midterm 1 Flashcards
Valence electrons are those in the outermost shell, or valence shell
The chemical behavior of an atom is mostly determined by the valence electrons
Elements with a full valence shell are chemically inert
carbon
- Living organisms consist mostly of carbon-based compounds
* Carbon is unparalleled in its ability to form large, complex, and varied molecules
Organisms consist mostly of carbon-based compounds (i.e. organic compounds)
Carbon can bond to four other atoms or groups of atoms, making a large variety of molecules possible.
hydroxyl
-OH
carbonyl
=C=O
carboxyl
-COOH
amino group
-NH2
sulfhydryl group
-SH
Phosphate group
—OPO3 2−
methyl group
ch3
methyl group
CH3
Dehydration reaction: synthesizing a polymer
Dehydration removes a water molecule, forming a new bond.
Hydrolysis: breaking down a polymer
Hydrolysis adds a water molecule, breaking a bond.
Carbohydrates (sugars)
functions: energy storage, structure
Covalent bonds between monosaccharides (5 or 6 carbon sugars) produce disaccharides
glucose + fructose = sucrose
Sugar is stored in the form of long polymers of glucose (starch and glycogen)
starch (plants)
glycogen (animals)
cellulose is a polymer of glucose
due to orientation of glucose in starch, humans can’t break down as sugar w b-amylase, but can w gut bacteria
Galactomannans are another type of polysaccharide
Guar Gum and Locust Bean Gum
long chain saccharides not based on glucose
Sources of polysaccharides used as thickening agents
Acacia gum (gum arabic), Carrageenan, Guar gum, Tara gum, Carob bean
why is melted ice cream sticky?
added polysaccharides, add body and mouth feel bc ABSORB WATER which is why its in beans
lipids (fats and oils)
function: energy storage, membrane structure
Fats consist of glycerol linked to 3 fatty acids (triglyceride)
hallmark of lipids is hydrophobic. Hydrocarbon = Hydrogen and Carbon
the presence of double bonds determines the melting temperature of a fat
unsaturated fats have double bond kinks
saturated fat - no room to take up hydrogens, already full of carbons.
solid at room t - animals
unsaturated fat has kinks (double bonds) in chain so cant get close together until very cold
liquid at room t - plants
if you add hydrogens to unsaturated to remove double bonds, makes solid at room t
trans fats
Unsaturated lipids (i.e. oils) are transformed into saturated lipid by the addition of hydrogen, which reduces double bounds. Partial hydrogenation often leads to “trans-fats”.
can cause heart disease
phospholipids have
hydrophillic heads and hydrophobic fatty acid tails
Proteins
Function: control most cellular activities (enzymatic reactions) and are important for cell and tissue structure.
proteins based on amino acids
amino group, carboxyl group, and R group
20 amino acids
20 amino acids
nonpolar amino acids
only C and H, no O. hydrophobic - protein structure
polar amino acids
contain O, hydrophyllic
electrically charged amino acids
interact w water bc water has partial charges
Humans can synthesize 12 of the 20 amino acids.
The remaining 8 (“essential”) must be obtained from food.
vary in prevalence - corn vs beans
proteins are long chains
assembled by ribosome, peptide bond. You end up w amino end and carboxyl end
after protein synthesis, long chain w amino end and carboxyl end
assembles into 3d molecule, mediated by characteristics of proteins (polar/nonpolar/ionic/covlent bonds)
Proteins are polymers of amino acids, which fold into specific shapes as covalent, hydrogen, an ionic bonds form between their different amino acids.
the shape of a protein determines its function
Protein structure depends on pH
Protein structure depends on pH