Chapter 3 Organic Molecules/Macromolecules Flashcards
Hydrocarbon
An organic compound composed solely of hydrogen
and carbon atoms.
Isomers
One of two or more chemical compounds having the same chemical formula but diff erent structural formulas
Structural Isomers
One of two or more chemical compounds having
the same chemical formula but diff ering in the covalent arrangement of their atoms, e.g., glucose and fructose.
Geometric Isomers
One of two or more chemical compounds having
the same arrangement of covalent bonds but differing in the spatial arrangement of their atoms or groups of atoms.
Hydrophobic
Not readily interacting with water; having less affinity
for water molecules than they have for each other.
Hydrophilic
Interacting readily with water; having a greater affinity
for water molecules than they have for each other.
Functional groups
A group of atoms that confers distinctive properties
on an organic molecule (or region of a molecule) to which it is attached, e.g., hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxyl, amino, phosphate, sulfhydryl groups.
Methyl group
A nonpolar functional group; abbreviated ¬CH3.
Hydroxyl group
Polar functional group; abbreviated
¬OH.
Carbonyl group
A polar functional group consisting of a carbon
attached to an oxygen by a double bond; found in aldehydes and ketones.
Aldehyde
An organic molecule containing a carbonyl group bonded to at least one hydrogen atom
Ketone
An organic molecule containing a carbonyl group bonded to two carbon atoms
Amino group
A weakly basic functional group; abbreviated ¬NH2.
Phosphate group
A weakly acidic functional group that can release
one or two hydrogen ions
Sulfhydryl group
Functional group abbreviated ¬SH; found in
organic compounds called thiols.
Macromolecules
A very large organic molecule, such as a protein or
nucleic acid. Typically composed of thousands of molecule chains
Polymers
A molecule built up from repeating subunits of the same general type (monomers); examples include proteins, nucleic acids, or polysaccharides.
Monomers
A molecule that can link with other similar molecules; two monomers join to form a dimer, whereas many form a polymer. Monomers are small or large
Hydrolysis reaction
Reaction in which a covalent bond between two subunits is broken through the addition of the equivalent of a water molecule; a hydrogen atom is added to one subunit and a hydroxyl group to the other.
Condensation reaction
A reaction in which two monomers are combined covalently through the removal of the equivalent of a water molecule.
Carbohydrates
Compound containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen,
in the approximate ratio of C:2H:O, e.g., sugars, starch, and cellulose.
Monosaccharides
A sugar that cannot be degraded by hydrolysis to a simpler sugar
Disaccharides
A sugar produced by covalently linking two monosaccharides
Glucose
(C6H12O6), A hexose aldehyde sugar that is central to many metabolic processes.