Exam 1 Practice Flashcards
What are the six most important chemical elements of life?
CHONPS (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphate, sulfur)
Is CH4 an organic molecule?
Yes. Compounds that contain carbon are said to be organic
Which element is always associated with organic chemistry?
Carbon
What is the three-dimensional shape created by hybrid orbitals that are formed when a carbon atom is covalently bonded with four other atoms?
a tetrahedron with carbon in the center
A straight-chain carbon compound constructed from __________ must contain at least one carbon-carbon double bond.
6 hydrogen atoms and 3 carbon atoms.
What is the reason carbon atoms are the most versatile building blocks of the molecules used by living organisms?
Each carbon atoms acts as an intersection point from which a molecule can branch off in up to four directions.
What are the properties of hydrocarbons?
hydrophobic, nonpolar, good source of stored energy
What is present in all amino acids?
-NH2
What is found in all amino acids?
both —COOH and —NH2
Ethanol, propanol, and methanol are three simple alcohols. They can be grouped together because they __________
share the same functional group: a hydroxyl
What molecules have a carboxyl functional group?
R—COOH
What molecules is a weak base?
R—NH2.
Which molecule is a weak acid?
R-COOH
What best describes a unique functional property of the carboxyl group?
The covalent bond between oxygen and hydrogen is so polar that hydrogen ions tend to dissociate from oxygen reversibly.
What functional group is associated with a release of energy when removed from the carbon skeleton with water?
phosphate groups
What is ATP’s importance in the cell?
ATP stores the potential to react with water, thereby removing a phosphate group and releasing energy for cellular processes.
Organic chemistry is currently defined as
the study of carbon compounds
Which chemical group is most likely to be responsible for an organic molecule behaving as a base
amino
Which action could produce a carbonyl group?
the replacement of the –OH of a carboxyl group with hydrogen
Although cells are 70–95% water, the rest consists of mostly
carbon-based compounds
how does carbon enter the biosphere?
when photosynthetic organisms use the sun’s energy to transform CO2 into organic molecules, which are transferred to primary consumers.
most organic compounds contain
hydrogen atoms
how many electrons does a carbon atom have?
- 2 in the first electron shell and 4 in the second shell
what is the source of carbon for all organic molecules found in organisms?
CO2 or carbon dioxide
What is Urea?
Urea, CO(NH2)2, is a simple organic molecule in which each atom forms covalent bonds to complete its valence shell
What are hydrocarbons?
Organic molecules that consist of only carbon and hydrogen atoms
Hydrocarbon is the major component of what?
petroleum
what is hydrogenation?
The addition of hydrogen to a compound, especially to solidify an unsaturated fat or fatty acid
what does it mean to say we are hydrogenating a vegetable oil
process where manufacturers add hydrogen to a liquid fat, such as vegetable oil, to turn it into a solid fat at room temperature
cis v trans
Cis isomers are molecules with the same connectivity of atoms. They feature same side groups placed on the same side of a double bond. Trans isomers feature molecules with same side groups placed on opposite sides of a double bond.
isomer v isotope
Isotopes are different atoms of the same element. Isomers are different compounds with the same molecular formula
what are fats?
biological molecules that have long hydrocarbon tails attached to a nonhydrocarbon component
what are isomers?
compounds that have the same molecular formula but different structures and, therefore, different chemical properties
what are structural isomers?
they have the same molecular formula but differ in the covalent arrangement of atoms.
what are geometric isomers?
they have the same covalent partnerships but differ in the spatial arrangement of atoms around a carbon-carbon double bond. the double bond does not allow the atoms to rotate freely around the bond axis
what are enantiomers?
molecules that are mirror images of each other. (left and right hand)
when are enantiomers possible?
when four different atoms or groups of atoms are bonded to an asymmetric carbon
do enantiomers have any differences?
yes! one is biologically active, while the other is inactive
does the distinctive properties of an organic molecule depend on only the arrangement of its carbon skeleton?
