Chapter 3 Flashcards
How are organic and inorganic molecules different?
Organic molecules have carbon atoms in chains or rings.
Inorganic molecules don’t have carbon atoms in chains or rings.
What unusual properties does the carbon atom have that make it a good element?
Can bond with four other atoms & can bond with many different elements.
What kinds of bonds can carbon form?
- Make rings
- Long chains
- Make double bonds
- Make triple bonds
What are the most common atoms involved in organic molecules?
- Carbon (C)
- Oxygen (O)
- Hydrogen (H)
- Nitrogen (N)
Be able to recognize a monomer and a polymer.
Polymer is a skeleton or backbone.
Monomer is repeating subunit.
What are monomer carbohydrates called?
They are called simple sugars or monosaccharides.
Name three types or larger molecules that use simple sugars in their make-up.
- Disaccharide
- Trisaccharide
- Polysaccharide
Describe the difference between structural and regulator proteins and give examples.
Structural proteins are important for maintaining the shape of the cells & organism.
Ex: Membranes, muscle cells, blood cells.
Regulator proteins help determine what activities will occur in the organism.
Ex: Enzymes, chapornes, some hormones.
Name a protein that is a hormone.
Oxytocin
Describe the structural difference between DNA and RNA.
DNA: Double strand molecule, large molecule, sugar is deoxyribose, A pairs with U & G pairs with C.
RNA: Single strand molecule, small molecule, sugar is ribose, A pairs with T & G pairs with C.
Why don’t most lipids mix in water? What do they dissolve well in?
Because they are fats. They dissolve well in ether or acetone.
What are the atoms in a lipid? How the they differ from carbohydrates?
Carbon (C) Hydrogen (H) Oxygen (O)
Lipids don’t have the same ratio as carbohydrates.
What is the difference between simple lipids and complex lipids?
Simple lipids are not able to be broken down into smaller similar subunits.
Complex lipids can be hydrolyzed into smaller similar units.
What does the little molecule glycerol look like? Why is it an important part of lipids?
At room temperature it looks clear, lightweight oil.
It is important because it is a building block for fat.
Why are fats an important energy store?
There are important molecules for storing energy. They can hold twice as more energy than sugar.
What is a steroid?
It is another group of lipid molecules characterized by their arrangement of interlocking rings of carbon.
Is the steroid cholesterol bad for you or good for you?
It is good for you because it creates Vitamin D for your body and makes bile acids.
If cholesterol gets too high then you get negative effects.
Biochemistry
The chemistry of living things; often called biological chemistry.
Organic molecules
Molecules that contain carbon atoms in rings or chains.
Inorganic molecules
Molecules that do not contain carbon atoms in rings or chains.
Basic subunit of protein consisting of short carbon skeleton that contains an amino group, a carboxylic acid group, and one of various side groups.
Amino acid
The basic building block of carbohydrates is a simple sugar.
Carbohydrate
The central portion of an organic molecule composed of rings or chains in carbon atoms.
Carbon skeleton
A class of water-insoluble macromolecules composed of a glycerol & fatty acids.
Fat
Chemical messenger secreted by an endocrine gland to regulate other parts of the body.
Hormone
Chemical breakdown of a compound due to reaction with water.
Hydrolysis
Large organic molecules that do not easily dissolve in water; includes fats, phospholipids, & steroids.
Lipids
Complex molecules that store & transfer information within a cell.
Nucleus acids
A class of water-insoluble molecules that resembles fats but contains a Phosphate group in its structure.
Phospholipid
Macro molecules made up of one or more polypeptides attached to each other by bonds.
Protein
Proteins that occur in an organism.
Ex: Enzymes and some hormones.
Regulator protein
Proteins that are important for holding cells & organisms together.
Ex: Membrane, muscles, blood.
Structural protein
