Structure and Function of Biomolecules: Flashcards
What do all biomolecules have in common?
- All biomolecules are polymers made up of monomers
- All contain carbon
What are the monomers of polysaccharides?
Simple sugars
What are the monomers of lipids/membranes?
Fats
What are the monomers of nucleic acids?
Nucleotides
What are the monomers for proteins?
Amino acids
What are considered to be biomolecules?
- Proteins
- Carbohydrates
- Nucleic acids
- Lipids/membranes
How does glucose form glycogen?
- Ring shapes are made from glucose monomers
- These rings link together to form long, branched chains
- This is glycogen
What is glycogenin?
A protein that binds glycogen
What is the role of glycogenin?
It binds many glycogen molecules so that it can be stored for energy use later on
What is the functional group of a carboxylic acid?
O=C-OH
What is the functional group of an ester?
O=C-O
What is the formula for a peptide bond?
O=C-NH2
What are the most abundant organic compounds on earth?
Carbohydrates
What are the roles of carbohydrates in organisms?
- Stores of energy
- Reactants in metabolic reactions
- Creating parts of a cell/organism
What is the empirical formula for carbohydrates?
(CH2O)n
What are the three types of carbohydrates?
- Monosaccharides
- Disaccharides
- Polysaccharides
What are the two types of monosaccharides?
- Aldose
- Ketose
What is an aldose?
A monosaccharide containing a aldehyde functional group
What is the functional group of an aldehyde?
-C(=O)H (at the end)
What is a ketose?
A monosaccharide containing a ketone functional group
What is a ketone functional group?
C-C(=O)-C (in the centre)
What is the name of a monosaccharide with 3 carbon atoms?
triose
What is the name of a monosaccharide with 4 carbon atoms?
tetrose
What is the name of a monosaccharide with 5 carbon atoms?
Pentrose
What is the name of a monosaccharide with 6 carbon atoms?
Hexose
What is the name of a monosaccharide with 7 carbon atoms?
Heptose
What do carbohydrates have many of?
Stereocenters
What are entantiomers?
Two stereoisomers with different groups attached at all their stereocentres
How do we name carbohydrates?
- Based on the groups attached at each stereocenter
- The type of enantiomer is then identified by the groups attached to the asymmetrical carbon atom furthest from group containing aldehyde/ketone
What does a fischer projection enable?
3D organic molecules to be shown in 2D to see how groups are organised around tetrahedral centers
What are tetrahedral centres?
Hybridised carbon atoms in the sp^3 orbitals
Why are fischer projections important?
- Enables compounds with lots of tetrahedral centers to be analysed
- Each are shown more simplistically
What do horizontal lines in the fischer projection mean?
Groups are facing away
What do vertical lines in the fischer projection mean?
Attached groups are facing towards the front
