Chapter 1: The Facts of Life Flashcards
1
Q
“living things are composed of lifeless molecules”
A
Albert Lehninger
2
Q
“… everything that living things do can be understood in terms of the jiggling and wiggling of atoms”
A
Richard P. Feynman
3
Q
Four (4) Distinctive Properties of Living Systems
A
- organisms are 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
4
Q
Proteins are made of long chains of __ kinds of __ __
A
- 20
- amino acids
5
Q
Functions of protein:
- most of the __ and __ of living things; __
A
- structure
- function
- enzyme
6
Q
Nucleic acids are made of __ and __ chains of __ __ __ __ DNA, RNA, also, ATP, GTP
A
- long, short
- nucleic acid base form
7
Q
Functions of nucleic acid:
- __ __ (DNA, RNA)
- __
- __
- __ __
A
- information storage
- structure
- enzymes
- energy transfer
8
Q
Lipids are made of __ or other __ __ with __ __ __
A
- phosphate
- charged “head”
- long hydrocarbon tail
9
Q
Functions of lipids
A
- energy storage
- insulation
- cushioning
- membranes
10
Q
Carbohydrates are made of __ and __ chains of __ __ like glucose, fructose
A
- long, short chain
- sugar molecules
11
Q
Functions of carbohydrates
A
- energy source
- energy storage
- structure
12
Q
Small molecules are made of __ __ such as __, __, __, __
A
- various molecules
- hormones
- vitamins
- neurotransmitter
- porphyrins
13
Q
Functions of small molecules
A
- mostly sending signals
14
Q
- specialized energized biomolecules
- power sources that drive biosynthesis, movement, osmotic work against concentration gradients, light emission
A
- ATP
- NADPH
15
Q
What are the power sources that ATP and NADPH drive
A
- biosynthesis
- movement
- osmotic work against concentration gradient
- light emission
16
Q
- moving to a condition of increasing disorder
- in thermodynamic terms, maximum entropy
A
inanimate matter
17
Q
inanimate matter in thermodynamic terms
A
maximum entropy
18
Q
energy and material are consumed by the organism and used to maintain its __ and __
A
- stability
- order
19
Q
living organisms are able to extract __ __ from the environment and export __ (form of __)
A
- free energy
- entropy (heat)
20
Q
____ DNA polymerases have several safeguards to protect against both making and propagating mistakes while copying DNA
A
High-fidelity
21
Q
make up 99+% of atoms in the human body
A
H, O, C, N
22
Q
What property unites H, O, C, and N and renders these atoms so appropriate to the chemistry of life?
A
ability to form covalent bonds by electron-pair sharing
23
Q
property that enhances chemical versatility of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen
A
ability to share two electron pairs to form double bonds
24
Q
properties that hold the potential for an incredible variety of linear, branched, and cyclic compounds of carbon
A
- ability to form covalent bonds with itself
- tetrahedral shape
25
units for building complex structures
simple molecules
26
biomolecules are built according to a structural hierarchy
biomolecular hierarchy
27
what are the inorganic precursors
1. water (H2O)
2. carbon dioxide (CO2)
3. ammonium (NH4+)
4. nitrate (NO3-)
5. dinitrogen (N2)
28
simple organic compounds that are intermediates in cellular energy transformation and in the biosynthesis of various sets of building blocks
metabolites
29
Biomolecular Hierarchy
1. inorganic precursors
2. metabolites
3. building blocks
4. macromolecules
5. supramolecular complexes
6. organelles
30
what are the building blocks
- amino acids
- sugars (monosaccharide)
- nucleotides
- fatty acids
- glycerol
31
what are the macromolecules
- protein
- polysaccharide
- polynucleotide (DNA, RNA)
- lipids
32
interactions among macromolecules that result to the formation of supramolecular complexes
non-covalent interactions
33
examples of supramolecular complexes
- multi-functional enzyme complexes
- ribosomes
- chromosomes
- cytoskeleton
34
what are the non-covalent interactions
- hydrogen bonds
- ionic interactions
- van der Waals forces
- hydrophobic interactions
35
entities of considerable dimensions compared with the cell itself
organelles
36
examples of organelles
- nucleus
- mitochondria
- chloroplasts
- endoplasmic reticulum
- golgi apparatus
- vacuoles
- peroxisomes, lysosomes, chromoplasts
37
- define boundaries of cells and organelles
- not easily classified as supramolecular assemblies or organelles, although they share the properties of both
- resemble supramolecular complexes in their construction
membranes
38
membranes are complexes of __ and __ maintained by __ __
- proteins
- lipids
- noncovalent forces
39
kind of property of nonpolar molecules which can drive these molecules to assemble to form anhydrous domains in aqueous solution
Hydrophobic interaction
40
unit of life
cell
41
