Monomers + Polymers Flashcards
What do carbs, proteins and lipids all contain?
Carbon
What are organic molecules?
Carbon containing substances such as carbs, protein and lipids
Why are carbon atoms unusual?
They can form 4 chemical bonds
What can carbon atoms bond with?
2
Other carbon atoms
Atoms of other elements
What are macromolecules?
A molecule containing a large number of atoms
Where are macromolecules often found?
In organic molecules
What are monomers?
Individual molecules that can be bonded to other identical or similar molecules to form a polymer
How do monomers join together?
By condensation
What is condensation?
A chemical reaction where one monomer joins to another and a water molecule is removed
How can polymers be broken down?
By hydrolysis
What is hydrolysis?
When water molecules are added in the process of breaking bonds between molecules
What is hydrolysis the opposite of?
Why?
Condensation
Because it adds -H and -OH from a molecule of water
Carbon can form 4 bonds. What does this therefore enable carbon to do?
It allows many carbon atoms to be bonded together to form more complex molecules
What does carbon act as?
The backbone for organic molecules that are found in all living things
What are polymers?
Long chains that are composed of many individual monomers that have been bonded together in a repeating pattern
What are the 4 main types of biological molecules found in all organisms?
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic acids
What do carbohydrates contain?
3
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
What do lipids contain?
3
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
What do proteins contain?
5
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
Nitrogen
Sometimes sulphur
What do nucleic acids contain?
5
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
What are the monomers in carbs called?
Monosaccharides
What are the monomers in proteins called?
Amino acids
What are the monomers in nucleic acids called?
Nucleotides
What are the polymers in carbs called?
Polysaccharides
What are the polymers in proteins called?
Polypeptides
What are the polymers in nucleic acids called?
Polynucleotides
Why are lipids unusual?
They are macromolecules that are not polymers
They are not composed of smaller repeating monomers
What are lipids made up of?
How are they joined?
They are made up of a number of different base units
which are joined together in a non repeating pattern
How are polymers formed?
Formed from monomers by condensation
What happens during condensation?
3
One monomer bonds to another monomer
A water molecule is formed from the grouping of a hydroxyl (-OH) from one monomer and a hydrogen (H) from the other
The water molecule is then lost/removed
What happens during hydrolysis?
Water is added to the bond
The bond is broken
One monomer has the hydroxy and the other has hydrogen
What kind of reaction is condensation and hydrolysis examples of?
Metabolic reactions
