Chapter 3: Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life Flashcards
what two compounds are living-organisms mostly made of?
Water and carbon-based
what classifies as an organic compound?
A compound containing carbon (except carbon dioxide)
what are the four main classes of important molecules?
carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acid
what is a polymer?
a polymer is a long molecule consisting of many similar building blocks called monomers
what is a monomer?
a monomer are the so called ‘building blocks’, that when combined together in a certain way are called polymers
what are carbohydrates? what are they useful for?
a carbohydrate is an organic compound to which hydrogen and oxygen are attached; the hydrogen and oxygen are in a 2:1 ratio. carbohydrates are sugar and polymers of sugar. they serve as a source of energy and fuel.
what are monosaccharides?
simplest form of sugar and the most basic units of carbohydrates. (single ring, but can go back and forth dynamically from linear to ring)
what chemical formula do monosaccharides manipulate?
CH20
what is the most common type of monosaccharide?
Glucose
what is the chemical formula for glucose?
C6H1206
what is the purpose of a monosaccharide?
fuel for cells and raw material for building molecules
what are structural isomers? what is an example?
structural isomers are compounds with the same chemical formula, but differ in how the atoms are arranged, so they are different compounds (ex. glucose and fructose)
what structures can carbohydrates be?
a) linear and ring forms
b) abbreviated ring structure
what is a dehydration reaction?
a dehydration reaction occurs when 2 monomers bond together through the loss of a water molecule. in context of monosaccharides, when 2 join because of this reaction, it is called a disaccharide (2 rings).
what is a glycosidic linkage?
a type of covalent bond that joins a carbohydrate molecule to another group, which may or may not be another carbohydrate
what is the opposite of a dehydration reaction?
hydrolysis
what is hydrolysis?
hydrolysis is the opposite reaction of a dehydration reaction. in this, you add a water molecule, therefore breaking a bond
what is a polysaccharide? what is their role?
a polysaccharide is the polymer of sugar. they have storage and structural roles.
how is the structure and function of a polysaccharide determined?
it is determined by its sugar monomers and position of glycosidic linkages
what is a storage polysaccharide? what is its function/ role?
the storage polysaccharide of plants is starch, made of glucose monomers. glycogen is the storage polysaccharide of animals and humans. it is stored in mainly the liver and muscle cells.
what is the simplest form of starch?
amylose
why are storage polysaccharides necessary?
they are necessary in plants because the weather is unpredictable, so it is unknown when they would next be able to photosynthesize. it is necessary in animals because we could run out fast.
what are structural polysaccharides?
the polysaccharide, cellulose, is a major component of plant cell wall. cellulose is a polymer of glucose too, but the glycosidic linkages are different. (difference is based on 2 ring forms for glucose).
do lipids form polymers?
no, lipids do not form true polymers
are lipids hydrophilic or hydrophobic? why?
hydrophobic, because they are mostly made of hydrocarbons, which form non-polar covalent bonds. polar and non-polar do not dissolve.
what is the major of function of fats?
energy storage
what are the 3 types of lipids?
fats, phospholipids, and steroids.
what are fats made from?
glycerol and fatty acids
what is glycerol?
glycerol is a three carbon alcohol with hydroxyl group attached to each carbon
what is the difference between a hydroxyl group and hydroxide?
a hydroxide is when OH- is in a compound with a metal. hydroxyl is a neutral molecule, which is more radical due to its unpaired electron (usually in alcohols).
what is fatty acid?
a fatty acid consists of a carboxyl group attached to a long carbon skeleton. vary in length and the number and locations of double bonds.
what are the two types of fatty acids?
saturated and unsaturated
what are the characteristics of saturated fatty acids?
saturated fatty acids have the maximum number of H atoms possible, and no double bonds. these are mostly animals fats, and are solid at room temperature.
what are the characteristics of unsaturated fatty acids?
unsaturated fatty acids have one of more double bonds. these are mostly plants and fish fats, and are liquid at room temperature.
what are phospholipids made of?
phospholipids consist of 2 fatty acids, and a phosphate group attached to glycerol.
what part of the phospholipid is hydrophobic?
the two tails, which are made of fatty acids are hydrophobic
what part of the phospholipid is hydrophilic?
the head made of a phosphate group is hydrophilic
what is a bi-layer, where is it used?
the bi-layer is what forms when phospholipids are placed in water. the hydrophilic head faces towards the water, while the hydrophilic tails face inwards, where there is less water. it is used in cell membranes.
what are steroids?
steroids are lipids characterized by a carbon skeleton consisting of 4-fused rings.
what is the main type of steroid?
cholesterol, it is a component in animal cell membranes. but it can be harmful in large doses, and can lead to cardiovascular disease.
what is a gene? what does it do in relation amino acids?
a gene is the basic physical and functional unit of hereditary. genes program the sequence of amino acids in polypeptides.
what are genes made of?
genes are made of DNA, a nucleic acid, made up of a monomer called nucleotides.
what the types of nucleic acid?
1) deoxyribonucleic acid
2) ribonucleic acid
what is the role of DNA?
for long-term storage of information. it contains the genetic information for the development and function of living things. DNA provides directions for its own replication.
what is the main role of RNA?
to convert information in DNA to proteins. DNA directs synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA) and through mRNA, controls protein synthesis
what is a polynucleotide?
the polymer of nucleotides
what is a nucleotide made of?
nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar (monosaccharide), and one of more phosphate groups
what do cells mostly contain?
