Chapter 12 Biochemistry Flashcards
Amino Acids
The building block of proteins, consisting of an amino group, a carboxylic acid group, and a unique side group attached to the same carbon.
Biochemistry
The study of the structure and reactions of chemicals that occur in living systems.
Carbohydrate
A simple or complex sugar composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid; the genetic material of all cells.
Double helix
The helical shape of the double chain of DNA that is like a spiral staircase with a sugar-phosphate backbone on the outside and the base pairs like stair steps on the inside.
Enzyme
A protein that catalyzes a biological reaction.
Fat
Another term for solid triacylglycerols.
Fatty acid
Long-chain carboxylic acids found in fats.
Fructose
A monosaccharide found in honey and fruit juices; it is combines with glucose in sucrose.
Galactose
A monosaccharide that occurs combined with glucose in lactose.
Glucose
The most prevalent monosaccharide in the diet (found in fruits, vegetables, corn syrup and honey).
Lactose
A disaccharide consisting of glucose and galactose found in milk and milk products.
Lipids
A family of compounds that is nonpolar in nature and not soluble in water; includes fats, waxes and steroids.
Maltose
A disaccharide consisting of two glucose units.
Monosaccharide
A polyhydroxy compound that contains an aldehyde or ketone group.
Nucleic acids
Large molecules composed of nucleotides, found as a a double helix in DNA and as the single strand of RNA.
Oil
Another term for liquid triacylglycerols.
Peptide
The combination of two or more amino acids joined by peptide bonds.
Polysaccharides
Polymers of many monosaccharide units, usually glucose. Also called fiber (food).
Protein
A term used for biologically active polypeptides that have many amino acids linked together by peptide bonds.
Replication
The process of duplicating DNA by pairing the bases on each parent strand with their complementary base.
RNA
Ribonucleic acid, a type of nucleic acid that is carrying the DNA information out of the cell for replication.
Sucrose
A disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose; commonly called table sugar or “sugar”.
Triacylglycerols
A family of lipids.
