Molecules, Transport & Health Flashcards
What state is water at normal temperatures?
Liquid
Describe hydrogen bonding in terms of water.
A water molecule contains two
hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom held together by hydrogen bonds.
Describe water as a solvent and its significance.
Water is an effective solvent because of it’s polarity and so can form electrostatic interactions with other polar molecules and ions.
Thus it is a transport
medium and reagent for metabolic and other reactions in plant/animal cells.
Describe water’s high surface tension and cohesion.
Cohesion refers to the attraction of one water molecule to each other.
Water molecules have strong, cohesive forces due to hydrogen bonds, thus having high surface tension
Describe water’s high specific heat capacity and its significance
The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1 °C. Water has high SPC due to its hydrogen bonds.
The temperature within organisms remains constant compared to external temperature, and water bodies also have a slow change in temperature, providing stable aquatic habitats.
Describe water’s high latent heat of vaporisation and its significance.
A measure of the heat energy needed to vaporise a liquid. Water has a high LHV due to its high SPC as H bonds need to be broken before water can be vapourised, cooling the surrounding environment. Sweating is a good cooling mechanism.
Describe water’s density and freezing properties and their signicance.
Ice is less dense than water and floats on it, insulating water and preventing it from freezing, preserving aquatic life underneath it.
Changes in the density of water with temperature causes currents, which helps to maintain the circulation of nutrients in the oceans.
What are monosaccharides made of?
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
What is the general formula for monosaccharides?
Cn(H2O)n where “n” represents the number of carbon atoms.
State one structural advantage of monosaccharides.
They are able to be broken down quickly by living organisms to produce ATP energy.
State 4 properties of monosaccharides.
Sweet
Soluble in water
They have an osmotic effect
Crystalline in nature
Give 3 examples of monosaccharides.
Alpha-glucose
Fructose
Galactose
How do disaccharides form?
When two monosaccharides join in a condensation reaction, releasing a water molecule.
What is the name of the bond formed between two monosaccharides?
Glycosidic bond
How is maltose formed?
Alpha-glucose + alpha-glucose
How is sucrose formed?
Alpha-glucose + fructose
How is lactose formed?
Alpha-glucsoe + galactose
Descrobe maltose.
Broken down by Maltase enzyme
Contains 1,4 glycosidic bond
Describe sucrose.
Broken down by Sucrase enzyme
Contains 1,2 glycosidic bond
Describe lactose.
Broken down by Lactase enzyme
Contains 1,4 glycosidic bond
How can disaccharides be broken down?
In a hydrolysis reaction using a water molecule.
What are polysaccharides?
Made up of monomers joined together by glycosidic bonds.
State 5 properties of polysaccharides.
They are macromolecules with a large molecular mass
Formed from a large number of monomers
Contains Glycosidic bonds between monomers
No sweet taste
No Osmotic effect/insoluble in water
What is starch?
A polysaccharide that is found in plant cells and is made up of two components, amylose and amylopectin.
What are amylose and amylopectin made of?
Alpha-glucose and contain glycosidic bonds.
Describe 2 features of starch.
Highly compact
Stores energy
Describe structure and shape of amylose.
1,4 glycosidic bonds
Helical and more compact
Describe structure and shape of amylopectin.
1,4 and 1,6 glycosidic bonds, giving it’s branched structure.
Branched
What is glycogen?
A polysaccharide that is used for the storage of energy is animal cells and is also made from a glucose molecules.
Describe the structure of glycogen.
The structure of glycogen is very similar to that of amylopectin. However, it is much more branched, allowing it to be hydrolysed rapidly.
How do triglycerides form?
Forms by the condensation of 3 fatty acid chains and one glycerol molecule, forming ester bonds.
What are fatty acid chains?
Long hydrocarbon chains with a
carboxylic head.
What is glycerol?
An alcohol-containing 3 OH groups.
Describe unstaturated fatty acids.
Atleast 1 C=C double bond
Contains bent chains(kinks)
Lower H:C ratio
Describe saturated fatty acids
No C=C double bond
Straight chain
Higher H:C ratio
What do kinks in unsaturated fatty acids cause?
Melting point to decrease due to weaker intermolecular bonds.
What are 3 roles of triglycerides?
Better energy reserves than carbohydrates as more CH bonds
Acts as an insulator and provides buoyancy
A metabolic source of water as gives CO2 and H20 on oxidation in respiration
What are proteins made of?
Made of amino acids which only differ in the R- groups/ variable side chains and will always contain an amine group (basic), carboxyl group (acidic) and a hydrogen atom attached to the central carbon atom.
How is a peptide bond formed?
Formed by condensation between 2
amino acids, forming a dipeptide. Many amino acids that join together by peptide bonds form a polypeptide.
How are peptide bonds broken down?
Broken when hydrolysed into amino acids.
Describe the primary structure of proteins.
The sequence of amino acids held
together by polypeptide bonds in a polypeptide chain.
Describe the secondary structure of proteins.
The structure of a protein molecule resulting from the regular coiling or folding of the chain of amino acids.
What does alpha-helix refer to?
The polypeptide chain twists into a regular spiral and is maintained by hydrogen bonds between the (-NH) group of one amino acid and the (CO-) group
What does beta-pleated sheet refer to?
The chain is not tightly coiled and lies in a looser, straighter shape.
Describe the tertiary structure of proteins.
The precise folding and coiling of alpha-helices and beta-pleated sheets of an amino acid chain.
Describe how alpha-helices and beta-pleated sheats in an amino acid chain are held together.
- Hydrogen bonds between a wide variety of R- groups
- Disulfide bridges between two cysteine molecules
- Ionic bonds between R groups containing amine and carboxyl groups.
- Hydrophobic interactions between non-polar R groups.
Describe the quaternary structure of proteins.
The three-dimensional arrangement of two or more polypeptides, or a polypeptide and a non-protein component such as haem, in a protein molecule. The polypeptide chains
are held together by bonds in the tertiary structure.
Describe globular proteins.
Curl up into a spherical shape with
their hydrophobic regions pointing into the centre of the molecule and hydrophilic regions pointing outwards.
They are soluble in water.
Give two examples of globular proteins.
Enzymes
Haemoglobin
Describe fibrous proteins.
Form long strands, are insoluble in
water and have structural roles.
Give 3 examples of fibrous proteins.
Collagen
Hair
Nails
Describe haemoglobin.
Globular protein that has a quaternary
structure with 4 polypeptide chains, 2 a-globin and 2 ß-globin chains, each connected by disulfide bridges. Each chain has one prosthetic haem group containing an iron atom that reversibly binds to an oxygen molecule. Oxyhemoglobin is bright red when the haem group iscombined with oxygen. Otherwise, it is purplish.
What is haemoglobin an example of?
A conjugated protein.
Why is diffusion a sufficient way for gaining nutrients and excreting waste in small organisms?
The short distance of diffusion between the deepest part of the organism and the outside
The high SA:V ratio allowing for fast diffusion
Usually, small organisms have a low metabolism.
Therefore, they don’t use much oxygen and food
Why are larger organisms unable to rely on diffusion?
Low SA:V ratio