intro to biomolecules Flashcards
rutherford atom
nucleus => protons/ neurtrons have weight
protons = + charge
electrons = - charge => no particular weight
shells of atom + stability
full shell = stability
1st shell = 2
2nd = 8
atoms can donate electrons to neighbouring atoms that are missing electrons => electrostratic attraction => holds structure together and its relatively stable
not a very strong bon d= falls apart in water
what feature of water molecules enables ionic substances to dissolve in water
water molecules are polar and are attracted to the + and - ions surrounding them
maintaining ion concentrations
if u remove red blood cell from blood
must suspend it in solution = isotonic => same sort of concentration as extracellular fluid
if too low => cell swells and explodes
too much = shrunken
ionic concentrations must be even between two sides of cell
covalent bonds
Sharing electrons
Can be one from each partner or more
Determines the shape of the molecule
Stronger than ionic bond
takes more energy to break
what statement is true of covalent bonds
Atoms find the ideal separation distance where the electrostatic forces are maximal
polar bonds
not all electrons are shared equally
parts of the molecules are more negatively charged
electrostatic interactions
sugars
same structure => 1 carbon 2 hydrogen 1 oxygen
adopts different shapes => can’t all be recognised by the same enzyme
source of energy of cell
can be joined together => condensation reaction => binds the two together or hydrolysis => break it down to give us energy
can be stored <=> glycogen
stored in muscles + liver => depends on how rapidly you need to access it
liver => break down + generate glucose + supply in other parts of the body
why are some fats described as saturated
fatty acid chains are saturated with hydrogen
fatty acids
saturated = have no double bonds / unsaturated = have one or more double bonds in hydrocarbon tail => double bond is rigid and creates a kink in the chain => other half rotates
=>
hydrophilic/ hydrophobic => amphipathic
carboxyl group at end makes it = negative charge =>
head = hydrophilic
fatty acid tails = 2 => hydrophobic
can be stored as triacyl glycerol that can be converted into energy => ester linkage to glycerol to form triacylglycerols = triaglycerides
important member of cell membranes ]
steroids
4 fused carbon rings
functional groups attached
derived from cholesterol
amino acids
building block to make protein
carbon, carboxyl grp + amino grp on other side and diff side chains
polymerise them to generate a peptide bond
source of energy => conversion
can be used as neurotransmitters
used to make other molecules
nucleotides
carbon nitrogen ring which is bound to a sugar that then has phosphates on it.
short term store of energy => ATP
alot of energy stored between 3 phosphates esp 2 and 3
stores of electrons => NAD/NADP = reducing store for biosynthesis or ATP reduction
nucleoside
carbon nitrogen ring which is bound to a sugar
3 dimensional structure
hydrophobic regions in the middle of the molecule and to have the hydrophilic parts on the outside.
