Nature's Chemistry Flashcards
alcohol
carbon compounds which contain the hydroxyl functional group, -OH
alkaline hydrolysis
process which produces soaps from edible fats and oils. hydrolysis produces three fatty acid molecules and one glycerol molecule. the fatty acid molecules are neutralised by the alkali, forming water-soluble ionic salts called soaps.
amide links
a group of atoms formed by condensation polymerisation of amino acids during the formation of proteins. Can be identified as -CONH- and occurs where each pair of amino acids has joined together.
amino acid
compounds of general formula H2NCHRCOOH which link by condensation reactions to form proteins
carboxylic acid
carbon compounds which contain the carboxyl functional group, -COOH
condensation
reaction in which two molecules combine to form a larger molecule at the same time eliminating a small molecule (such as water)
denaturing
physical alteraction of the molecular shape of a protein, or other molecule, as a result of temperature or pH changes
detergent
substances with non-polar hydrophobic tails and ionic hydrophilic heads which remove oil and grease in the same way as soaps but do not form soap scum with hard water
emulsion
a mixture of liquids where small droplets of one liquid are dispersed in another liquid.
emulsifier
a substance which prevents non-polar and polar liquids separating into layers. can be made by reacting edible oils with glycerol
enzymes
protein molecules which act as catalysts in biological processes
essential amino acids
amino acids that cannot be made by the body and must be obtained from the diet
esters
carbon compounds formed when alcohols react with carboxylic acids by condensation
fats
esters formed from one molecule of glycerol and three molecules of (usually saturated) long-chain carboxylic acids. have melting points high enough to be solid at room temperature.
hydrogenation
the addition of hydrogen to a carbon to carbon multiple bond
hydrolysis
the breakdown of a molecule by reaction with water
isomers
compounds which have the same molecular formula but different structural formulae
oils
esters formed from one molecule of glycerol and three molecules of (usually unsaturated) carboxylic acids. have melting points low enough to be liquid at normal room temperature.
peptide links
an amide link which is found in a living organism (in proteins)
proteins
biological polymers of small molecules called amino acids
saturated
a compound in which all carbon-carbon covalent bonds are single bonds
soaps
salts of fatty acids; have an ionic head that is water soluble and a covalent tail that is soluble in oil.
triglycerides
molecules formed through the condensation of one glycerol molecule with three fatty acids molecules
unsaturated
molecule with at least one carbon to carbon double bond
volatility
a measure of how easily a molecule will evaporate
aldehyde
an organic compound with a carbonyl functional group (C=O) at the end of the molecule
antioxidant
compounds that prevent oxidation reactions in other compounds by being oxidised themselves. examples include vitamin E and C
essential oils
concentrated extracts of volatile, non-water soluble aroma compounds from plants
free radicals
atoms or molecules containing unpaired electrons
free radical scavengers
molecules which can react with free radicals to form stable molecules and prevent chain reactions
isoprene
the units which join together to make terpenes. systematically named 2-methylbuta-1,3-diene
ketone
an organic compound with a carbonyl functional group (C=O) within the carbon chain (i.e. not on one of the end carbons)
oxidation (of carbon compounds)
a reaction which results in the increase in the oxygen to hydrogen ratio
reduction (of carbon compounds)
a reaction which results in a decrease in the oxygen to hydrogen ratio
terpenes
one of the primary constituents of essential oils; unsaturated hydrocarbons formed by joining together isoprene units
