Molecular Building Blocks Flashcards
What are living organisms?
One or more cells that are:
Capable of reproduction
Responding to the environment
Adapting and changing
Requires a source of energy
Growth and development
What is a macromolecule?
Simple molecules built up into large complex molecules
What are functions of macromolecules?
Control osmotic pressure
Used structurally etc collagen
Optical, designed for collecting or focusing light
Enzymatic, catalyze reactions
Etc…
Give examples of macromolecules
Haemoglobin
DNA
Glycogen
Rhodopsin
Collagen
What degrees is water liquid over?
0 to 100°C
At what degree does water achieve maximum density?
4°C
What type of bonding does water have?
Hydrogen bonding
What is polarity?
Distributional imbalance of charge
Why is water good at dissolving ionic and polar compounds?
As it’s polar it can stabilize other ions
What is hydrogen bonding?
Sharing of a proton
Weak
NOT A COVALENT BOND
What doesn’t water interact with?
Non-polar substances
Lipids
Aromatic groups (Benzene rings)
These are hydrophobic compounds
What is the structure of a monosaccharide?
Carbons
Hydroxyl groups (OH)
Carbonyl group (CO)
What is an aldose?
Has an aldehyde (at the end of carbon chain)
What is a ketose?
Has a ketone (within the carbon chain)
Examples of monosaccharides
Glucose (6C)
Ribose (5C)
Erythrose (4C)
Glyceraldehyde (3C)
What are aminosugars?
Sugars containing an amino group (NH2)
What a alcohol sugars?
Sugars with an alcohol group (OH)
What does phosphorylated mean?
Containing phosphate group
What does sulphate mean?
Containing a sulphate group
How are polysaccharides formed?
Hydroxyl group of a monosaccharide can react with an OH or NH group to form a glycosidic bond
Give examples of polysaccharides?
Starch
Glycogen
What are proteoglycans?
A protein chain, with many sugar groups attached to it, substituted onto the amino groups of the protein
What is a benefit of adding sulphate groups to a protein?
Can absorb a tremendous volume of water
What are lipids?
Hydrophobic
Aliphatic
What are eicosanoids?
Eico means 20, so 20 carbon atoms
Fatty acid
Unsaturated with a ring structure
Perform major biological functions
What is the function of eicosanoids?
Inflammatory signals
Pharmaceutical targets
What are the purpose of phosphoacylglycerols?
Form the lipid bilayer
What do the properties of lipids define?
The fluidity of the membrane
What are steroids?
Multi cyclic carbon rings
Non-polar
Fat soluble
Hydrophobic
What is a nucleotide?
Monomer of nucleic acids
Nitrogenous base, sugar and phosphate
What is a nitrogenous base?
A molecule containing nitrogen which can accept a proton
What is an amino acid?
Carbon with a Carboxyl group (COO), Amino group (NH3) and R group
Building block of proteins
R group gives the amino acid its function and properties
How are amino acids held together?
Peptide bonds
Condensation reaction
What are functions of proteins?
Immunoglobulins ( property is to bind)
Fibrous proteins (form complex chains like collagen)
Enzymes
Channel and carrier proteins
Receptors
Neurotransmitters
