Intro to Biochemistry Flashcards
Friedrich Wohler synthesized the organic compound ______ by heating the inorganic compound _________
Friedrich Wohler synthesized the organic compound urea by heating the inorganic compound ammonium cyanate
What was shown for the first time by Friedrich Wohler’s experiment of synthesizing urea from the heating of ammonium cyanate?
That compounds found exclusively in living organisms could be synthesized from common inorganic substances
Who discovered stereoisomers?
Louis Pasteur
What are two major breakthroughs in the history of biochemistry mentioned in the textbook?
- Identification of enzymes as catalysts of biological reactions
- Identification of nucleic acids as information molecules
The identification of enzymes as catalysts of biological reactions resulted in part from research of ________ who showed that yeast cells could catalyze the fermentation of glucose to alcohol and CO2
The identification of enzymes as catalysts of biological reactions resulted in part from research of Eduard Buchner who showed that yeast cells could catalyze the fermentation of glucose to alcohol and CO2
What two concepts did Fischer propose about enzymes?
- During catalysis an enzyme and it’s reactant (substrate) combine to form an intermediate compound
- Only a molecule with a suitable structure can serve as a substrate for a given enzyme
What is a key property of enzyme catalysis? (ie what effect does a catalyst have on a reaction)?
Enzyme catalysis allows biological reactions to occur much faster than they would without a catalyst
In addition to speeding up reaction rates, what other effect does catalysis have on biological reactions?
Produce very high yields with few by-products
ie must more efficient than organic reactions because by-products can be toxic and forming them wastes energy
Which three researchers conducted an experiment that led to the conclusion that nucleic acid (DNA) is the genetic material (carries information)
Oswald Avery, Colin Macleod and Maclyn McCarty
What does the central Dogma state?
The unidirectional flow of information from nucleic acid to protein
DNA -transcibed->RNA -translated-> protein
What six non-metal elements make up 97% of the weight of most organisms?
- C
- H
- N
- O
- P
- S
What are the 5 ions essential in all species?
- Ca2+
- K+
- Na+
- Mg2+
- Cl-
Ester and ether linkages are common in ______ and _____
Ester and ether linkages are common in Fatty Acids and Lipids
Amide linkages are found in:
Amide linkages are found in: Proteins
Phosphate Ester and Phophoanhydride linkages occur in:
Phosphate Ester and Phophoanhydride linkages occur in: Nucleotides
What is the most important difference between biochemical reactions and reactions that occur in a laboratory?
Almost all biochemical reactions are catalyzed by enzymes and thus proceed at very high rates
What is the difference between in vivo and in vitro
- in vivo* = takes place inside an organism
- in vitro* = takes place under laboratory conditions
What is a macromolecule?
Biological macromolecules are usually a form of polymer created by joining many smaller organic molecules (monomers) via condensation (removal of the elements of water)
How is each monomer of a given polymer added?
By repeating the same enzyme-catalyzed reaction.
What is the functional group:
R-OH
Alcohol
What is the functional group?
Aldehyde
(carbonyl group (C=O) is terminal)
What is the functional group?
Ketone
(carbonyl group (C=O) is internal)
What is the functional group?
Under most biological conditions these exist as _________
Carboxylic acid
Under most biological conditions carboxylic acids exist as carboxylate anions:
What is the functional group?
Thiol
Covalent bonds between monomers are organized with directional patterns of connectivity. What does this mean?
Directionality = all covalen bonds are in the same orientation (asymmetry in bonds connecting monomers)
What type of bond connects amino acids together to form proteins?
Peptide bond
(aka amine bonds) Nitrogen to carbonyl
What type of bond joins nucleotides together to form nucleic acids?
Phosphodiester bond
What type of bond joins monosaccharides together to form polysaccharides?
Glycosidic bond
Which bonds are stronger, hydrogen bonds or covalent bonds?
Hydrogen bonds are MUCH weaker than covalent bonds. But are more numerous
