Chapter 3: Vocabulary Flashcards
organic compounds
A chemical compound congaing the ekenebt carbon and usuallysynthesized by cells
hydrocarbon
a chemical compound composed of only the elements carbon and hydrogen
carbon skeleton
the chain of carbon atoms that forms the structural backbone of an organic molecule
isomer
organic compounds with the same molecular formula but different structures and therefore different properties
functional groups
an assemblage of atoms that forms the chemically reactive part of an organic moleule
hydrophilic
“water-loving”, pertaining to polar, or charged, molecules (or parts of molecules) that are soluble in water
hydroxyl group
in an organic molecule, a functional group consisting of a hydrogen atom bonded to an oxygen atom
carbonyl group
in an organic molecule, a functional group consisting of a carbon atom linked by a double bond to an oxygen atom
carboxyl group
in an organic molecule, a functional group consisting of an oxygen atom double-bonded to a carbon atom that is also bonded to a hydroxyl group
carboxylic acids
an organic compound congaing a carboxyl group
amines
an organic compound with one or more amino groups
phosphate group
a functional consisting of a phosphorus atom covalently bonded to four oxygen atoms
macromolecule
a giant molecule in a living organism a protein, carbohydrate, lipid, or nucleic acid
polymer
a large molecule consisting of many identical or similar molecular nits, called monomers, covalently bonded together
dehydration reaction
a chemical process in which a polymer forms as monomers are linked by the removal of water molecules. one molecule of water is removed for each pair of monomers linked. Also called condensation.
monomer
a chemical subunit that serves as a building block of a polymer
hydrolosis
a chemical process in which macromolecules are broken down by the chemical addition of water molecules to the bonds linking their monomers, an essential part of digestion
carbohydrate
member of the class of biological molecules consisting of simple single-monomer sugars (monosaccharides). two-monomer sugars (disaccharides) and other multi-unit sugars.
monosaccharide
the smallest kind of sugar molecule, a single-unit sugar, monosaccharides are the building blocks of more complex sugars and polysaccharides
disaccharide
a sugar molecule consisting of 2 monosacchardies linked by a dehydration reaction
polysaccharide
a carbohydrate polymer consisting of hundreds to thousands of monosaccharides (sugars) linked by covalent bonds
starch
a storage polysaccharide found in the roots of plants and cartain other cells; a polymer of glucose
glycogen
a complex, extensively branched polysaccharide of many glucose monomer, serves as an energy-storage molecule in liver and muscle cells.
cellulose
a large polysaccharide composed of many glucose monomers linked into cable-like fibrils that provide structural support in plant cell walls
lipids
organic compounds consisting mainly of carbon and hydrogen atoms linked by non polar covalent bonds, making the compound mostly hydrophobic. lipids include fats, waxes, phospholipids, and steroids and are insoluble in water
hydrophobic
“water-fearing”; pertaining to non polar molecules (or parts of molecules) that do not dissolve in water
fat
a large lipid molecule made from an alcohol called glycerol and three fatty acids, a triglyceride most fats function as energy-storage molecules.
triglyceride
a fat, which consists of molecules of glycerol linked to three molecules of a fatty acid
unsaturated
pertaining to fats and fatty acids whose hydrocarbon chains lack the maximum number of hydrogen atoms and therefore have one or more double covalent bonds. unsaturated fats and fatty acids do not solidify at room temperature.
saturated
pertaining to fats and fatty acids whose hydrocarbon chains contain the maximum number of hydrogens and therefore have no double covalent bonds. saturated fats and fatty acids and solidify at room temeratire
phospholipids
molecules that are constituent of the inner bilayer of biological membranes, having a polar, hydrophilic head and a non polar, hydrophobic tail.
waxes
types of li[id molecule consisting of one fatty acid linked to an alcohol, functions as a waterproof coating on many biological surfaces, such as apples and other fruits
steroid
a type of lipid whose carbon skeleton is in the form of four fused rings: 3 six-sided rings and one 5-sided rings; examples are cholesterol, testosterone, and estrogen.
anabolic steroid
a synthetic variant of the male hormone testosterone that mimics some of its effects
protein
a biological plymer constructed from amino acid monomers
enzymes
proteins that serve as biological catalysts, changing the rate of chemical reactions without itself being changed into a different molecule in the process
amino acids
an organic molecule containing a carboxyl group and an amino grow[; serves as a monomer of proteins
peptide bond
the covalent linkage between two amino acid units in a polypeptide; formed by dehydration reactions
polypeptide
a chain of amino acids linked by peptide bonds
denaturation
a process in which a protein unravels, losing its specific conformation and hence function; can be caused by changes in pH or salt concentration or by high temperature; also refers to the separation of the two strands of the DNA double helix, caused by similar factors
primary structure
the first level of protein structure; the specific sequence of amino acids making up a polypeptide chain
secondary structure
the second level of a protein structure, the regular [patterns of coils or folds of a polypeptide chain
tertiary structure
the third level or protein structure; the overall, 3-dimensional shape of a polypeptide in a protein
pleated sheet
the folded arrangement of a polypeptide in a protein’s secondary structure
alpha helix
the spiral shape resulting from the coiling of a polypeptide in a protein’s secondary structure
quaternary structure
the fourth level of a protein structure; the shape resulting from the association of two or more polypeptide subunits
nucleic acids
a polymer consisting of many nucleotide monomers; serves as a blueprint for proteins and through the actions of proteins, for all cellular structures and activities. The two types of nucleic acids are DNA and RNA
DNA
deoxyribonucleic acid. he genetic material that organisms inherit from their parents; a double-stranded helical macromolecule consisting o nucleotide monomers with deoxyribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T).
ribonucleic acid
a type o nucleic acid consisting of nucleotide monomers with a ribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and uracil (U), usually single-stranded, functions in protein synthesis and as the genome of some viruses
gene
a discrete unit of hereditary information consisting os a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA in some viruses). Most of the genes of a eukaryote are located in the chromosomal DNA, a few are carried by the DNA of mitochondria and chloroplasts.
nucleotide
an organic monomer consisting of a 5-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group. nucleotides are the building blocks of nucleic acids
nitrogenous base
an organic molecule that is a base containing the element nitrogen
double helix
the form of native DNA, referring to its two adjacent polynucleotide strands wound into a spiral shape
