The Molecules Of Life

Question 1

What is a organic molecule?

Answer 1

Are carbon bases molecules. (Molecules that have a carbon atom present). And these carbon based compounds make up who we are.

Question 2

What is organic chemistry?

Answer 2

Is the study of carbon compounds.

Question 3

What are the bonding patterns of carbon?

Answer 3

It has four valence electrons. (Becomes stable through covalent bonding. Sharing electrons)
The bonds are arranged in a triangular pyramid(tetrahedron).
Are the backbone of biological molecules because they can form long chains or rings.
When carbons bond with a hydrogen they form compounds called hydrocarbons. Non polar compounds eg. Waxes oil.

Question 4

What are carbohydrates /saccharides?

Answer 4

Are sugars and starches, they are used for energy production, storage and for structural reinforcement. It is the most abundant molecule in the world.

Question 5

What are you two simple sugars/ carbohydrates

Answer 5

Monosaccharides- are monomers (single units of sugar. And provide immediate energy. Eg: gylceraldehyde, ribose, deoxyribose, fructose and glucose.
Note: ribose and deoxyribose are parts of RNA and DNA respectively and are five carbon sugars.

Disaccharides - when two simple sugars (two monosaccharides) joins together. And are formed through a condensation reaction(removal of water to form bond).
Eg. Maltose, sucrose and lactose
Note: most of the sweet things we eat are disaccharides.

Question 6

What are complex carbohydrates?

Answer 6

Polysaccharides are complex carbohydrates (they are made up of more than 10 monosaccharides linked together.
They are all polymers of glucose

Question 7

Give an example of a polysaccharide that is used for structure?

Answer 7

Cellulose are found in plant cell walls and this is what gives them structure.
Chitin - covers insects and crustaceans.
We do not have the enzymes needed to digest these polymers, however some animals (cows and termites) have bacteria in their guts that are able to digest cellulose.

Question 8

Examples of carbohydrates that are used for food.

Answer 8

Starches (plants ) - animals have the enzymes needed to digest this.

Glycogen(animas) - is stored in our livers and muscles as a rest source of glucose.

Question 9

What are lipids

Answer 9

Are non polar (hydrophobic) complement of cells. And a mostly carbon and hydrogen.
They are primarily used for energy storage and as structural component of cell membranes.

Question 10

Types of lipids

Answer 10

Fats(energy storage), waxes(waterproofing), phospholipids(cell membrane) and steroids(hormones)

Question 11

Two compounds that are formed by a condensation type reaction(removal of water to form bonds)

Answer 11

Disaccharides(two sugars joining together and fats ( between fatty acids and glycerol)

Question 12

What is formed when 3 fatty acids are attached to a molecule of glycerol?

Answer 12

Triglycerides (dietary fats)

Question 13

What is formed when 2 fatty acids are attached to a molecule of glycerol?

Answer 13

Phospholipids

Question 14

Phospholipids in cell membranes

Answer 14

Cell membranes are made up of a bi layer of lipids the head group ( hydrophilic end - choline and phosphate) faces out while the fatty acid(hydrophobic end) forms the interior of the membrane. This allows for a few molecules (like water and gas) to pass through . This is what keeps the inside of a cell separated form the outside.

Question 15

What are proteins

Answer 15

Polymers of amino acids
Consists of one of more polypeptide chains

Question 16

How do proteins differ from one another

Answer 16

Size : number of amino acids (proteins usually have 200 to 1000 amino acids)
Sequence of amino acids(there composition)

Question 17

Two functions of proteins

Answer 17

Structural proteins- collagen in hair, skin, keratin in hair
Enzymes: all metabolic processes(the breaking building transformation and rearrangement of compounds are done by enzymes (proteins)
Transports proteins - oxygen in the blood is carried by hemoglobin( made up of proteins)
Everything expect for water and a few gases are transported through proteins.

Question 18

What is the most important macromolecules?

Answer 18

Proteins are considered the most important organisms compounds because of the different function they carry out.

Question 19

What makes up amino acids?

Answer 19

A amino group(basic), carbonyl group(acid), R-group(functional group) and a hydrogen all bonding with a carbon molecule.

Question 20

What are Your four levels of protein structure

Answer 20

Your four levels of protein structure are primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary.

Question 21

What occurs in your primary protein structure

Answer 21

In your primary proteins structure you would have a sequence of amino acids.
A polypeptide or protein is a chain of amino acids. 

Question 22

What occurs in your secondary protein structure

Answer 22

secondary protein structure occurs when the sequence of amino acids are linked by hydrogen bonds. These hydrogen bonds which occur between carboxyl and amino groups causes the protein to Fold up and gives it an alpha helix or beta pleated sheet. 

Question 23

What occurs in your tertiary proteins structure 

Answer 23

Due to the interactions between your R-groups of amino acids proteins tend to fold up into tertiary structures. At this level proteins are functional

Question 24

What occurs at your quaternary protein structure

Answer 24

The quaternary protein structure forms when proteins are composed of more than one polypeptide these polypeptide bind spontaneously into a single protein.

Question 25

What are nucleic acids

Answer 25

Nucleic acids are polymers of nucleotides.
DNA and RNA are both nucleic acid DNA houses are genes which contain instructions for making proteins and RNA participates in protein synthesis

Question 26

What are the three parts of a nucleotide

Answer 26

A nucleotide has a five carbon sugar either ribose or deoxyribose.
One or more negatively charged phosphate groups attach to a five carbon of pentose sugar.
A nitrogenous base.

Question 27

What is denaturation

Answer 27

Is the destruction of the 3-D dimensional shape of a protein this can be reversible or irreversible.

Question 28

Explain why protein structure is essential to its function

Answer 28

So when proteins do not take on a globular shape this can cause them to not function well.This is what happens in sickle cell Amenia. This disease is caused by the substitution of a single amino acid by another amino acid in the primary structure of a protein. This causes the protein to have a long and fibrous shape instead of a globular shape.