Exam 1: Chp 1

Question 1

What are the 4 properties of living systems?

Answer 1

1) Complex and organized
2) Biological structures have functional purposes
3) Energy transformation
4) Self replication

Question 2

What are the six elements included in biomolecules?

Answer 2

Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur

Question 3

Why is carbon well suited for generating complex biomolecules?

Answer 3

Forms 4 bonds, tetrahedral structure, chains, branches, and rings

Question 4

Define the biological structural hierarchy

Answer 4

Simple molecules are units for complex molecules

Question 5

List the biological structural hierarchy

Answer 5

Inorganic precursors
Metabolites
Building blocks
Macromolecules
Supramolecular Complex

Question 6

What are some inorganic precursors in the biological structural hierarchy?

Answer 6

CO2, NH3, N2, H2O

Question 7

What are metabolites in the biological structural hierarchy? Examples?

Answer 7

Simple organic molecules such as pyruvate and glyveraldehydes

Question 8

What are the building blocks in the biological structural hierarchy?

Answer 8

Amino Acids, Fatty Acids, Monosaccharides, and Nucleotides

Question 9

What are the macromolecules in the biological structural hierarchy?

Answer 9

Nucleic Acids, Proteins, Lipids/Membranes, and Polysaccharides

Question 10

What properties of biomolecules facilitates information storage?

Answer 10

Having structural polarity (beginning and end) so the cell knows where to stop and stop reading
Sequential order that is not too simple or repetitive

Question 11

What are Vanderwals Interactions?

Answer 11

Interactions between molecules caused by temporarily induced dipoles

Question 12

What are hydrogen bonds?

Answer 12

A charge attraction between a positive or partial positive hydrogen and negative or partial negative oxygen or nitrogen with lone pairs

Question 13

What are ionic bonds?

Answer 13

A charge attractions between positive/partial positive and negative/partial negative molecules, most common in metals

Question 14

What are hydrophobic interactions?

Answer 14

tendency of non polar molecules to cluster together water because it increases entropy

Question 15

Why are biological conditions restricted to a narrow range of conditions?

Answer 15

Biological molecules are sensitive to changes in pH, temperature, and ion concentration because these interfere with the weaker non covalent forces that hold together the biological molecule’s structure

Question 16

Why are biological reactions restricted to sequential reactions that release small amounts of energy?

Answer 16

Large releases of energy could disrupt noncovalent interactions that support biomolecular structure.
Sequential reactions allows the cell to accommodate for change in conditions at each step.

Question 17

Why is it important for biological molecules to have a unique 3D structure?

Answer 17

Complimentary structures are how biomolecules identify ligands
Gives them organization and sequence
Provides stability when needed

Question 18

What is a ligand?

Answer 18

A molecule that binds to a biomolecule for function

Question 19

Why is it important that non covalent forces mediate interactions between a ligand and a biomolecules?

Answer 19

Because these interactions are weaker thus reversibles and biomolecules can then be reused

Question 20

What is denaturation and what does it lead it?

Answer 20

Loss of structure leads to loss of function

Question 21

What is an enzyme?

Answer 21

A bimolecular catalyst consisting of protein that is specific to the molecule(s) it interacts with

Question 22

How do enzymes affect reaction rate and overall thermodynamics?

Answer 22

They lower the activation energy of a reaction to increase the reaction rate, not affecting the overall amount of free energy released by the reaction