no! it also depends on the chemical groups attached to that skeleton
what do functional groups affect?
they are compounds that affect molecular function through their direct involvement in chemical reactions
what are the seven chemical groups that are most important to the chemistry of life?
hydroxyl, carboxyl, carboxyl, amino, sulfhydral, phosphate, and methyl groups
which chemical group is hydrophobic?
methyl
which chemical compounds are functional groups? are they hydrophobic or hydrophilic?
hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxyl, amino, sulfhydryl, and phosphate. they are hydrophilic and increase the solubility of organic compounds in water
are methyl groups reactive?
no, but they serve as important markers on organic molecules
what is -OH
Hydroxyl group
how do hydroxyl groups increase the solubility of organic molecules?
they form a polar covalent bond with an oxygen atom.
what ends with -OL
Alcohol, which are organic compounds with hydroxyl groups
what is >CO
carbonyl groups
what does the carbonyl consist of?
an oxygen atom joined to the carbon skeleton by a double bond
what if the carbonyl group is on the end of the skeleton?
its an aldehdye
what if the carbonyl group is within the carbon skeleton?
its a ketone
what is -COOH
carboxyl groups
what does the carboxyl group consist of?
a carbon atom with a double bond to an oxygen atom and a single bond to the oxygen atom of a hydroxyl group
what are compounds with carboxyl groups called?
carboxylic acids
how does a carboxyl group act as an acid?
the combined electronegativities of the
two adjacent oxygen atoms increase the chance of dissociation of hydrogen as an
ion (H+).
what is -NH4
an amino group
what does an amino group consist of?
a nitrogen atom bonded to two hydrogen atoms and the carbon skeleton.
what are organic compounds with amino groups called?
amines
how does an amino group act as a base?
it can pick up a hydrogen ion (H+) from the
solution
what groups do amino acids have?
amino and carboxyl groups
what is -SH
a sulfhydryl group
what does a sulfhydryl group consist of?
a sulfur atom bonded to a hydrogen atom and to the backbone
what are thiols?
organic molecules with sulfhydryl groups
what is -OPO3^2
phosphate groups
what does a phosphate group consist of?
a phosphorus atom bound to four oxygen atoms (three with single bonds and one with a double bond).
what is one function of a phosphate group?
transferring energy between organic molecules
what is ATP or Adenosine triphosphate?
the primary energy transfer molecules in living cells
what is the break down of fat?
hydrolysis
what forms fats?
dehydration
what is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats?
saturated fats are usually solid at room temperature while unsaturated are usually liquid. saturated fats are also a straight line while unsaturated fats have a kink
what is adipose tissue’s purpose?
energy storage, structural support for your body, and insulates
what are monosaccharides classified by?
location of the carbonyl group and the number of carbons in the carbon skeleton
is aldehyde fruity?
no
is fructose fruity?
yes
what do carbohydrates include?
sugar and polymers of sugar
what are the simplest carbohydrates?
monosaccharides or simple sugars
what determines a polysaccharide’s architecture or function?
its sugar monomers and the positions of its glycosidic linkage
what is the simplest form of starch?
amylose
when does glycogen release glucose?
when blood sugar falls
what is an example of something made up of chitin?
bug exoskeletons
what does ester linkage lead to?
triglyceride
what is the unifying feature of lipids?
they are hydrophobici
what are fats made up of?
the base of a glycerol molecule with 3 fatty acid chains
what has a positive charge
protons
what is the element’s atomic number?
the number of protons in its nucleus
what is an element’s mass number?
the sum of protons plus neutrons in the nucleus
what is a covalent bond?
sharing of a pair of valence electrons by two atoms. usually 2 non metals
what is an ionic bond?
one atom loses an electron to another atom. usually a metal atom loses an electron to a nonmetal atom
Hydrogen bonding occurs in molecules when
a hydrogen atom bonded to F, O, or N is attracted to an electron pair on a F, O, or N atom on an adjacent molecule.
