Chemistry Flashcards
Amino Acids
Organic molecule made of an amino (base) group and an acid group, covalently bonds to polypeptide chains.
(Central role/building block of making proteins. There are 20. Humans can produce 10)
Polypeptide
Polymer of many amino acids, linked by peptide bonds
Peptide
Two or more amino acids joined together by covalent bonding.
Peptide Bond
Type of covalent bond that joins two amino acids.
Protein
Molecule consisting of one or more polypeptides; a macronutrient in the diet that is digested to the amino acids used by cells to synthesize cellular proteins.
Polymer
Macromolecule consisting of covalently bonded monomers. For example, a polypeptide is a polymer of monomers called amino acids.
Monomer
Small molecule that is a subunit of a polymer—e.g., glucose is a monomer of starch.
Octet rule
When an atom has two or more electron shells, the outer shell will be most stable if it contains eight electrons. For example, during the formation of sodium chloride, an electron is transferred from the sodium atom to the chlorine atom; both atoms have eight electrons in the outer shell at the completion of the reaction.
As hydrogen ions increase-
As the number of hydrogen ions in a solution increases, the pH of the solution decreases. A pH below 7 is acidic because the hydrogen ion concentration [H+] is greater than the hydroxide concentration [OH–].
Functional Groups
Specific cluster of atoms attached to the carbon skeleton of organic molecules that enters into reactions and behaves in a predictable way.
Carboxyl group
Carboxylic acids are organic acids that contain a carbon atom that participates in both a hydroxyl and a carbonyl functional group.
Associated with fatty acids
Carboxylic acids can exhibit hydrogen bonding with themselves, especially in non- polar solvents; this leads to increased stabilization of the compounds and elevates their boiling points.
Phospholipids
Phospholipids are constructed like fats; they have a charged phosphate group in place of the third fatty acid. The hydrophilic head group is soluble in water, whereas the two hydrophobic tail groups are not, causing the molecules to arrange themselves as a bilayer in the plasma membrane that surrounds a cell.
Covalent bond joined with dehydration reaction
When joined by a dehydration reaction, the covalent bond between the carboxyl groups of two amino acids is called a peptide bond. Since oxygen is more electronegative than nitrogen, the atoms associated with the peptide bond share the electrons unevenly.
Ribose
Ribose is a five-carbon sugar (a phosphate group and four nitrogen-containing bases) present in RNA.
Couple Reaction
In a coupled reaction, one reaction releases energy and the second uses energy. A coupled reaction brings them together in such a way that the energy-releasing reaction can drive the energy-requiring reaction.
