Organic Molecules Flashcards
Why is life on earth carbon based?
Carbon has four bonding sites, so it is easy to bond with, and moves around in many forms because of the carbon cycle. It also easily forms chains and rings.
How are polymers made?
Dehydration reactions
What is a dehydration reaction?
The removal of a water molecule from two monomers so that they can bond to each other to make a polymer.
How many carbons are in glyceraldehyde?
3
What is the name of a five carbon monosaccharide?
Ribose
Which monosaccharides have six carbons?
Glucose and Fructose
What is a disaccharide?
Two monosaccharides put together.
What is the formula for the common sugars?
CnH2nOn
What are oligosaccharides?
3-10 monosaccharides put together.
What are polysaccharides?
100-1000s of monosaccharides.
What is the difference between alpha and beta glucose?
The -H and -OH groups attached to the first carbon are pointing in different directions.
What is starch?
A storage form of carbohydrates in plants.
What is glycogen?
A storage form of carbohydrates in animals.
What is cellulose?
A structural carbohydrate in plants.
What is chitin?
A structural carbohydrate in animals.
What monomer makes up proteins?
Amino acids.
Describe the structure of a protein.
Proteins are made of an alpha carbon, a side chain (R) that dictates the amino acid, an amino group, and a carboxyl group.
How many common amino acids are there?
There are 20 amino acids.
What are the groups that amino acids are classified in?
Non-polar side chains, uncharged polar side chains, acidic (negatively charged) side chains, and basic (positively charged) side chains.
What are the polymers of amino acids?
Polypeptides
What is an amino acid residue?
An amino acid that has one water molecule removed.
How many amino acid residues make up a human protein?
About 450.
What is primary structure?
A polypeptide chain.
What is secondary structure?
It is formed by hydrogen bonds between backbones which fold the polypeptides into either alpha helices or beta-pleated sheets.
What is tertiary structure?
The 3D shape of the polypeptide formed from various bonds between side chains.
What is Quaternary structure?
It is formed when two or more proteins clump together to make a larger protein, but this does not always occur.
What is the function of a molecule covalently attached to a protein?
It can “activate” the protein.
What is the function of a protein?
Enzymes perform chemical reactions and transporters move molecules through cell membranes.
What are the two types of nucleic acids?
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid).
What are the monomers of nucleic acids?
Nucleotides
What are nucleotides made of?
A five-carbon sugar, a nitrogenous base, and a phosphate group.
What is the difference between purines and pyrimidines?
Purines are a two ring structure (larger) and pyrimidines are a single ring structure (smaller).
What gives DNA and RNA molecules their shape?
The hydrogen bonds between certain bases.
What are two additional functions of nucleotides?
ATP is used for energy. GTP is used to regulate proteins.
Are lipids polymers?
No.
What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats?
saturated fatty acids have no double bonds and are solid at room temperature. Unsaturated fatty acids have double bonds between some carbons and are liquid at room temperature.
What are phospholipids?
Molecules that have phosphate group heads and lipid tails.
What are glycolipids?
One or more monosaccharides with lipid tails.
What are steroids?
Signalling molecules (hormones) made of cholesterol.
What are waxes?
A soft and waterproof material used by bees and tropical plants to prevent water loss.
What are lipopolysaccharides?
A large molecule composed of a lipid and a polysaccharide found in gram-negative bacteria.
What is peptidoglycan?
A substance making up cell walls of bacteria, consisting of glycosaminoglycan chains interlinked with short peptides.
What are cofactors?
Cofactors are inorganic ions that aid a protein in function.
