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Biology 95F > Molecular Biology > Flashcards

Molecular Biology Flashcards

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1
Q

Define: Element

A

A substance that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by chemical means, and is made up of atoms all with an identical number of protons.
(Elemnts cannot be broken down into other
substances.)

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2
Q

Define: Trace Element

A

Any chemical Element that an organism needs very small quantities of to survive.

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3
Q

Define: Compound

A

A substance consisting of atoms or ions of two or more elements that are chemically bonded together.

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4
Q

Define: Atom

A

The smallest unit of matter indivisible by chemical means.

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5
Q

Define: Isotope

A

One of several nuclides having the same number of protons in their nuclei and hence having the same atomic number, but differing in the number of neutrons and therefore, in the mass number. Almost identical chemical properties exist between isotopes of a particular element.

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6
Q

Define: Radioactive Isotope

A

An atom in which the nucleus decays spontaneously shedding particles and releasing energy.

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7
Q

Define: Nucleus

A

The large, membrane-bounded organelle that contains the genetic material, in the form of multiple linear DNA molecules organized into structures called chromosomes.

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8
Q

Define: Ionic bond

A

An ionic bond is a chemical bond wherein there is a transfer of an electron from one atom to another. For an ionic bonding to occur there must be an electron donor (often a metal) and an electron acceptor (often a nonmetal).

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9
Q

Define: Covalent bond

A

A covalent bond is known for the sharing of electrons between two atoms. Rather than the process of giving and receiving, covalent bonding entails the sharing of electrons in pair(s).

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10
Q

Define: Hydrogen Bond

A

A type of chemical bond that is formed when the slightly positive hydrogen atom of a polar covalent bond forms an electrostatic link with the more electreonegative atom of a polar covalent bond in the same or another molecule.

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11
Q

Define: Polarity

A

The condition of having contrasting properties or direction

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12
Q

Define: Cohesion

A

The act, state or process of sticking together, as in intermolecular force that holds together alike molecules in a substance or the binding together of alike molecules.

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13
Q

Define: Solvent

A

A liquid in which substances (or solutes) are dissolved forming a solution.

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14
Q

Define: Solute

A

a component of a solution: in a solution, the dissolving substance is called a solvent whereas the dissolved substance is called a solute

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15
Q

Define: Solution

A

A type of homogenous mixture in which the particles of one or more substances (the solute) are distributed uniformly throughout another substance (the solvent).

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16
Q

Define: Hydrophobic

A

Lacking an affinity for water; insoluble in water; repelling water.

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17
Q

Define: Hydrophillic

A

A hydrophilic molecule or portion of a molecule is one whose interactions with water and other polar substances are more thermodynamically favorable than their interactions with oil or other hydrophobic solvents.

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18
Q

Define: Macromolecule

A

A large complex molecule, such as nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, with relatively large molecular weight

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19
Q

Define: Monomer

A

A monomer may combine with another monomer through chemical bonds to form a larger molecule, as in a polymer.

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20
Q

Define: Polymer

A

A compound made up of several repeating units (monomers) or protomers

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21
Q

Define: Dehydration reaction

A

A chemical reaction whereby a water molecule is lost, such as that during the synthesis of an organic compound

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22
Q

Define: Hydration Reaction

A

A chemical reaction in which water molecules combine with a substance.

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23
Q

Define: Monosaccharide

A

A simple sugar that constitutes the building blocks of a more complex form of sugars such as oligosaccharides and polysaccharides; examples are fructose, glucose, and ribose

24
Q

Define: Disaccharide

A

A (carbohydrate) composed of two monosaccharides, thus yields two monosaccharide molecules on complete hydrolysis

25
Q

Define: Polysaccharide

A

Any from the group of polymeric carbohydrates formed by long chains of repeating units linked together by glycosidic bonds

26
Q

Define: Glycosidic bond

A

Glycosidic bond is a covalent bond that holds a carbohydrate (sugar) to another group that can or cannot be another sugar.

27
Q

Define: Lipid

A

A fatty or waxy organic compound that is readily soluble in nonpolar solvent (e.g. ether) but not in polar solvent (e.g water), and whose major biological functions involve energy storage, structural component of cell membrane, and cell signaling

28
Q

Define: Fat

A

A term largely applied to storage lipids in animal tissues that are usually solid at room temperature

29
Q

Define: Phospholipid

A

A lipid with one or more phosphate groups attached to it.

30
Q

Define: Steroid

A

Any of the group of fat-soluble organic compounds containing four rings arranged in a particular molecular configuration, produced either naturally (i.e. from the sterols lanosterol and cycloartenol) or synthetically.

31
Q

Define: Saturated fat

A

A fatty acid with all potential hydrogen binding sites filled (totally hydrogenated fat).

32
Q

Define: Unsaturated fat

A

A fat that contains a carbon-carbon double bond, or a fat containing unsaturated fatty acids, such a fatty acid has double or triple covalent bonds and is thus able to add more atoms. As a general rule, unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature.

33
Q

Define: Nucleic acid

A

Any of the group of complex compounds consisting of linear chains of monomeric nucleotides whereby each monomeric unit is composed of phosphoric acid, sugar and nitrogenous base, and involved in the preservation, replication, and expression of hereditary information in every living cell.

34
Q

Define: Nucleotide

A

The basic building block of nucleic acid polymers; an organic compound made up of a nitrogenous base, a sugar, and a phosphate group.

35
Q

Define: DNA

A

A nucleic acid that generally is double-stranded and helical, and a crucial biomolecule for containing the genetic information for cell growth, division, and function.

36
Q

Define: RNA

A

A nucleic acid that is frequently single-stranded and folded onto itself, and composed of repeating nucleotide units of ribose sugar, phosphate group, and nitrogenous base

37
Q

Define: Nitrogenous base

A

Nucleobase, i.e. the base of a nucleic acid; a nitrogen-containing compound with chemical properties of a base

38
Q

Define: Amino acid

A

A molecule consisting of the basic amino group (NH2), the acidic carboxylic group (COOH), a hydrogen atom (-H), and an organic side group (R) attached to the carbon atom, thus, having the basic formula of NH2CHRCOOH.

39
Q

Define: Polypeptide

A

A polypeptide is an unbranched peptide, often comprised of about a hundred amino acids.
One or more polypeptides that occur together and function in a particular way are referred to as proteins.

40
Q

Define: Protein

A

A biomolecule composed of polymers of amino acids joined together by peptide bonds

41
Q

Define: Peptide Bond

A

The covalent bond joining amino acids, particularly at the carboxyl group of one amino acid to the amino group of the other amino acid, with the concomitant release of a molecule of water

42
Q

Define: Primary Structure

A

A structure of a biological molecule in which there is a precise sequence or order of monomeric units. It serves as the covalent backbone of biological molecules (such as DNA and proteins).

43
Q

Define: Secondary Structure

A

A structure of a biological molecule characterized by the local folding within the biopolymer as a result of hydrogen bonding (within the biopolymer).

44
Q

Define: Tertiary Structure

A

A structure of a biological molecule (such as proteins and nucleic acids) which is in its three dimensional shape, as defined by the atomic coordinates.

45
Q

Define: Quaternary Structure

A

A structural level wherein several proteins (or polypeptide subunits) interact through non-covalent bonds to form one functional protein complex.

46
Q

Define: Denaturation

A

A process in which the folding structure of a protein is altered due to exposure to certain chemical or physical factors (e.g. heat, acid, solvents, etc.), causing the protein to become biologically inactive

47
Q

Define: Energy

A

The ability to do work, or produce change.

48
Q

Define: ATP

A

An organic compound that is composed of adenosine (an adenine ring and a ribose sugar) and three phosphate groups, hence, the name; a nucleotide with a chemical formula of C10H16N5O13P3

49
Q

Define: Exergonic

A

Exergonic describes a chemical reaction that releases energy in the form of heat, light, etc.

50
Q

Define: Endogonic

A

A chemical reaction in which energy is absorbed. In an endothermic reaction the energy is in the form of heat.

51
Q

Define: Enzyme

A

A catalyst or a chemical produced by cells to generally speed up specific chemical reaction without changing the chemical reaction at the end of the reaction

52
Q

Define: Substrate

A

The earthy material in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached.

53
Q

Define: Enzyme inhibitor

A

The earthy material in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached.

54
Q

Define: Cellular respiration

A

A series of metabolic processes that take place within a cell in which the biochemical energy is harvested from organic substance (e.g. glucose) and then stored in energy-carrying biomolecule (e.g. ATP) for use in energy-requiring activities of the cell

55
Q

Define: Glycolysis

A

The initial metabolic pathway of cellular respiration in which a series of reactions happening in the cytosol results in the conversion of a monosaccharide, often glucose, into pyruvate, and the concomitant production of a relatively small amount of high-energy biomolecule, such as ATP

56
Q

Define: Citric Acid Cycle

A

A cycle of reactions catalyzed by enzymes in which pyruvate derived from nutrients and converted to Acetyl Coenzyme A is completely oxidized and broken down into carbon dioxide and water to produce high-energy phosphate compounds, which are the source of cellular energy.

57
Q

Define: Electron transport

Chain

A

One of the major metabolic pathways of cellular respiration, and involves a cyclic series of enzymatic reactions by which pyruvate converted into Acetyl Coenzyme A is completely oxidized to CO2 and hydrogen is removed from the carbon molecules, transferring the hydrogen atoms and electrons to electron-carrier molecules (e.g. NADH and FADH2) as well as the metabolic energy to high energy bonds (e.g. ATP).

Biology 95F (4 decks)

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