Lectures 1-12 Dr Pearce Flashcards
What is biology the study of?
Life and the living systems
What are living organisms and how do we identify a living organism?
Living organisms are things are made up of cells, which use energy, respond to stimuli, grow and reproduce, and maintain homeostasis. We can use MRS GREN to help us identify a living organism
What is MRS GREN and what does it stand for?
MRS GREN is an acronym often used to help remember all the necessary features of living organisms. Its stands for Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, growth, Reproduction, Excretion and Nutrition
If an answer isn’t clear in an exam what do you do?
Pick a side and justify why you chose your answer in depth.
Yes or No. There is never a correlation between structure and function in biology
NO, there is often a correlation between structure and function in biology.
How does biology or biochemistry make the world a better place? (2018 EXAM Q)
Biochemistry makes significant contributions to the fields of cell biology, physiology, immunology, microbiology, pharmacology, and toxicology, as well as the fields of inflammation, cell injury, and cancer.
What are two or more processes in biology that require a transfer of energy?
ATP, photosynthesis and respiration
What is discovery science?
Discovery science is a scientific methodology which emphasizes the analysis of large volumes of experimental data with the goal of finding new patterns or correlations
What is hypothesis science?
Hypothesis science is forming an idea or explanation that you then test through study and experimentation.
What is the difference between discovery and hypothesis science?
Discovery science is the analysing of data to find new patterns (answer questions) although hypothesis science is using your own idea and forming your own experiment to find your own data in which may help to answer questions.
When studying for biochemistry do we need to know the specific names of the drugs we are studying for revision?
Yes as this will help you get better grades during your exams.
What will help you get better grades during biochemistry exams?
Using lots of scientific detail and knowledge, proving you listened and remember the lecture content.
Science cant:
Tell right from wrong, make aesthetic judgement (judgement based on feeling), tell you how to use your knowledge, and judge on supernatural phenomena.
What are the four elements that make up most of human body weight and what is the percentage that they make up?
C (Carbon), N (Nitrogen), H (Hydrogen), and O (Oxygen) and these elements make up 97% of the human body’s weight.
What elements make up the rest of the human body weight (around 3-4%)?
Ca (Calcium), P (Phosphorus), K (Potassium), S (Sulfur), Na (Sodium), Cl (Chlorine), Mg (Magnesium).
What is the goal of the orbitals of elements?
To form a full orbital shell.
How many electrons does Hydrogen need to fill its Orbital shell?
Only 1 (Hydrogen is the only element that can have a full orbital shell with only 2 valence electrons)
How many electrons does Oxygen need to fill its Orbital shell?
Two electrons as it already has 6 electrons in its orbital shells
How many electrons does Nitrogen need to fill its orbital shell?
It needs 3 electrons as it only has 5 current electrons in its orbital shells
How many electrons does Carbon need to fill its orbital shell?
It needs 4 electrons as it already has 4 electrons in its orbital shells.
What are covalent bonds?
A chemical bond that involves the sharing of electron pairs between atoms
What is polarity?
Polarity is a separation of electric charge leading to a molecule or its chemical groups having an electric dipole moment, with a negatively charged end and a positively charged end.
When is a molecule polar?
When it has a separation of electric charge with no symmetry in its shape.
When is a molecule non-polar?
When there is no separation of electric charge in the molecule.
True or false? Non-polar and polar molecules do similar things in the human body?
False they work very differently within the human body.
What is a base?
A proton acceptor
What is an acid?
A proton donor
What are important chemical groups in biology?
The hydroxyl group (Alcohol), The carbonyl group (Ketone, Aldehyde), The carboxyl group (Carboxylic acid or organic acid), Amino group (Amine), Sulfhydryl group (Thiol), Phosphate group (Organic Phosphate), Methyl group (Methylated compounds).
What is a cation?
A positively charged Ion.
What is an anion?
A negatively charged Ion.
True or False? Positive charges are attracted for negative charges.
True.
True or False? The important bonds in biology tend to be strong bonds.
False, There are many important bonds in biology which are weak bonds for example Van Der Waals interactions from uneven distributions.
What is the most important bond in biology as it most likely the reason behind everything in the biochemistry course?
Hydrogen bonds
What are hydrogen bonds?
Hydrogen bonds are bonds which occur when a hydrogen is attracted to an electronegative atom although this hydrogen has to be attached to another electronegative atom such as a nitrogen, fluoride, or oxygen atom.
What odd properties does hydrogen bonding give water?
