The Chemistry of Biology Flashcards
atom
smallest unit which cannot be broken apart without breaking its properties
Protons and neutrons are found…
in the nucleus
How can protons and neutrons change into one another?
radioactive decay
Electrons are found in…
electron cloud
What determines the properties of the atom?
number of protons
Isotope
element with a different number of neutrons in comparison to protons
Ion
charged element due to less/more electrons
bond formations
H: 1
O: 2
N: 3
C: 4
Three types of bonds
covalent, ionic, hydrogen
Covalent bonds
2 atoms sharing one or more electrons
Ionic bonds
elements which give or take electrons
Hydrogen bonds
bonds of attraction
characteristics of covalent bonds
→ can have equal sharing or unequal sharing of electrons
→ equal sharing is most common: results in nonpolar molecules
→ unequal sharing can happen in covalent bonds: in living systems H-O and H-N
→ results in polar molecules such as water
cations
positively charged ion
characteristics of ionic bonds
creation of cations and anions
anions
negatively charged ion
characteristics of hydrogen bonds
–> not chemical bonds
→ hydrogen is attracted to either nitrogen or oxygen
→ bonds between polar molecules; oxygen slight negative charge and hydrogen slight positive charge
oxidation reduction reaction
movement of electrons between molecules to exchange energy
oxidation
molecule loses electron: molecule loses energy
reduction
molecule gains electron; molecule receives energy
O.I.L R.I.G
oxidation is loss reduction is gain
chemical shorthand
shortened structure of a chemical
pH scale characteristics
→ water is neutral due to the equal amounts of OH and Hydrogen bonds
→ 7-14 typical pH for living beings
inorganic
missing carbon or hydrogen in the molecule
organic
any molecule that has hydrogen or carbon
versatility of bonding
→ can form many different forms of bonds and structures
→ can form functional groups: small molecule that binds to a bigger molecule and confers properties (brings its characteristics such as charge)
function groups
hydroxyl
carboxyl
amino
phosphate
methyl
hydroxyl
R - O - H
carboxyl
O
//
R - C
\
OH
amino
H
/
R - N
\
H
phosphate
O
II
R - O - P - OH
I
OH
methyl
H
I
R - C - H
I
H
macromolecules
lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, nucleic acids
which macromolecule is not a true macromolecule?
lipids
cellulose
cell wall of plants; insoluble fiber and undigestable to humans
starch
energy storage for plants
glycogen
quick energy for plant
main function of carbohydrates
energy and to help structure of the cell wall
chitin
cell wall of fungi
peptidoglycan
cell wall of bacteria
common use of lipids
long term energy storage
what macromolecule makes up the cell membrane?
lipids: fats and oils
what kind of saccharide is agar?
polysaccharide
saturated fats have what kind of bonds?
single covalent bonds
unsaturated fats
one double bond; not full hydrogen chain
trans fats
produced through partial hydrogenation
what provides polarity in a phospholipid?
alcohol
amphatic molecule
molecule is both hydrophilic and hydrophobic
eg. hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tails of phospholipids
phospholipid shape
phosphate head which is connected by glycerol molecule which is then bound to 2 fatty acid chains
ergosterol
sterol for fungi; cholesterol for the cell membrane and allows fluidity in the cell membrane
phytosterol
cholesterol for plants
purposes of proteins
enzymes, transportation of molecules
what is considered the variable side chain?
r group of the amino acid; the r group differs for each amino acid
peptide
short chains of amino acids
polypeptide
long chain of amino acids; interchangeable with proteins
primary structure - protein
sequence of amino acids which is made of peptide bonds; determined by the DNA sequence
secondary structure - protein
hydrogen bonds which are formed between carboxyl and amino groups
structures in the secondary structure
alpha helix (coil) and B pleated sheets (zig zag)
tertiary structure - protein
structure that a polypeptide takes when it goes inside the cell
quatenary structure
structure only forms when proteins have more than one polypeptide chain
primary functions of nucleic acids
heritable information/passing of genetic information
DNA bases include
AGTC
RNA bases include
AGCU
RNA structure
the sugar base has a hydroxyl in the 2’ and hydrogen in
phosphodiester bonds
covalent bonds that help form DNA from a condensation reaction
DNA structure
hydroxyl in 2’
double helix
two strands of nucleic acids that are bound to each other by bonds of attraction (hydrogen) and form a coil once bounded
ATP
energy currency of the cell
algae cell wall is made of
cellulose
In double-stranded nucleic acids, uracil in RNA pairs up with what base?
adenine
Between NADH and NAD+, which is the reduced version?
NADH
Which polymer has glycosidic bonds?
polysaccharides
True or False: unsaturated fatty acids are solid at room temperature
false
Characteristics of alkaline solutions
have a pH higher than 7
