Foundations In Biology Flashcards
Outline how a student could prepare a temporary mount of tissue for a light microscope
Obtain thin section of tissue
Place plant tissue in drop of water
Stain tissue on a slide
As coverslip using mounted needle
Describe how light microscopes work
Lenses focus rays of light and magnify
Different structures absorb different amounts of light
Reflected light is transmitted to the observer via objective lens and eyepiece
Describe how a transmission electron microscope works
Beam of electrons through specimen
More dense structures appear darker
Focus image onto flourescent screen or photographic plate using magnetic lenses
Describe how a scanning electron microscope works
Focus beam of electrons onto surface using electromagnetic lenses
Reflected electrons hit a collecting device and are amplified to produce an image on a photographic plate
How a laser scanning confocal microscope works
Focus laser beam using objective lenses
Pluorophores in the sample emit photons
Photomuliplier tube amplifies the signal onto a detector an image is produced pixel by pixel
Calculate actual size
Actual size=image size/ magnification
Define magnification and resolution
Magnification=factor by which the image is larger than the actual specimen
Resolution=smallest separation distance at which 2 separate structures can be distinguished from each other
Why do samples need to be stained
Facilitates absorption of wavelengths of light to produce image and to differentiate structures
Mag. And res of a light microscope
Mag=×2000
Res=200nm
Mag and res TEM
Mag=×500000
Res=0.5nm
Mag and res SEM
Mag=×500000
Res=3-10nm
How to use an eyepiece graticule and stage micrometer
Place micrometer on stage to calibrate eye piece graticule
Count how many graticule divisions are in 100micrometers on the micrometer
Length of 1 eyepiece division=100 micrometers/ number of divisions
Use calibrated values to calculate actual length of structures
7 biologically important properties of water
Maximum density at 4°c
High surface tension
Incompressible
Solvent
High specific heat capacity
High latent heat of vaporisation
Cohesion
Why is it good for water to be incompressible
Provides turgidity to plant cells
Provides hydrostatic skeleton for some small animals like earthworms
Explain why ice floats on water
I’ve is less dense because of hydrogen bonds
Insulates water so aquatic organisms can survive
Why is it good for water to have high surface tension
Slows water loss due to transpiration
Some insects can skim across the surface of water
Water as a solvent
Dissolves and transports charged particles involved in intra&extracellular reactions
High specific heat capacity and high latent of vaporisation of water
Acts as a temperature buffer
Cooling effect when water evaporates from skin
Define monomer and polymer
Monomer:smaller units that join together to form larger molecules.
Polymer:formed when monomers join together
What happens in condensation and hydrolysis reactions
Condensation: Bond forms and water is produced
Hydrolysis: water is used to break a bond
Properties of alpha glucose
Small and water soluble- easily transported in blood stream
What type of bonds between monosaccharides
1,4 or 1,6 glycosidic bonds
3 disaccharides
Maltose: glucose and glucose
Sucrose:glucose and fructose
Lactose:glucose and galactose
Structure and function of starch
Storage polymer of alpha glucose
Insoluble, large
Made from amylose:1,4 glycosidic bonds helix shape and compact
Made from amylopectin: 1,4&1,6 glycosidic bonds branched
Structure and function of glycogen
Storage polymer of alpha glucose in animals
1,4 and 1,6 g bonds
Branched
Insoluble
Compact
Structure and function of cellulose
Polymer of beta glucose gives rigidity to plant cell walls
1,4 g bonds
Straight chain-unbranched
Alternate glucose molecules rotated 180°
H-bond crosslinks between parallel strands form microfibrils- high tensile strength
How do triglycerides form
Condensation reaction between 1 glycerol and 3 fatty acids forming ester bonds
Structure and function of triglycerides
High energy: mass ratio= high calorific value (energy storage)
Insoluble hydrocarbon chain= used for waterproofing
Slow conductor of heat= thermal insulation
Less dense than water= buoyancy
Structure and function of phospholipids
Glycerol backbone 2 hydrophobic fatty acid tails and 1 hydrophilic polar phosphate head
Forms phospholipid bilayer
General structure of an amino acid
COOH group
R variable group
NH2 amine group
How polypeptide form
Condensation reaction forms peptide bonds
Primary and secondary protein structure
Primary-sequence number and type of amino acids
Secondary- h-bonds form alpha helix and beta pleated sheets
Tertiary protein structure
Disulfide bridges
Ionic bonds
Hydrogen bonds
Hydrophobic/phillic interactions
Quaternary protein structure
More that one poly peptide chain
Structure and function globular proteins
Spherical and compact
Usually water soluble
Involved in metabolic processes e.g amylase, insulin and haemoglobin
Structure and function of fibrous proteins
Can form long chains or fibres
Insoluble in water
Structural function
Functions of collagen elastin and keratin
Collagen: component of bones cartilage tendons etc
Elastin: elasticity to arteries,skin,lungs,cartilage,ligaments
Keratin: component of hair,nails,hooves,claws,epithelial cells of outer skin layer
Test for proteins
Buiret test
Equal volumes of sodium hydroxide to sample
Drops of copper(II) sulfate solution
Mix
Positive result= blue->purple
Test for lipids
Dissolve in ethanol
Add equal volume of water and shake
Positive result= milky white emulsion
Test for reducing sugars
Add benedicts reagent
Heat in water bath 100°c for 5 mins
Positive result= blue-> orange&brick red precipitate forms
Test for non reducing sugars
Hydrolyse non reducing sugars by adding 1cm^3 of HCl heat for 5 mins
Neutralise solution with sodium carbonate solution
Proceed with usual benedicts test
Test for starch
Add iodine
Positive = orange->blue black
Measure the concentration of a solution quantitavely
Use colorimetry to measure absorbance
Use biosensors
Rf values
Ratios that allow comparison of how far molecules have moved in chromatograms
Rf value=distance between origin and centre of pigment spot/ distance between origin and solvent front
Pentose sugars in DNA &RNA
DNA= deoxyribose
RNA=ribose
How polynucleotide strands are formed and broken down
Condensation between nucleotides dorm phosphodiester bonds hydrolysis reactions break these bonds
Enzymes catalyse these reactions
Structure of DNA
Double helix of 2 polynucleotide strands H-bonds between complementary base pairs (AT and CG) in strands that run antiparallel
Purine bases
Adenine and guanine
Two ring molecules
Primitive bases
Thymine cytosine uracil
One ring molecules
Complementary base pairs
DNA 2 h bonds AT
RNA-2 h bonds AU
both- 3 h bonds GC
What is semiconservative replication
Strands from original DNA act as templates