70-95% are water, 50% of the dry mass is protein
what are the role of proteins/ what are the types of proteins?
a) enzymatic proteins
b) defensive proteins
c) storage proteins
d) transport proteins
e) hormonal proteins
f) receptor proteins
g) contractile proteins
h) structural proteins
what is the role of enzymatic proteins?
selective acceleration of chemical reactions
what is the role of defensive proteins?
protection against diseases
what is the role of storage proteins?
storage of amino acids
what is the role of transport proteins?
transport of substances
what is the role of hormonal proteins?
coordination of an organisms activities
what is the role of receptor proteins?
response of a cell to chemical stimuli
what is the role of contractile and motor proteins?
movement
what is the role of structural protein?
support
what are amino acids?
amino acids are organic molecules with carboxyl and amino groups. (are monomers)
what does the backbone of an amino acid always contain?
N-C-C
why do all amino acids differ in properties?
because of their different side chains, called R groups. the side chains can be hydrophobic or hydrophilic, or polar or non-polar
what are amino acids linked together by?
peptide bonds
what is a polypeptide?
a polypeptide is the polymer of amino acids. can range in length from one monomer to more than a thousand. each polypeptide has a unique linear sequence of amino acids.
what is a peptide bond?
a chemical bond formed between two molecules when the carboxyl group of one molecule reacts with the amino group of the other molecule, releasing a molecule of water (similar to glycosidic linkage)
what is a protein made of?
a functional protein consists of one or more polypeptides that is precisely twisted, folded, and coiled into a unique shape
what determines a proteins function?
DNA determines order of amino acids, which determines its shape, which determines its function.
what are the 4 levels of protein structure?
1) primary
2) secondary
3) tertiary
4) quaternary
what is the primary structure?
the primary structure of a protein in its unique sequence of amino acids
what is the secondary structure?
the secondary structure, found in most proteins, consists of coils and folds in the polypeptide chain (ends with (a) helix, or (b) pleated sheets)
what is tertiary structure?
the tertiary structure is determined by interacts among various side chains (R groups)
what is quaternary structure?
quaternary structure results from interactions between multiple polypeptide chains
what is sickle cell disease?
an inherited blood disorder, results from a single amino acid substitution in the protein hemoglobin
what can affect protein structure?
primary structure, physical, and chemical conditions
what can cause protein to unravel?
alterations in pH, salt concentration, temp, or other environmental factors
what is denaturation?
denaturation is the loss of a proteins native structure. if it is denatured, it is biologically inactive
what is the opposite of denaturation?
renaturation, can happen sometimes, but not a lot
what is an x-ray crystallograph?
it is used to determine 3-D structure based on diffraction of an x-ray beam by atoms of the crystallized molecule.
what are pathogens?
a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease.
carboxyl group
functional group consisting of a carbon atom that’s double-bonded to an oxygen atom and singly bonded to a hydroxyl group.
what are some important monosaccharides?
glucose, galactose (found in milk so its milk sugar), and fructose
what are some important disaccharides?
maltose, sucrose, and lactose
what are some important polysaccharides?
cellulose, starch, and glycogen
what do the hexagons in structures represent?
each corner represents a carbon
what elements is all living matter made of?
N’CHOPS (nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur)
what are triglycerides?
a type of fat (lipid) found in your blood. When you eat, your body converts any calories it doesn’t need to use right away into triglycerides. the triglycerides are stored in your fat cells. later, hormones release triglycerides for energy between meals.
what are nutrients?
vitamins or minerals essential for growth and metabolism in an organism
what are minerals?
naturally occurring inorganic elements essential in the nutrition of organisms
what is a membrane?
thin structure connecting or separating structures or regions of an organism
what is adipose?
fatty tissue, fat-storing tissue, or fat within cells
what is the plasma membrane?
the cell membrane
what is lactase?
an enzyme that breaks down the sugar lactose
what is lipase?
an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of lipids
what is pepsin?
an enzyme that breaks down proteins into smaller peptides
what is ribose?
ribose is a kind of sugar that is produced by the body. It is used as a medicine. ribose is used by mouth to decrease chest pain and improve heart function in people with coronary artery disease.
what is deoxyribose?
a five-carbon sugar that has one oxygen atom less than ribose; a component of DNA
what is the nitrogenous base?
the five purine and pyrimidine bases found in nucleic acid—adenine, thymine (in DNA only), cytosine, guanine, and uracil (in RNA only)
what is adenine?
a purine nitrogenous base that pairs with thymine in DNA and uracil in RNA
what is guanine?
a purine nitrogenous base that is a component of nucleotides and nucleic acids; it links up with cytosine in DNA
what is thymine?
a pyrimidine nitrogenous base in nucleic acids and nucleotides; pairs with adenine in DNA
what is cytosine?
a pyrimidine nitrogenous base that is present in nucleotides and nucleic acids; it is paired with guanine
what is uracil?
a pyrimidine nitrogenous base found in RNA (but not in DNA); pairs with adenine
what is a sulfhydryl group?
a functional group consisting of a sulfur bonded to a hydrogen atom
what is a carbonyl group?
a functional group composed of a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom
