The Chemical Basis of Life Flashcards
six (6) characteristics of life
C
G
R
C
H
M
- Chemical Uniqueness
- Growth
- Reproduction
- Complexity and Hierarchical Organization
- Homeostasis
- Metabolism
basic substance that cannot be simplified or broken down into simpler units by ordinary chemical reaction
Element
substance with 1 or more element
Compound
smallest amount of an element
Atom
two or more atoms chemically joined together
Molecule
96% of living organisms are made of (most abundant elements):
- Carbon (C)
- Hydrogen (H)
- Oxygen (O)
- Nitrogen (N)
fifteen (15) naturally occurring elements in animals:
- Oxygen (O)
- Carbon (C)
- Hydrogen (H)
- Nitrogen (N)
- Calcium (Ca)
- Phosphorus (P)
- Potassium (K)
- Sulfur (S)
- Sodium (Na)
- Chlorine (Cl)
- Magnesium (Mg)
- Manganese (Mn)
- Iron (Fe)
- Copper (Cu)
- Iodine (I)
Biochemistry is essential for understanding the ______ and ______ of animals because body functions involve ________ in structural units, such as _______
- structure
- function
- chemical changes
- cells
biological systems follow the _____ and _____ laws
- physical
- chemical
current number of elements in the periodic table
118
six (6) vital elements in life:
- Hydrogen (H)
- Carbon (C)
- Nitrogen (N)
- Oxygen (O)
- Phosphorus (P)
- Sulfur (S)
six (6) essential elements (trace elements):
- Silicon (Si)
- Chlorine (Cl)
- Magnesium (Mg)
- Potassium (K)
- Copper (Cu)
- Zinc (Zn)
percentage composition of carbon in living organisms:
18.5%
percentage composition of oxygen in living organisms:
65%
percentage composition of hydrogen in living organisms:
9.5%
percentage composition of nitrogen in living organisms:
3.3%
percentage composition of trace elements in living organisms:
0.01%
when can you say that an element is stable?
when the number of protons and electrons are the same
the number of protons is always equal to the ______
atomic number
what do you call an element that has unequal number of protons & electrons
ionized elements
variants of a particular chemical element with the same number of protons but different number of neutrons
isotopes
three (3) naturally occurring isotopes of hydrogen:
- Protium
- Deuterium
- Tritium
number of neutrons in protium
0
number of neutrons in deuterium
1
number of neutrons in tritium
2
neutrons of carbon 12
6
neutrons of carbon 13
7
neutrons of carbon 14
8
seven (7) radioactive isotopes applied in medicine
- Cobalt-60
- Iodine-131
- Carbon-14
- Carbon-11
- Sodium-24
- Thallium-201
- Technetium-99
six (6) radioactive isotopes applied in research:
- Carbon-14
- Phosphorus-32
- Phosphorus-33
- Selenium-65
- Strontium-85
- hydrogen-3 (Tritium)
two (2) metabolic processes:
- Anabolism
- Catabolism
which metabolic process is endothermic?
Anabolism
which metabolic process is exothermic?
Catabolism
it is a kind of reaction that take in and use energy within the reaction
Endothermic
it is a kind of reaction wherein energy is released
Exothermic
metabolism process that absorbs energy;
build complex molecules from simpler ones
Anabolism
term used when referring to small mollecules
building blocks
term used when small molecules are bonded together
polymers
three (3) important polymers
- carbohydrates
- proteins
- nucleic acids (DNA)
polymers built from sugars
carbohydrates
polymers built from amino acids
proteins
polymers built from nucleotides
nucleic acids (DNA)
three (3) functions involved in synthesis:
- repair
- growth
- reproduction
energy-releasing;
breaks down complex molecules into simpler ones
Catabolism
example of anabolic process:
synthesis
example of catabolic process
digestion
two (2) processes of digestion
- getting raw materials (for synthesis and growth)
- making energy / ATP (for synthesis, growth, and other functions)
______ produces ATP
glycolysis
three (3) elements in glucose:
- Hydrogen
- Carbon
- Oxygen
how many pyruvates are produced by glycolysis?
2 pyruvates
water means ____ because it has ____ composition
- life
- 75%
water participates in two (2) chemical reactions of sucrose:
- dehydration synthesis
- hydrolysis
combines atoms with the removal of elements
the creation of larger molecules from smaller monomers where a water molecule is released
dehydration synthesis
breaks apart molecules with the addition of water
the reaction of an organic chemical with water to form two or more new substances
hydrolysis
an organic molecule that includes carbohydrates, protein, lipids, and nucleic acids
biomolecules
compounds of animal life
organic molelcules
four (4) organic molecules:
- Carbohydrates
- Proteins
- Lipids
- RNA / DNA
which organic molecules has the ff. functions:
- provide energy through oxidation
- supply carbon for the synthesis of cell components
- serves as a form of stored energy
- form part of structures of some cells and tissues
Carbohydrates
(characteristics of carbohydrates)
how may carbons are there?
3-7 carbons
(characteristics of carbohydrates)
name ends in ______
-ose
(characteristics of carbohydrates)
monosaccharides and disaccharides _____ in water and are rapidly distributed
dissolve
(characteristic of carbohydrates)
chains can be _____ or ______
- straight
- highly branched
(characteristic of carbohydrates)
_______ in liver and muscle
Glycogen
______ do not dissolve in water and are not “sweet”
Polysacharrides
(characteristic of carbohydrates)
includes ______, ______, ______, and ______
- sugar
- starches
- glycogen
- cellulose
(characteristic of carbohydrates)
_____ and ____ can have the same formula but different in shape
- glucose
- fructose
(characteristic of carbohydrates)
monosaccharides are the ______
monomers
(characteristic of carbohydrates)
________ are formed by dehydration synthesis
Polysaccharides
(physical properties of monosaccharides)
have a _____ taste
sweet
(physical properties of monosaccharides)
extremely _______ in water
soluble
(physical properties of monosaccharides)
______ at room temperature
solid
(physical properties of monosaccharides)
______ can dissolve in minute amounts of water to make a syrup
Glucose
five (5) important monosaccharides:
- Ribose
- Deoxyribose
- Galactose
- Glucose
- Fructose
this important monosaccharide forms the sugar backbone of ribonucleic acid (RNA)
Ribose
this important monosaccharide forms the sugar backbone of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
Deoxyribose
this important monosaccharide incorporated with glucose into lactose (milk sugar)
Galactose
this important monosaccharide is also known as dextrose and blood sugar, present in honey and fruits
Glucose
(definition of glucose)
glucose is _____ in the body for energy
metabolized
(definition of glucose)
other sugars absorbed in the body must be converted to glucose by the ______
liver
three (3) important disaccharides:
- Lactose
- Maltose
- Sucrose
this important monosaccharide is also known as levulose and fruit sugar
Fructose
it is the sweetest of the monosaccharides
Fructose
this important disaccharide is also known as milk sugar
Lactose
(definition of lactose)
this disaccharide constitutes ____ % of cow’s milk and _____% of human milk
- 5%
- 7%
(definition of lactose)
lactose is digested by what enzyme?
lactase
this important disaccharide is also known as malt sugar
Maltose
(definition of maltose)
maltose is found in ______ such as barley
germinating grains
what important disaccharide is formed during the hydrolysis of starch to glucose during digestion
Maltose
(definition of maltose)
maltose is a ______ sugar because it has a _____ group
- reducing sugar
- hemiacetal group
example of oligosaccharide
Raffinose
______ is an oligosaccharide found in peas and beans;
largely undigested until reaching the intestinal flora in the large intestine, releasing oxygen, carbon dioxide, and methane
Raffinose
oligosaccharides contains ______ monosaccharide units
3 to 10
polysaccharide contains ______ or _____ of carbohydrate units
hundreds or thousands
three (3) important polysaccharides:
- Glycogen
- Cellulose
- Starch
this important polysaccharide is a core protein of glycogenin and is surrounded by branches of glucose units
Glycogen
which organic molecules has the ff. functions:
- growth and maintenance
- causes biochemical reactions
- act as messenger
- provides structure
- immunity / defense
- transport of nutrients
Proteins
(characteristics of proteins)
supply ____ and build some cell structures
energy
(characteristics of proteins)
contain the four most abundant elements namely:
- Carbon
- Oxygen
- Hydrogen
- Nitrogen
(characteristics of proteins)
protein is made up of _____
amino acids
(characteristics of proteins)
three (3) amino acids present in proteins
- Amino Group -NH2
- Carboxyl (acid) group -COOH
- Side chain or R group
four (4) structural formulas of various amino acids:
- Primary structure
- Secondary structure
- Tertiary structure
- Quaternary structure
a protein’s structure determines its ____
function
if protein loses its structure, it is_____, and no longer functions
denatured
event in primary structure:
polypeptide strand
event in secondary structure
alpha helix and pleated sheets (with 3 polypeptide strands)
event in tertiary structure
folded alpha helix and beta pleated sheet
event in quaternary structure
two or more polypeptides in their folded states
this structure of the protein is due to hydrogen bonds that form between the oxygen atom of one amino acid and the nitrogen atom of another
secondary structure
in this structure, the long chain of amino acids becomes folded into a three-dimensional functional shape;
this is when certain amino acids with sulfhydryl or SH groups form disulfide (S-S) bonds with other amino acids in the same chain
Tertiary structure
this structure is due to several polypeptides joining together, as in the case of antibody molecules
Quaternary structure
which organic biomolecule has the ff. functions:
- concentrated chemical energy
- energy storehouses (triglycerides)
- structural component of cell membranes
- act as signaling molecules
Lipids
(characteristics of lipids)
contains the most abundant elements except one which is _____
Nitrogen
(characteristics of lipids)
ratio of Carbon and Hydrogen
1:2
(characteristics of lipids)
lipids tend to be _____
hydrophobic (nonpolar)
(characteristics of lipids)
lipids tend to be ____ in water (blood)
insoluble
(characteristics of lipids)
lipids can be ____ or _____
simple or compound
_____ is a small organic molecule with three hydroxyl (OH) groups
Glycerol
_____ consists of a long hydrocarbon chain attached to a carboxyl group
Fatty acid
two (2) simple lipids:
- Triglycerides
- Waxes
three (3) compound lipids:
- Phospholipids
- Sphingolipids
- Glycolipids
it is partially hydrogenated;
it prolongs shelf life;
it enhances the flavor
Transfat
two (2) kinds of fatty molecules
- Saturated Fatty Acid
- Unsaturated Fatty Acid
two (2) kinds of fatty molecules
- Saturated Fatty Acid
- Unsaturated Fatty Acid
Saturated fatty acid is ____ at room temp
Solid
Unsaturated fatty acid is _____ at room temp
Liquid
this fatty acid is also known as animal fats
saturated fatty acids
two (2) kinds of unsaturated fatty acids
- Monounsaturated fatty acids (plant-based)
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids
difference in saturated and unsaturated fatty acids:
double bonded carbons in unsaturated fatty acids
three (3) fats types
- Good
- Bad
- Worst
two (2) types of good fat types
- Monounsaturated fatty acids
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids
type of bad fats
saturated fats
type of worst fat
transfat
steroids are ____
lipids
(characteristics of nucleic acids)
this organic molecule is composed of elements ____, ____, ____, ____ and _____
- Carbon
- Oxygen
- Hydrogen
- Nitrogen
- Phosphorus
two (2) main classes of nucleic acids
- Ribonucleic acids (RNA)
- Deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA)
monomers are called _____
nucleotides
five (5) nitrogenous bases
- Adenine
- Guanine
- Cytosine
- Thymine
- Uracil
two (2) nitrogenous bases that make up the nucleic acids
- Purines
- Pyrimidines
to which nitrogenous bases are adenine and guanine included?
Purines
three (3) examples of pyrimidines
- Cytosine
- Thymine
- Uracil
nitrogenous base only in DNA
Thymine
nitrogenous base only in RNA
Uracil
DNA uses four nitrogenous bases namely:
- Adenine
- Cytosine
- Guanine
- Thymine
RNA uses four nitrogenous bases namely:
- Adenine
- Cytosine
- Guanine
- Uracil
double stranded
DNA
single stranded
RNA
Adenine + Ribose = ?
Adenosine
how many phosphates are there in ATP?
3
four (4) examples of differentiated animal cells
- Red Blood cells
- Epithelial cells
- Tissues
- Nerve cell
