Topic 2

Question 1

Carboxyl group

Answer 1

A carboxyl group is a very common functional group seen in chemistry. A carboxyl group is defined as having a carbonyl and hydroxyl group both linked to a carbon atom. To refresh your memory, a carbonyl group is a carbon double-bonded to an oxygen, and a hydroxyl group is an OH group.

Question 2

Amine Group

Answer 2

Characterized by the presence of a nitrogen atom with a lone pair of electrons, amines are a class of compounds derived from ammonia (NH3) by replacement of one, two, or three hydrogens to yield primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, respectively

Question 3

MonomerCharacterized by the presence of a nitrogen atom with a lone pair of electrons, amines are a class of compounds derived from ammonia (NH3) by replacement of one, two, or three hydrogens to yield primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, respectively

Answer 3

A monomer is a small molecule that reacts with a similar molecule to form a larger molecule. It is the smallest unit in a polymer, which is often a macromolecule with high molecular weight. Monomers are the building blocks for biological macromolecules such as DNA, RNA, proteins and carbohydrates.

Question 4

Polymer

Answer 4

Polymer is a large compound - made of several smaller repeating units (monomers)

Question 5

Monosaccharide

Answer 5

Monosaccharides (one sugar unit) are typically sweet-tasting and function as an immediate energy source for cells. Examples of monosaccharides include glucose, galactose and fructose.

Question 6

Disaccharide

Answer 6

Disaccharides (two sugar units) are small enough to be soluble in water and commonly function as a transport form. Examples of disaccharides include lactose, maltose and sucrose.

Question 7

Polysaccharide

Answer 7

Polysaccharides are carbohydrate polymers comprised of many (hundreds to thousands) monosaccharide monomers. The type of polymer formed depends on the monosaccharide subunits involved and the bonding arrangement between them.

Question 8

Amino acid

Answer 8

Proteins are comprised of long chains of recurring monomers called amino acids. Amino acids all share a common basic structure, with a central carbon atom bound to: An amine group (NH2) A carboxylic acid group (COOH)

Question 9

Lipid

Answer 9

A lipid is any of various organic compounds that are insoluble in water. They include fats, waxes, oils, hormones, and certain components of membranes and function as energy-storage molecules and chemical messengers.

Question 10

Saturated fatty acid

Answer 10

In saturated fatty acids, the bonds between the carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon tail are all single bonds. The fatty acid is said to be ‘saturated’ with hydrogen. This means that each carbon atom in the hydrocarbon tail (except for the final carbon atom) is bonded to two hydrogen atoms.

Question 11

Unsaturated fatty acid

Answer 11

Fatty acids with double bonds are unsaturated – either monounsaturated (1 double bond) or polyunsaturated (>1 double bond) Unsaturated fatty acids are bent in structure, originate from plant sources (i.e. oils) and are typically liquid at room temperatures.

Question 12

Peptide

Answer 12

A peptide is a short chain of amino acids. The amino acids in a peptide are connected to one another in a sequence by bonds called peptide bonds

Question 13

Polypeptide

Answer 13

Amino acids can be covalently joined together in a condensation reaction to form a dipeptide and water. The covalent bond between the amino acids is called a peptide bond and, for this reason, long chains of covalently bonded amino acids are called polypeptides.