Chapter 5: The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules Flashcards
macromolecule
- a giant molecule formed by the joining of smaller molecules, usually by a dehydration reaction
- polysaccharides, proteins, nucleic acids
polymer
a long molecule consisting of many similar or identical monomers linked together by covalent bonds
monomer
the subunit that serves as the building block of a polymer
enzyme
- a macromolecule serving as a catalyst, a chemical agent that increases the rate of a reaction without being consumed by the reaction
- most are proteins
dehydration reaction
a chemical reaction in which two molecules become covalently bonded to each other with the removal of a water molecule
hydrolysis
a chemical reaction that breaks bonds between two molecules by the addition of water
carbohydrate
a sugar (monosaccharide) or one of its dimers (disaccharides) or polymers (polysaccharides)
monosaccharide
- the simplest carbohydrate, active alone of serving as a monomer for disaccharides and polysaccharides
- aka simple sugars
- have molecular formulas that are generally some multiple of CH2O
polysaccharide
a polymer of many monosaccharides, formed by dehydration reactions
glucose (C6H12O6)
the most common monosaccharide
disaccharide
a double sugar, consisting of two monosaccharides joined by a glycosidic linkage formed by a dehydration reaction
glycosidic linkage
a covalent bond formed between two monosaccharides by a dehydration reaction
starch
a storage polysaccharide in plants, consisting entirely of glucose monomers joined by glycosidic linkages
amylose
an enzyme that hydrolyzes starch (a glucose polymer from plants) and glycogen (a glucose polymer from animals) into smaller polysaccharides and the disaccharide maltose
glycogen
- an extensively branched glucose storage polysaccharide found in the liver and muscle of animals
- the animal equivalent of starch
cellulose
a structural polysaccharide of plant cell walls, consisting of glucose monomers joined by B glycosidic linkages
chitin
a structural polysaccharide, consisting of amino sugar monomers, found in many fungal cells walls and in the exoskeletons of all arthropods
lipid
any of a group of large biological molecules, including fats, phospholipids, and steroids, that mix poorly, if at all, with water
fat
- a lipid consisting of three fatty acids linked to one glycerol molecule
- aka a triacylglycerol or triglyceride
glycerol
a three-carbon alcohol with a hydroxyl group attached to each carbon
fatty acid
- a carboxylic acid with a long carbon chain
- vary in length and in the number and location of double bonds
- three linked to a glycerol molecule form a fat molecule, also called a triacylglycerol or triglyceride
triacylglycerol (triglyceride)
- a lipid consisting of three fatty acids linked to one glycerol molecule
- aka a fat
saturated fatty acid
a fatty acid in which all carbons in the hydrocarbon tail are connected
unsaturated fatty acid
- a fatty acid that has one or more double bonds between carbons in the hydrocarbon tail
- such bonding reduces the number of hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon skeleton
saturated fats
- fats made from saturated fatty acids that are solid at room temperature
- most animal fats
unsaturated fats
- fats made from unsaturated fatty acids that are liquid at room temperature
- plant fats and fish fats
- oils