Properties of Biomolecules
1. Biomolecules and their building blocks have a "sense" or directionality
2. informational
3. have characteristic 3D architecture
4. weak forces maintain and determine their structure and interactions
42
There is a necessity for __ and __ in the maintenance of the living state
- information
- energy
43
Maintenance of the living state
1. must have capacity to contain information, or "recipe" of life
2. must have capacity to translate this information to synthesize organic structures essential to life
3. must have orderly mechanism to extract energy
44
What properties of biomolecules endow them with the potential for such remarkable qualities
biomolecules and their building blocks have a "sense" or directionality
45
has the potential to contain information if the diversity and order of the units are not overly simple or repetitive
biomolecules are informational
46
what maintains the biological structures and determine biomolecular interactions
1. Van der Waals interactions
2. hydrogen bonds
3. ionic interactions
4. hydrophobic interactions
47
strength of Van der Waals interactions
0.4-4.0 kl/mol
48
distance of Van der Waals interactions
0.3-0.6 nm
49
strength of hydrogen bonds
12-30 kl/mol
50
distance of hydrogen bonds
0.3 nm
51
strength of ionic interactions
20 kl/mol
52
distance of ionic interactions
0.25 nm
53
strength of hydrophobic interactions
<40 kl/mol
54
- 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
- operate only over a very limited interatomic distance
Van der Waals forces
55
in Van der Waals forces, __ __ electron clouds that fluctuate instantaneously in time are attracted to __ __ __ and __ of nearby atoms
- negatively charged
- positively charged nuclei and electrons
56
- form between a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to an electronegative atom and a second electronegative atom that serves as the hydrogen bond acceptor
- cylindrically symmetrical and tend to be highly directional, forming straight bonds between donor, hydrogen, and acceptor atoms
hydrogen bonds
57
hydrogen bonds are __ __ and tend to be highly __, forming __ __ between donor, hydrogen, and acceptor atoms
- cylindrically symmetrical
- directional
- straight bonds
58
Approximate bond length:
O--H---O
0.27 nm
59
Approximate bond length:
O--H---O-
0.26 nm
60
Approximate bond length:
O--H---N
0.29 nm
61
Approximate bond length:
N--H---O
0.30 nm
62
Approximate bond length:
+N--H---O
0.29 nm
63
Approximate bond length:
N--H---N
0.31 nm
64
- attractive forces between oppositely charged structures
- 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
65
in Ionic interactions, electrical charge is __ __
radially distributed
66
What are involved in ionic interactions
1. ions
2. permanent dipoles
3. induced dipoles
67
species possessing discrete charges
ions
68
having a permanent separation of positive and negative charge
permanent dipoles
69
having a temporary separation of positive and negative charge induced by the environment
induced dipoles
70
result from the strong tendency of water to exclude nonpolar groups or molecules
hydrophobic interactions
71
without these hydrophobic interactions the __ of water is raised because fewer water molecules are arranged in orderly arrays
entropy
72
type of covalent bond where atoms share electrons unequally.
polar
73
type of covalent bond where atoms share electrons equally
nonpolar
74
defining concept of biochemistry
molecular recognition through structural complementarity
75
the complicated and highly organized patterns of life depend on the ability of biomolecules to __ and __ with one another in very specific ways
- recognize
- interact
76
molecular recognition through __ __
structural complementarity
77
biological function is achieved through mechanisms based on __ __ and __ __ __
- structural complementarity
- weak chemical interactions
78
supramolecular complexes occur because of __ and __ between their various macromolecular components as governed by the __ __ formed between them
- recognition and interaction
- weak forces
79
because biomolecular interactions are governed by weak forces, living systems are restricted to a __ __ of __ __
- narrow range
- physical conditions
80
- involves the breaking of many of the weak linkages, or bonds (e.g., hydrogen bonds), within a protein molecule that are responsible for the highly ordered structure of the protein in its natural (native) state
- looser, more random structure; most are insoluble
Denaturation
81
cells cannot tolerate reactions in which __ __ of __ are released
large amounts of energy
82
ordered reaction pathways by which cellular chemistry proceeds and biological energy transformations are accomplished
cellular metabolism
