Lecture 1

Question 1

Properties of life

Answer 1

order, energy processing, sensitivity/response to stimuli, reproduction, growth/development, regulation/homeostasis, adaptation, evolution

Question 2

Water

Answer 2

Polar with extensive H bonding, good solvent of polar molecules. Poor solvent of hydrophobic molecules, stabilises temp (evaporative cooling), buffers temp changes as freezing water releases energy and melting water absorbs it, ice floats, water tension/capillary action, wetting s waterproofing

Question 3

carbs/sugars/saccharides

Answer 3

monosaccharides, composed as Cn(H2O)n. In water, they form ring-like structures. Glucose has 6. disaccharides are two mono joined together. Starches are sugar polymers.

Question 4

Lipids

Answer 4

diverse set of molecules including fats, oils, waxes, steroids, poorly soluble in water, soluble in organic (hydrophobic) solvents. Highly proportions of C/H. Energy stores (triglycerols), signalling molecule (steroids), protection/waterproofing (waxes), structure/barriers (waxes/phospholipids)

Question 5

nucleic acids

Answer 5

nucleotides (a phosphate group which is negative, a sugar and a nucleobase). there are mononucleotides (dAMP), dinucleotides (dADP) and trinucleotides (dATP).

Question 6

alpha amino acids

Answer 6

building blocks of proteins, technically an amino acid with an amino group (-NH2) and a carboxylic acid group (-COOH). But the 20 most occurring amino acids found in proteins and coded by. Our genes have the same alpha structure. In aqueous solutions the amino and acid groups are charges (-NH3+ and COO-). this is the normal state for amino acids in nature