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Biochemistry > Chapter 1: What is life? > Flashcards

Chapter 1: What is life? Flashcards

1
Q

What are the five characteristics of life?

A

complex/dynamic
organized/self-sustaining
cellular
information-based (genetics)
can adapt/evolve

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1
Q

What are the four top elements in the human body?

A

hydrogen (63%)
oxygen (25.5%)
carbon (9.5%)
nitrogen (1.4%)

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2
Q

Why is oxygen and hydrogen so common?

A

The ubiquity of water.

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3
Q

Why is carbon used more frequently if silicon is more plentiful?

A

Carbon is more stable than silicon, making carbon-based a better fuel than silicon-based molecules.
* Carbon is soluble in water, whereas silicon is not. Once carbon is mixed with oxygen, it is permanently out of circulation.

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4
Q

What are the four basic macromolecles?

A

Nucelid acids, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins

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5
Q

What are characterisitcs of hydrocarbons?

A

Non-polar
Hydrophobic (not soluble in water)
Generally, not very reactive

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6
Q

What are proteins composed of and what are their function?

A

Composition: Amino acids
Function: enzymes, structure

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7
Q

What are carbohydrates composed of and what are their function?

A

Composition: sugars
Function: energy, structure, play a role in cell-to-cell interactions

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8
Q

What are fats/lipids composed of and what are their function?

A

Composition: hydrocarbons
Function: energy, structure, contains polar groups

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9
Q

What are RNA/DNA composed of and what are their function?

A

Composition: nucleotides
Function: genetic information

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10
Q

Of the four classes of biomolecules, which is NOT a biopolymer? Why?

A

Fats/Lipids.
They lack repeating units of the same molecule/atom, called monomers.

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11
Q

Describe nucleic acid function and construction

A

Stores and transfers information.
Linear model constructed of four building blocks of nucleotides.

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12
Q

What is a nucleotide made of?

A
  • A nitrogenous base
  • Ribose or deoxyribose sugar ring
  • Phosphate group
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13
Q

What do amino acids (monomers) make?

A

Peptides and proteins.

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14
Q

What do monosaccharides (simple sugars) make?

A

Carbohydrates (polysaccharides)

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15
Q

Describe lipids

A

Lipid molecules consist mainly of repeating units called fatty acids.

  • Double bond = unsaturated
  • Single bond = saturated, very polar
16
Q

Why is life predominantly carbon-based in biological systems?

A

Carbon forms stable and versatile covalent bonds with other elements.

17
Q

Describe DNA

A
  • A polymer of two polynucleotide strands wrapped in a right-handed double helix.
  • Has a sugar (deoxyribose) phosphate backbone.
  • Bases pair via hydrogen bonding. A-T and G-C.
  • Carries the genetic information (genes) of an organism.
18
Q

How many strands of DNA and RNA?

A

DNA: double helix, one strand of DNA
RNA: single strand, nucleotide

19
Q

Nucleotides are monomers of what and what do they do?

A

DNA and RNA
The information content of DNA is the sequence of nucleotides linked together by phosphodiester linkages.

20
Q

Describe RNA

A
  • A polymer of polynucleotide strands.
  • Has a sugar (ribose) phosphate backbone. The sugar component of the ribonucleotides contains an additional hydroxyl (—OH) group.
21
Q

What are the three types of RNA

A
  • Messenger RNA
  • Transfer RNA
  • Ribosomal RNA
22
Q

What is the main function of lipids?

A

Crucial signal molecules and important stage of energy.

23
Q

What is the main function of carbohydrates?

A

An important fuel source, most common is simple sugar glucose

24
Q

How are carbohydrates stored in animals?

A

Stored in animals as glycogen which consists of many glucose molecules linked end to end and has occasional branches

25
Q

How are carbohydrates stored in plants?

A

In plants, the storage form of glucose is starch, which is similar to glycogen in molecular composition.

26
Q

what makes up 98% of the atoms in living organisms

A

Oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon

27
Q

What is the most common atom in all biomolecules?

A

Carbon

28
Q

Hydrogen and oxygen are prevalent because of what?

A

The abundance of water

29
Q

Why are proteins the most versatile?

A

they have a prominent role az enzymes

Biochemistry (7 decks)

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