Chapter 5 - Molecules of Life Flashcards
All biological macromolecules are made up of four classes namely:
- Carbohydrates
- Proteins
- Nucleic acids
- Lipids
Describe the relation between polymers, monomers and macromolecules
Monomers are similar/identical molecules that are covalently bonded to make chains of polymer
Monomer + Monomer = Polymer
How do monomers bond to create a polymer?
Through a dehydration reaction. When two molecules of monomers covanlently bond, they lose H2O.
What is it called when H2O is added to the chain to break the polymer chain?
Hydrolysis
Which three class of macromolecules are made up of polymers?
Nucleic acids, proteins and carbohydrates
what are the monomers of carbohydrates called?
monosaccharides/simple sugars
what is it called when a chain of monosaccharides bond together?
polysaccharides
explain disaccharides
when two monosaccharides covalently bond with one another
can different types of monomers exist in one class of macromolecules?
yes absolutely
what’s the most common monosaccharide called?
1. fructose
2. sucrose
3. ketose
4. glucose
Glucose
(C6H12O6)
how does the body recognize the different types of monosaccharides (simple sugars) in our bodies?
through the location of the carbonyl groups (whether they are ketose or aldehyde)
and through the numbers of carbon in the skeleton group
What are the three main ingredients of a monosaccharide?
Hydrogen+ carbon + oxygens
COH
What is the relationship between Aldose sugars and Ketose sugars?
They are two structural isomers that make up the two of the most fundamental monosaccaride groups
What is the difference between Aldose sugars and Ketose sugars?
Aldose - placed at the end of the chain known as the aldehyde group
Ketose - placed in the middle of the chain known as the ketone group
What are three carbon sugars called?
Trioses
What are five carbon sugars called?
Pentoses
Why are the five carbon sugars so important? (pentose)
Because one of the pentoses make up an important monosaccharide - ribosome which is the backbone component of RNA and DNA
What are six carbon sugars called?
Hexose
What are some common hexoses? do these hexoses consist of a different molecular formula?
Glucose
Fructose
Galactose
No, the monosaccharides pf same sugar groups do not contain different types of molecular formula, they are isomers
are the monosaccharides forming a linear chain chemically?
Sugar groups containing more than 5 carbons (pentose) are all in ring forms due to the attraction between different groups
What is the covalent bond between a carbohydrate molecule and another group called?
Does this covalent bond lose the H2O in the process?
A glycosidic bond,
yes
Glucose + Glucose =
Maltose
Sucrose = _____ + ______
Glucose + fructose
What are the two main functions of polymers of sugars (polysaccharides)? Give a brief example
Storage and structure
storage - sugars such as starch containing energy for plants
structure - sugars are backbones of a cell wall in wood
Starch and Glycogen serve what functions as a polysaccaharide?
Storage of energy
What are storage polysacccharides of plants called? What sugar groups are they made of?
Starch - made entirely of glucose monomers
What are animal and human storage polysaccharides called? Where is it stored?
Glycogen; in the liver/muscle cells
How do storage polysaccharides give energy to plants/animals/humans?
Because glucose contains a lot of energy, breaking those bonds down releases the energy which the cell then uses
How do you differentiate between starch and glycogen based on the chemical structure?
Starch is mostly linear in shape and structure unlike glycogen which branches out more in shape
Name the structural polysaccharide of plants
Cellulose
How are structural polysaccharides different from storage polysaccarides?
It is due to a difference of the placement of OH in the sugar rings. Storage polysaccharide’s molecule»_space; -OH is placed on the bottom of the sugar ring and Structural polysaccaride’s OH is placed on the top of the sugar ring
Storage - DOWN
Structure - UP
What is the difference between Beta and Alpha linkages?
When OH molecules placed on top of the sugar ring, they are called beta linkages.
When OH molecules placed on bottom of the ring are called alpha linkages.
What’s the most prevalent polysaccharide on earth? Why?
Cellulose, because all plants have this structural polymer
Why do different enzymes exist for the Alpha and Beta linkages occuring in polysaccharides?
Because an enzyme that breaks down Alpha linkages cannot break down Beta type of linkages and vice versa
So our body cannot digest wood or cellulose
What is the structural polysaccharide of fungis/insects called? Where are they found?
Chitin, in the exoskeleton
What is chitin made of?
N-acetylglucosamine
Why do lipids not form polymers?
Because they contain hydrocarbons which make them very hydrophobic and avoid covalent bonding
What are the three major subclasses of lipids?
Stereoids, fats and phospholipids
Describe the structure of a Fat (Triacylglycerol)
How do they bond?
three **fatty acids **(hydrocarbons) are joint to a glycerol chain acting as a backbone
They bond through a dehydration reaction where glycerol and datty acids link together
Glycerol + fatty acids
Which functional groups do fatty acids contain?
Carbonyl
what are the two types of fatty acids called?
Saturated and Unsatured fatty acids
Which type of fatty acid has no double bonding
Saturated
Which fatty acid has the max number of hydrogen bonds?
Saturated
Which fatty acids have one or more cis double bonds?
Unsaturated
What are the main functions of Fat? Why?
Energy storage? because they are hydrocarbon rich meaning breaking those bonds releases a lot of energy
Why are the structure of Saturated and Unsaturated fatty acids different?
Because Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds, they pack together tightly
because unsaturated fatty acids have** one or more cis double bonds at the edge**, they form kinks and are more spaced out
Which fatty acids cannot stay solid (are liquids) at room temperature?
Unsaturated
Since butter is solid, is it saturated or unsaturated fatty acid?
Saturated
Why can’t our body digest trans fat?
Because the trans fat is a cis isomer of a fatty acid, our body’s enzyme cannot recognize it and as a result, cannot digest it
How is a trans fat created? Describe the process
It uses the chemical process of hydrogenation
(it adds hydrogen to the unsatured fat creating a saturated fat)
Describe the structure of a phospholipid
Two fatty acids + Glycerol (backbone) + Phosphate group (head of group)
Explain the concept of a self assembly in forming chemical molecules? Give an example
When there’s no need for an enzyme molecules to bond together
- the creation of the phospholipd bilayer
Structure of a stereoid
Lipids characterized by a carbon skeleton of four fused rings
What are some subtypes of stereoids?
Testosterone, estrogen, cholestrol
Amino acid that is most hydrophobic
Alanine
How many amino acids are there
5
