molecular composition of organisms Flashcards
organic compounds
compounds containing carbon and hydrogen that organisms produce
inorganic compounds
all other compounds; in living or non-living things
elements
substances with one kind of atom
compounds
made of two or more different types of atoms
molecule
two or more atoms of the same or different type.
main four organic molecules? what are they all called? what does tis mean? what is a polymer?
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Nucleic acids
Lipids
Carbohydrates, proteins and nucleic acids huge (biomacromolecules)
Biomacromolecules are made of chains called polymers (many parts).
Polymers are made of smaller units (monomers)
Organic molecules are converted into different forms by linking units or adding other chemical groups eg. Carbohydrates are stored as fats.
what is a biomolecule?
molecule found in a living organism.
what are carbohydrates? what are they a source of? what are the energy reserves? what can it form? what do they make and what are they made up of?
Most abundant organic molecule.
Source of energy (glucose)
Energy reserves (starch in plants and glycogen in animals)
Form cell walls
Part of DNA and RNA
Make glycoproteins and glycolipids for the cell membrane
Made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
what is a monosaccharide?
(single sugar): glucose, fructose, galactose. Cn(H2O)n
what is a dissacharde?
(two sugars): lactose, sucrose (a water molecule is removed).
what is a polysaccharide?
(many sugars): a biomacromolecule; cellulose, starch, glycogen.
what is a complex polysaccharide?
consist of different monosaccharide subunits in the same molecule such as murein.
what are lipids? what are they made of? why are they critical? what do they store? what are some roles? structure and size?
Fatty substances Made of non-polar hydrophobic molecules Critical: effective barrier between watery environments. Main component in plasma membranes (phospholipids) Store energy (fats and oils) Important role as hormones (steroids) Small Vary in structure
what is a simple lipid? what makes them up? what do they include? what two types are there?
Smaller proportions of oxygen than carbohydrates
Made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
Include fats, steroids like cholesterol and the hormones cortisone and testosterone
Fatty acids may be saturated (have all hydrogens and no carbon carbon double bonds) or unsaturated (double bonds, not all hydrogens)
what is a compound lipid? what is an example?
Contain fatty acids and glycerol as well as phosphorus and nitrogen
Phospholipids
what are nucleic acids? what are they made of? what are two major things that it forms? what is chromatin?
Genetic material
Composed of chains called nucleotides (has a phosphate, a sugar and a nitrogen base)
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA): instructions for the assembly for proteins from amino acid subunits using genetic code. Passed from cell to cell during division. Four bases: adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine.
Ribonucleic acid (RNA): major role in protein manufacturing in cells. Four bases: adenine, uracil, guanine and cytosine.
Chromatin: DNA wrapped around a protein.
what are proteins? complexity? what can they do? what do they contain? what is the biomacromolecule made of? protein vs polypeptide? how many amino acids are there?
More complex than carbohydrates or lipids
Vary greatly
Catalyse reactions (enzymes)
Act as hormones
Acts as carrier molecules (haemoglobin)
Structural components (collegen)
Immune system (antibodies and antigens)
Contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen but may have sulphur, phosphorus and others.
Biomacromolecules made up of amino acids that are linked with a peptide bond (form polypeptide chains).
Protein (fully functioning), polypeptide (non-fully functioning)
20 different amino acids
9 essential ones that we must eat
why is water important? is it organic? cohesive? bonds? heat capacity? heat of vaporisation?
Chemical reactions take place in water
Organisms are made mostly of water
Cohesive (stick together)- pulled up trees without breaking
Bonds create surface tension for insects to walk on
High heat capacity: absorbs a lot before overheating, good for reactions.
High heat of vaporisation: good for cooling the body.
it is inorganic
are oxygen and carbon dioxide organic? why are they important?
no
Important in cellular respiration
Must have gills or be inactive if a water creature
Carbon dioxide is important for photosynthesis
is nitrogen organic? what is it important for? nitrogen fixation?
no
Key component of proteins
Nitrogen fixation is done by some bacteria so that it can be taken from the atmosphere to be used.
Plants absorb the nitrogen compounds from the soil and use it to make amino acids.
Animals eat plants and their nitrogen-rich manure is used as plant fertiliser.
are minerals organic? how are they produced? how are they used by plants? where are they found? what are they needed for?
no
Produced by weathering rocks
Water-soluble ones are absorbed by plants.
We need 20
Found in cytosol of cells
Make up enzymes and vitamins and some organic compounds like ATP.
