Exam 1 Flashcards
Atoms
smallest identifiable unit of matter
What elements make up 96% of all matter in organisms today?
H,C,O,N
valence shell
outermost shell: atoms are most stable when valence shell is filled
covalent bond
the e- in a covalent bond may be shared equally or unequally, depending on the relative electronegativities of the 2 atoms involved
np covalent bonds result from
equal sharing
polar covalent bonds result from
unequal sharing
ionic bonds result from
when an e- is completely transferred from 1 atom to another
Properties of H2O
- the chemical rxns required for life take place in water
- water is polar because it is bent and has 2 polar covalent bonds
- solutes dissolve in H2O - H2O interacts w/polar molecules via hydrogen bonding and ionic attractions
- H2O has an extra high ability to absorb heat and adhere to other H2O molecules because of its ability to hydrogen bond
- H2O spontaneously dissociates into hydrogen ions (or protons H+) and hydroxide ions (OH-). (The concentration of protons in a solution determines the pH which can be altered or stabilized by buffers.)
Beginning of chemical evolution
the 1st step in chemical evolution was the formation of small organic compounds from molecules such as H2 and CO2
How is life carbon based?
carbon is the foundation of organic molecules based on its valence (4 bonding sites), which allows for the construction of molecules w complex shapes; organic molecules are critical to life because they possess versatility of chemical behavior due to the presence of functional groups; functional groups promote further interactions between organic molecules to form macromolecules
Strength order of bonding types
- covalent
- ionic
- hydrogen
- van der waals
covalent bonds
sharing of e- between 2 atoms
np covalent bonds: equal sharing because of less than ~0.5 EN difference
covalent bonds: unequal sharing (partial charges) because of >~0.5, and <~2.0 EN difference
electronegativity (measure of an atoms ability to attract an e- pair) depends on
size of positive charge and distance from positive charge (nucleus)
ionic bonds
- not as common as covalent
- e- transfer from 1 atom to another
- results from EN difference of >~2
- opposites attract: electrostatic interactions
Van der Waals interactions
- interactions between molecules due to e- in atoms constantly moving, creates instantaneous dipoles (charge distributions)
Hydrogen bonds
weak electrostatic interaction between partially (+) hydrogen and partially (-) atoms
Proteins are
macromolecules
Most of the functional molecules in the cell are
proteins
polymers
“many units”, made up of monomers (in proteins, these are aa connected by peptide bonds (covalent connection))
Amino Acid structure
- Amino group: ionized (+ charge) at physiological pH
- Side chain: R-group
- each aa has a diff R-group (20 common aa are used by cells to synthesize proteins)
- side chain gives each aa unique chemical properties
3. Carboxyl group: ionized (- charge) at physiological pH
4. Alpha carbon: central atom within aa
Beta pleated sheet
parallel chains connected by H-bonds between amino and carboxyl groups (but generally not bonds involving R groups)
Alpha Helix
amino acid chain spirals around a central axis: every 4th residue is linked by H-bonds between amino and carboxyl group, but generally not bonds involving R groups
R groups tend not to contribute to alpha helix or beta pleated sheet, BUT
they often do inhibit the generation of these secondary structures
How might R-groups prevent beta pleated sheet formation?
- charged R groups w/same charge repel
- hydrophobic R group adjacent to polar or charged aa (or to H2O)
- large size interferes with association
Tertiary structure
the 3D conformation of the whole polypeptide chain
Quaternary structure
protein structure resulting from the association of multiple polypeptide subunits
(generally proteins require assembly of 2+ polypeptides to carry out their function)
(generally they are non covalently associated with each other (van der waals + some H-bonds/ionic bonds)
Domain definition
Region of a polypeptide that folds or functions independently
sometimes even a single aa can change significantly how a protein functions
e. g. sickle cell (single aa change in hemoglobin protein)
- the change makes the proteins stick more to each other (become more attracted to each other), makes blood sickle
Allosteric regulation
regulation of proteins function by binding of a specific molecules that causes a change in the proteins shape
*non-covalent
*reversible
allosteric regulation examples
receptor proteins, gated channel proteins, enzymes
receptor proteins: allosteric regulation
the receptor proteins sense specific molecules in the environment + get activated by their presence
gated channel proteins: allosteric regulation
allow specific molecules across membranes (visual: the molecules open the hatch)
enzymes: allosteric regulation
catalyze specific chemical rxns when active
a eukaryotic cell typically expresses 5,000-10,000 diff types of proteins
with an average of 10,000 to 50,000 molecules of each type of protein per cell
Why do cells need energy?
They are highly organized, thus need energy to maintain organization
bioenergetics
the study of how living things use and convert energy
energy
the capacity to do work
Potential energy
stored energy, often stored in chemical bonds in living system
kinetic energy
energy released
thermodynamics
study of changes in energy states: by knowing how much energy is required for an event to occur and how much energy is available, we can predict whether the event will occur
How do we know if a chemical rxn will take place or not?
Gibbs free energy
Gibbs free energy
(G) - the amount of energy in a chemical rxn available to do work = free energy in a system
a spontaneous rxn will occur without further energy input = an increase in disorder as a result of rxn
e.g. sucrose –> glucose + fructose
Change in G =
Gaft - Gbef
Endergonic rxns
non spontaneous, results in greater order and higher PE (positive change in G)
Exergonic rxns
spontaneous, results in greater disorder, and lower PE (negative change in G)
Cells need inputs of energy to make endergonic rxns happen
true
How do endergonic rxs happen in cells
- coupled rxns: use energy released from an exergonic rxn to drive an endergonic rxn
- variation in the relative concentration of molecules involved in rxn (relative conc. of reactants and products influences direction of rxn)
Coupled rxns: example 1 - redox rxns
redox rxns involved exchange of e- (and protons) between redox pairs
require:
1. reductant = e- donor = reducing agent (ex: CH4)
- in many redox rxns, the e- come from H
2. Oxidant = e- acceptor = oxidizing agent (ex: O2)
*e- donors and acceptors are always paired in redox rxns (no free e-)
*e- often move w/protons in biological systems: depicted as “H” <–(H+ + e-)
The shift in location of electrons causes a change in G, can be exergonic (releases energy)!