Nature's Chemistry: Proteins

Question 1

What are amino acids?

Answer 1

Small molecules that contain an amino acid group (-NH2) and a carboxyl group (-COOH)

Question 2

An amino acid can react with a neighbouring amino acid by reacting an amino group with a carboxyl group resulting in what bond being formed?

Answer 2

An amide (or peptide) link.

Question 3

When amino acids react together, water is eliminated, what type of reaction is this?

Answer 3

A condensation reaction

Question 4

Joining amino acids together in a different sequence will produce what?

Answer 4

A different protein

Question 5

The splitting up of a protein into amino acids is know as what type of reaction?

Answer 5

A hydrolysis reaction

Question 6

What are essential amino acids?

Answer 6

Amino acids required by the body which cannot be made by the body, so they must be obtained from the diet

Question 7

Heating a protein does what and is known as what?

Answer 7

Breaks the intermolecular forces (mainly hydrogen bonds) holding the long protein molecules together. This changes the shape of the structure and is known as denaturing.

Question 8

The reaction for making proteins is usually referred to as what?

Answer 8

Condensation Polymerisation