Naturally Occurring Polymers Flashcards
What two functional groups do amino acids contain?
A basic amino group (NH2) and an acidic carboxyl group (COOH).
How can amino acids form polymers?
Amino acids can form polymers called polypeptides via condensation polymerisation. The amino group of an amino acid can react with the acid group of another, and so on, to form a polymer chain. For every new bond that is formed, a molecule of water is lost.
What is a polymer of protein called?
One or more long-chains of polypeptides are known as protein polymers. Polypeptides and proteins can contain different amino acids in their polymer chains.
What is DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)?
DNA is a polymer found in every living organism and many viruses. It’s a large molecule with a double helix structure.
What is DNA made up of?
DNA is made up of two polymer chains of monomers called nucleotides.
What do nucleotides contain?
The nucleotides each contain a small molecule known as a ‘base’. There are four different bases - A, C, G, T.
What do the bases do?
The bases on the different polymer chains pair up with each other and form cross links, keeping the two strands of nucleotides together and giving the double helix structure.
What do the order of the bases mean?
The order of the bases acts as a code for an organism’s genes.
What are sugars?
Sugars are small molecules that contain carbon, oxygen and hydrogen.
How do sugars form polymers?
Sugars can react together through polymerisation reactions to form larger carbohydrate polymers, e.g. starch, which living things use to store energy. They can also produce cellulose, which is found in plant cell walls.
