Main Classes Of Significant Molecules

Question 1

What are the four main types of Biologically Significant Molecules

Answer 1

Proteins, Carbohydrates, Lipids, Nucleic Acids

Question 2

What are Carbohydrates?

Answer 2

-Carbohydrates are molecules made of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen​

-all carbohydrates have the general formula: Cn(H2O)n - hence the name “Hydrated Carbon” or “Carbo - Hydrate”​

Question 3

What are the different forms of Carbohydrates used for?

Answer 3

Energy, food storage and structural support

Question 4

Carbohydrates are very important in living systems for what functions

Answer 4

• Short-term energy supply (e.g. glucose is used by all cells to produce ATP energy)​
• Energy storage (e.g. glycogen is stored in liver and muscles and can be rapidly converted to glucose: starch has a similar role in plants)​
• As cell membrane markers (receptors & “identification tags”)​
• As structural material (e.g. plant cell walls are made of cellulose, insect exoskeletons are make fo the carbohydrate chitin)​

Question 5

What are Monosaccharides

Answer 5

(e.g. Glucose, ribose, galactose, fructose) ​

simple sugars with only one unit molecule​

groups of monsaccharides may be designated by the number of carbons they contain (i.e. “hexose” = 6-C sugar, 5-C sugars = “pentose” sugars). Note the “..ose” suffix! Most carbohydrates end in “ose.”​

Question 6

what is the most common monosaccharide

Answer 6

glucose. All cells “burn” glucose to make ATP energy to meet their immediate energy demands.​

Question 7

what are Disaccharides

Answer 7

e.g. maltose, sucrose ​

are formed from dehydration synthesis reaction between two monosaccharides ​

Question 8

What are Polysaccharides

Answer 8

a carbohydrate that contains a large number of monosaccharide molecules

Question 9

What are the three main important types in living systems

Answer 9

Starch, Glycogen, Cellulose

Question 10

what is the function of Starch

Answer 10

the storage form of glucose in plants. ​

Made of fairly straight chains of glucose, with few side branches off the main chain. ​

Starch forms from dehydration synthesis between many glucose molecules ​

Question 11

What is the function of Glycogen

Answer 11

the storage form of glucose in animals. The chains of glucose have many side chains compared to starch. ​

In animals, the liver converts glucose to glycogen for storage. In between meals, liver releases glucose into blood concentrations remains at 0.1%. ​

Question 12

what is the function of Cellulose

Answer 12

primary structural component of plant cell walls. Linkage of glucose subunits different than in starch or glycogen. ​

“Fiber”​