative atom that serves as the hydrogen bond acceptor
Hydrogen bond
-attractive forces between oppositely charged structures
- the electrical charge is radially distributed, so these interactions may lack the directionality of hydrogen bonds or the precise fit of van der Waals interactions
Ionic interactions
In Ionic interactions;
The electrical charge is _____ distributed, so these interactions may lack the ______ of hydrogen bonds or the precise fit of van der Waals interactions
-radially
- directionality
Ionic interactions may involve
- Ions
- permanent dipoles
- induced dipoles
having a permanent separation of positive and negative charge
Permanent dipoles
having a temporary separation of positive
and negative charge induced by the environment
Induced dipoles
- species possessing discrete
charges
Ions
result from the strong tendency of water to exclude nonpolar groups or molecules
hydrophic interactions
- result from the induced electrical interactions between closely approaching atoms or molecules
- negatively charged electron clouds that fluctuate instantaneously in time are attracted to positively charged nuclei and the electrons of nearby atoms
Van der Waals forces
Unit of life, the smallest entity.
The cell
Maintenance of Living state
- Some biomolecules must have the capacity to contain the information, or “recipe,” of life.
- Other biomolecules must have the capacity to translate this information so that the organized structures essential to life are synthesized
- An orderly mechanism for abstracting energy from the environment must also exist in order to obtain the energy needed to drive these processes
What properties of biomolecules endow them with the potential for such remarkable qualities?
Biological macromolecules and their building blocks have a “sense” or directionality
Has the potential to contain information if the diversity and order of the units are not overly simple or repetitive.
Biological Macromolecules Are Informational
intermolecular attractions between atoms
Weak chemical forces or noncovalent bonds
the ordered reaction
pathways by which cellular chemistry
proceeds and biological energy
transformations are accomplished.
Metabolic pathways / Cellular Metabolism
Properties of Biomolecules
- Biomolecules and its building blocks have a “sense” of directionality
- informational
- have characteristic 3D architecture
- weak forces determine and maintain their structure and interactrion
are found only in eukaryotic cells, that is, the cells of “higher” organisms
Organelles
: the repository of genetic information as contained within the linear sequences of nucleotides in the DNA of chromosomes
Nucleus
are the “power plants” of cells by virtue of their ability to carry out the energy-releasing aerobic metabolism of carbohydrates and fatty acids, capturing the energy in metabolically useful forms such as ATP
Mitochondria
endow cells with the ability to carry out photosynthesis
Chloroplasts
Membranes resemble supramolecular complexes in their construction because they are complexes of proteins and lipids maintained by ___ ___
noncovalent forces
define the boundaries of cells and organelles
Membranes
The loss of structural order in these complex macromolecules
Denaturation
an ion or molecule which donates a pair of electrons to the central metal atom or ion to form a coordination complex
ligands
accelerate the reaction rates many orders of magnitude and, by selecting the substances undergoing reaction, determine the specific reaction that
takes place
Enzymes
Thousands of reactions mediated by an equal number of enzymes are occurring at any given instant within the cell.
Metabolic Regulation Is Achieved by Controlling the Activity of Enzymes
Viruses infecting bacteria are called
bacteriophages
Mature virus particles arise by encapsulating the nucleic acid within a protein coat called
Capsid
viruses cause disintegration of the cells that they have infected
Cell lysis