- Cohesion, aka can stick to each other, for example water droplets
- Adhesion, aka can stick to something else, for example sticking to plants
- Is the only liquid that floats on other liquid when in solid formation due to the lattice formed by the hydrogen bonds.
True or False? Water cannot hold energy.
False. Water can hold lots of energy.
True or False? Water forms a lattice and sometimes multiple.
True.
What shape does water’s molecules typically form?
A lattice structure, that is why small bugs are able to walk on water.
What is an ionic bond?
Ionic bonding is a type of chemical bonding that involves the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions (Cations and Anions).
What is a covalent bond?
The sharing of electrons between atoms. This sharing may be even or one atom may hog the electrons.
How many other water molecules can water molecules interact with?
4
What properties does temperature change in molecules?
It changes/represents the average kinetic energy of molecules. Therefore it changes the rate at which chemical reactions occur.
Why does water have such a high heat capacity?
Because water has hydrogen bonding
What is homeostasis?
In biology, homeostasis is the state of steady internal, physical, and chemical conditions maintained by living systems
What is the solution?
A solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances
What is the Solvent?
A solvent is the component of a solution that is present in the greatest amount. It is the substance in which the solute is dissolved. Usually, a solvent is a liquid.
What is the Solute?
A solute is defined as the substance that is dissolved in a solution.
What makes water a good solvent?
Water molecules are small and the molecules are very polar.
What makes water a good solvent in the human body since we are made up of around 80% of water?
Since water molecules are small and very polar the molecules can interact with many other cells and things which makes it much easier for our cells to move around our body rather than if the cells had to move through solids.
What are some examples of water being a good solvent with other molecules?
NaCl (Salt) has a very very high melting point although when mixed in solution with H2O dissolves easily. Also other large molecules or proteins can easily dissolve in H2O although they need to have ionic or polar regions on their surface.
What is diffusion?
Diffusion is the net movement of anything from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration. Diffusion is driven by a gradient in concentration. Nature hates gradients.
What is osmosis?
A process by which molecules of a solvent tend to pass through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one.
What is a semipermeable membrane?
A semipermeable membrane is a membrane that only allows certain types of particles to move through it under certain conditions such as when in solution.
What does hypertonic mean?
In a hypertonic solution the total molar concentration of all dissolved solute particles is more than that of another solution or more than that of a cell.
What does isotonic mean
Denoting or relating to a solution having the same osmotic pressure as some other solution, especially one in a cell or a body fluid.
What does hypotonic mean?
In a hypotonic solution the total molar concentration of all dissolved solute particles is less than that of another solution or less than that of a cell.
What is osmotic pressure?
The pressure needed to stop the osmotic flow is the osmotic pressure
What are the four classes of biomolecules that all living things are made up of?
Carbohydrates, Lipids, Nucleic Acids, and Proteins.
What are carbohydrates?
A carbohydrate is a biomolecule consisting of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. When you eat carbs, your body breaks them down into simple sugars, which are absorbed into the bloodstream. As the sugar level rises in your body, the pancreas releases a hormone called insulin. Insulin is needed to move sugar from the blood into the cells, where the sugar can be used as an energy source
What are Lipids?
In biology and biochemistry, a lipid is a biomolecule that is soluble in nonpolar solvents. The functions of lipids include storing energy, signaling, and acting as structural components of cell membranes. Although the term “lipid” is sometimes used as a synonym for fats, fats are a subgroup of lipids called triglycerides.
What are nucleic acids?
Nucleic acid is an important class of macromolecules found in all cells and viruses. The functions of nucleic acids have to do with the storage and expression of genetic information. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) encodes the information the cell needs to make proteins. A related type of nucleic acid, called ribonucleic acid (RNA), comes in different molecular forms that participate in protein synthesis.
What are proteins?
Proteins are large biomolecules, or macromolecules, consisting of one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Protein has many roles in your body. It helps repair and build your body’s tissues, allows metabolic reactions to take place and coordinates bodily functions. In addition to providing your body with a structural framework, proteins also maintain proper pH and fluid balance
What is a hydrolysis reaction in polymers?
Hydrolysis is a chemical process in which a molecule of water is added to a substance. Hydrolysis reactions use water to break down polymers into monomers therefore Hydrolysis reactions break bonds and release energy.
What is a dehydration (synthesis) reaction in polymers?
The Dehydration reaction is polymers in the opposite to hydrolysis therefore it is the chemical process in which the reacting molecule or ion loses a water molecule when synthesizing a polymer from monomers. These reactions therefore form bonds and absorb energy.