Macromolecules Flashcards
What are functional groups
7 chemical groups that add diversity to carbon skeletons
Hydroxyl
-OH found in alcohols and carbohydrates can form hydrogen bonds hydrophilic ex is ethanol
Carbonyl
-Carbon with double bonded O
within a molecule called ketone
at end of molecule called aldehyde
ex is acetone and formaldehyde
Carboxyl
-Carbon double bonded O and an OH
highly polar, gives off a proton in water
found in amino acids
ex is acetic acid
Amino
-NH2 very polar group: N attracts a proton H+ in water in solution it becomes NH3+ found in amino acids ex is urea
Sulfhydryl
-SH hydrophilic vital to protein function polar group ex is cysteine
Phosphate
P bonded to 4 O with one double bond 2 negative charges very polar used in nucleotides ex is ATP
Methyl
-CH3
hydrophobic
important for DNA
ex is thymine and uracil
What are the four macromolecules
carbohydrates
lipids
proteins
nucleic acids
What is dehydration responsible for
synthesis/creation of polymers by removing a water molecule
What is hydrolysis responsible for
breakdown of polymers by adding a water molecule
general formula for carbohydrates
Cn[H2O]n (n>= 3)
What are carbohydrates
sugars saccharides (mono and di) usually ends in -ose carbonyl and hydroxyl most important is glucose
How are monosaccharides classified
number of carbons
location of carbonyl group
handedness (asymmetric C)
there are linear and ring forms for 5- and 6- carbon sugars
ketoses v. aldoses
ketoses have carbonyl group inside while aldoses have carbonyl group at the end
what are disaccharides
two sugars that are covalently joined at a glycosidic bond/linkage like maltose(GG), sucrose (GF), and lactose (GGal)
how do disaccharides form
through dehydration - removing water molecules
What are polysaccharides used for
storage like alpa glucose to store energy and structural like beta glucose for cellulose
What are lipids
not true polymers
large parts of hydrocarbons
very hydrophobic
fats, phospholipids, steroids
Describe phospholipids
polar molecules that make the membrane of a cell, has a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail, with 2 fatty acids connected at the glycerol
Examples of steroids
cholesterol, estradiol, testosterone
4 fused rings with different functional groups that have a planar structure
What are polypeptides
Proteins, polymers of amino acids
What makes a peptide
amino group, carboxyl group, H, and a R chain group
What is the alpha carbon
the asymmetric carbon
What is a peptide bond
where to amino acids join by dehydration between the OH of carboxyl and H of amino group
What are the two ends of a polypeptide
Amino End (N-terminus) Carboxyl End (C-terminus)
How are amino acids structured
primary structure: the amino acid sequence
secondary structure: beta pleated sheets of alpha helices with h bonding
tertiary structure: interaction of R’s by h-bonds, ionic bonds, disulfide bridges, and hydryphobic interactions
quaternary structure
multiple protein subunits interlocked togethers
What are nucleic acids
storage of information
gene expression
