Chapter 5 - Macromolecules Flashcards
what are the four biological molecules all living things are made up of?
- lipids
- carbohydrates
- proteins
- nucleic acids
what are macromolecules?
are large molecules composed of thousands of covalently connected atoms
what is a polymer?
a long molecule consisting of many similar building blocks (only three of the four building block molecules are polymers)
- Carbohydrates
- Proteins
- Nucleic acids
what is a condensation reaction (dehydration reaction)?
occur when two monomers bond together through the loss of a water molecule
what are enzymes?
enzymes are macromolecules that speed up the dehydration process
what is hydrolysis?
a reaction which occurs when two monomers are split apart by the addition of water. the reverse of a dehydration reaction
what is the key for monomers to form different polymers?
the key is the ARRANGEMENT of monomers to form polymers
what are carbohydrates?
- carbohydrates include sugars and the polymers of sugars
- the simplest carbohydrates are, monosaccharides or simple sugars
- polysaccharides are polymers composed of many sugar building blocks
what are sugars?
monosaccharides have molecular formulas that are usually multiples of CH2O
-classified by the location of the carbonyl group and the number of carbons in the carbon skeleton
in aqueous solutions many sugars form?
in aqueous solutions many sugars form rings
what is a disaccharide?
is formed when two monosaccharides (monomers) join together via dehydration reaction
- used as a readily available energy source
- this covalent bond is called a GLYCOSIDIC LINKAGE
what are glycosidic linkages?
they form between hydroxyl groups and because every monosaccharide contains at least TWO HYDROXYL groups, the location and geometry of glycosidic linkages can vary widely among polysaccharides
what are the two most common glycosidic linkages?
alpha α - 1,4-glycosidic linkages
beta β - 1,4-glycosidic linkages
what are oligosaccharides?
are found bound to cells surface proteins and lipids, and may be used for cell recognition
what are polysaccharides?
the polymer of sugars, have storage and structural roles
- the structure and function of a polysaccharide is determined by its sugar monomers and the position of glycosidic linkages
- also very unstable
what is starch?
a storage polysaccharide of plants, consists entirely of glucose monomers (stored energy)
what are the two types of starch (storage polysaccharides)?
- Amylose - straight line, 1,4 linkages, the angle of the linkage is helical
- Amylopectin - branched, with 1-6, linkages at the branches
what is glycogen?
a branched amylopectin, is a storage polysaccharide in animals
- hydrolysis of glycogen, releases glucose (energy)
what is cellulose?
is a major component of of the tough wall plant cells
- like starch cellulose is a polymer of glucose, but the glycosidic linkages differ
polymers with α glucose are?
helical
polymers with β glucose are?
straight
- enzymes that digest starch by hydrolyzing α linkages cant hydrolyze β linkages in cellulose
what is chitin?
another structural polysaccharide that is found in the exoskeleton of arthropods
what are glycoproteins?
proteins joined to carbohydrates by covalent bonds
- key molecules in cell-cell signalling and recognition