Chapter 3 Flashcards
Organic Compound
A compound containing carbon
Critically important molecules of all living things fall into which four main classes?
Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, Nucleic Acids
Carbohydrates, Lipids and Proteins can form huge molecules called ______?
Macromolecules
Carbon has how many valence electrons?
4
A carbon atom that has 4 single bonds to other atoms
Methane
A molecule that has two groups of single bonded carbon atoms
Ethane
A molecule with two double bonded carbon atoms with two other single bonds each
Ethene (ethylene)
Organic molecules consisting of only carbon and hydrogen
Hydrocarbons
Compounds that have the same number of atoms of the same elements but different structures and properties
Isomers
Isomers that vary in the covalent arrangement of their atoms
Structural Isomers
Carbons with covalent bonds to the same atoms which differ in their spatial arrangement due to the inflexibility of double bonds
cis-trans Isomers
Isomers that are mirror images of one another
Enantiomers
Chemical groups that affect molecular function by being directly involved in chemical reactions
Functional Groups
What are the seven functional groups most important in the chemistry of life?
Hydroxyl Group, Carbonyl Group, Carboxyl Group, Amino Group, Sulfhydryl Group, Phosphate Group, Methyl Group
An organic phosphate molecule which has an important function in the cell
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
Structure and function of ATP
Consists of a molecule of adenosine attached to a string of three phosphate groups. Stores the potential to react to water, releasing energy that can be used by the cell.
Polymer
A long molecule consisting of many similar building blocks.
Monomers
The small building block molecules of polymers.
Dehydration Reaction
Occurs when two monomers bond together through the loss of a water molecule.
Hydrolysis
Polymers are disassembled in a process that is the reverse of the dehydration reaction.
Enzymes
Speed up chemical reactions.
Carbohydrates
Include sugars and the polymers of sugars.
Monosaccharides
The simplest carbohydrates, simple sugars. Have molecular formulas that are usually multiples of CH20. Serve as major nutrients for the cells and as raw material for building molecules.
Polysaccharides
Carbohydrate macromolecules, polymers composed of many sugar building blocks.
Disccharide
Formed when a dehydration reaction joins two monosaccharides.
Glycosidic Linkage
The covalent bond of disaccharides.
Starch
A storage polysaccharide of plants, consists entirely of glucose monomers.
Glycogen
The storage polysaccharide in animals.
Cellulose
The polysaccharide that makes up the cell walls of plants.
Chitin
A structural polysaccharide found in the exoskeleton of arthropods. Also provides the structural support for the cell walls of many fungi.
Lipids
Do not form true polymers. Hydrophobic because they consist mostly of hydrocarbons which form nonpolar covalent bonds. Include fats, phospholipids and steroids.
Fats
Constructed from glycerol and fatty acids.
Fatty acid
A carboxyl group attached to a long carbon skeleton.
Saturated Fatty Acids
Have the maximum number of hydrogen atoms and no double bonds.
Unsaturated Fatty Acids
Have one or more double bonds.
Trans Fats
Produced when unsaturated fats are synthetically converted to saturated fats by adding hydrogen.
Phospholipids
When two fatty acids and a phosphate group are attached to glycerol. Two fatty acid tails are hydrophobic but the phosphate group is not. Major constituents of cell membranes.
Steroids
Lipids characterized by a carbon skeleton consisting of four fused rings.
Cholesterol
An important steroid, is a component in animal cell membranes.
Protein Functions
defense, storage, transport, cellular communication, movement, structural support
Polypeptides
Unbranched polymers built from the same set of 20 amino acids.
Protein
A biologically functional molecule that consists of one or more polypeptides.
Amino Acid
An organic molecule with both an amino and carboxyl group.
Peptide Bond
Formed when two amino acids are positioned so that the carboxyl group of one is adjacent to the amino group of the other and become joined through a dehydration reaction.
Primary Structure of protein
Its unique sequence of amino acids.
Secondary Structure of protein
Consists of the coils and folds in the polypeptide chain.
Tertiary Structure of protein
The overall shape of the polypeptide.
Quaternary Structure of protein
Results from the interactions between multiple polypeptide chains.
Denaturation
The loss of a protein’s native structure. A denatured protein is biologically inactive.
