Important Biochemical Molecules Flashcards
Hydrophillic substances
Dissolve into water
Slightly negative oxygen attracts the slightly positive ions and the slightly positive hydrogen attracts the slightly negative ions
Hydrophobic substances
Do not dissolve into water
Acids
Ionize in water to form hydrogen ions
Bases
Dissociate to form hydroxide ions
Neutral solutions
Number of hydrogen ions = number of hydroxide ions
Buffer
Mixture of chemicals that can neutralize small amounts of strong acids or bases
Blood contains carbonic acid-bicarbonate to maintain between 7.35 and 7.45
Carbohydrates
Made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
Most are excellent sources of energy
Monosaccharide
Simple sugars made of a singular sugar unit
Monomer, can combine with similar molecules to form polymers, larger more complex compounds
Disaccharide
2 monosaccharides are joined together through a synthesis reaction
glucose and a fructose combine causing them to be linked by an oxygen atom and creating water as a biproduct
Polysaccharide/complex carbohydrates
Made of many sugar units linked together
Lipids
Non-polar compounds that contain carbon, hyudrogen and oxygen
Percentage of carbon to hydrogen bonds is much higher
Triglyceride
Class of Lipids
Form when a glycerol molecule bonds with 3 fatty acid chains in 3 dehydration synthesis reactions
Hydrogen from the glycerol links with the hydroxide from the fatty acids making 3 waters and the triglyceride
Whether it is liquid or solid depends on the number of double bonds
Saturated: no double bonds
Unsaturated: one or more double bonds
Phospholipids
Make cell membranes
Made of a glycerol molecule connected to 2 fatty acids (hydrophobic) and a phosphate head (hydrophilic)
Steroids
Lipid molecules with a 4 ring structures
Waxes
Long, stable lipid molecules made of fatty acid chains attached to alcohol molecules or carbon rings
Proteins
Made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen
Made of polypeptides (a polymer of amino acids)
What is the structure of an amino acid?
Contain :
An amino group (NH2)
A carboxyl group (COOH, C is the central atom double bonded to an oxygen and bonded to an hydroxide)
A side chain of one or more carbon/hydrogen atoms
A hydrogen atom
How do amino acids become Proteins
Dehydration reaction
Carboxyl group loses its hydroxide ion and the nitrogen loses a hydrogen atom creating a water and a protein
Called a peptide bond
Use of proteins depend on the shape
Denaturation: when a proteins shape changes
- can be caused by acids, bases, heat or salts
Nucleic Acids
Large molecules that store genetic info and info about protein molecules
Made of nucleotides
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid 4 nucleotides - Adenine - Cytosine - Thymine - Guanine Adenine and Thymine pair up Cytosine and Guanine pair up DNA is the only molecule able to contain genes and replicate itself Double helix structure with sugars on the sides
What is a gene
A sequence of Nucleotides that controls the production of a protein
DNA can get mutated
RNA
4 nucleotides - Adenine - Cytosine - Guanine - Uracil Assists with the production of proteins
What are the 4 types of RNA
Messenger (mRNA): takes genetic info from the nucleus to the ribosomes and informs the ribosomes of the order in which nucleotides are combined to make amino acids
Transfer (tRNA): matches the appropriate amino acid to the genetic code
Ribosomal (rRNA): makes part of the structure of ribosomes
Catalytic (cRNA): involved in speeding up biochemical reactions
