Topic 2 - Biological Molecules

Question 1

What is Alpha Glucose?

Answer 1

Structural isomer of Glucose - hydroxyl group lies below middle of carbon ring.

Question 2

What is an Amino Acid?

Answer 2

Monomers that make up a Polypeptide (Protein), containing an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a variable R group.

Question 3

What is Amylopectin?

Answer 3

A branched polysaccharide made of alpha glucose monomers joined by alpha-1,6 glycosidic bonds - make up starch w/ amylose.

Question 4

What is Amylose?

Answer 4

A straight-chain polysaccharide made of alpha glucose monomers joined by alpha-1,4 glycosidic bonds - make up starch w/ amylopectin.

Question 5

What is the Benedict’s Test?

Answer 5

Test for reducing sugars - turns substance from blue -> red in presence of reducing sugars.

Question 6

What is Beta Glucose?

Answer 6

Structural isomer of Glucose - hydroxyl group lies above middle of carbon ring.

Question 7

What is the Biuret Test?

Answer 7

Test for proteins - turns from blue -> purple in prescence of protein.

Question 8

What is Cellulose?

Answer 8

A straight polysaccharide made of beta glucose monomers joined by alpha-1,4 glycosidic bonds - used for structure - provides strength to plant walls.

Question 9

What is Collagen?

Answer 9

Type of Fibrous protein that provides strength to many different cell types + makes up connective tissues - no prosthetic groups.

Question 10

What is a Condensation Reaction?

Answer 10

A type of reaction where two molecules are joined together involving the elimination of a water molecule.

Question 11

What is a Disaccharide?

Answer 11

Molecules formed by the condensation of 2 monosaccharides.

Question 12

What is a Disulfide bond?

Answer 12

A covalent bond formed between sulfur-containing cysteine side chains of amino acids.

Question 13

What is the Emulsion Test?

Answer 13

Test for lipids - add ethanol + water to a substance, and in the prescence of lipids it will turn from colourless -> cloudy

Question 14

What is a Fibrous Protein?

Answer 14

A class of long-chained proteins that are insoluble in water, and typically have strucutual roles (e.g. Collagen, Keratin.)

Question 15

What is a Globular Protein?

Answer 15

A class of spherical-shaped proteins that are water-soluble and typically have metabolic roles (e.g. haemoglobin, insulin)

Question 16

What is Glycogen?

Answer 16

Highly branched polysaccharide made of alpha glucose monomers that is used as the main storage of energy in humans and animals.

Question 17

What is a Glycosidic Bond?

Answer 17

A bond between two monosaccharides formed by a condensation reaction.

Question 18

What is Haemoglobin?

Answer 18

globular protein used to transport oxygen, made up of four polypeptide chains, each with a haem prosthetic group.

Question 19

What is a Hydrogen Bond?

Answer 19

A type of bond formed between electropositive hydrogen and an electronegative atom like oxygen or nitrogen.

Question 20

What is Hydrolysis?

Answer 20

A type of reaction involving the use of a water molecule that breaks the bond between two molecules.

Question 21

What is an Iodine Test?

Answer 21

Test for starch - in the presence of starch iodine will turn from orange -> blue-black.

Question 22

What is the Latent heat of Vaporisation?

Answer 22

The amount of energy required for a substace to turn from a liquid to a gas.

Question 23

What is a Macromolecule?

Answer 23

A large molecule formed by condensation reactions between smaller molecules

Question 24

What is a Monomer?

Answer 24

Smaller units from which a large chain is constructed.

Question 25

What is a Monosaccharide?

Answer 25

The individual sugar monomers from which larger carbohydrates are made.

Question 26

What is a non-reducing sugar?

Answer 26

a sugar that doesn't have a free aldehyde or ketone functional group, and therefore can't act as a reducing agent - e.g. sucrose,

Question 27

What is a peptide bond?

Answer 27

The bond between amino acids formed by a condensation reaction between H of amine group of one molecule and OH of carboxylic acid group of another molecule.

Question 28

What are Polymers?

Answer 28

Molecules made from large numbers of monomers joined together.

Question 29

What is a Polysaccharide?

Answer 29

Molecules formed by the condensation of many monosaccharides.

Question 30

What is the Primary Structure?

Answer 30

The individual sequence of amino acids in a protein.

Question 31

What is the Secondary Structure?

Answer 31

The local interactions of amino acids in the polypeptide chain - either an alpha helix or a beta pleated sheet.

Question 32

What is the Tertiary Structure?

Answer 32

The way that a whole protien makes a 3-D shape, with hydrogen bonds and disulfide bridges.

Question 33

What is the Quaternary Structure?

Answer 33

The entire structure of proteins with multiple polypeptide chains - e.g. Haemoglobin, Immunoglobin

Question 34

What is a reducing sugar?

Answer 34

A sugar with a free aldehyde or ketone group that can act as a reducing agent. (e.g. maltose, fructose, glucose.)

Question 35

What is a solvent?

Answer 35

A substance which solutes are dissolved in

Question 36

What is Specific Heat Capacity?

Answer 36

The amount of energy required to raise the temperatue of a substance by a specific amount.

Question 37

What is Starch?

Answer 37

polysaccharide made of alpha glucose monomers that is used as the main energy store in plants.

Question 38

What is Sucrose?

Answer 38

A disaccharide formed by the condensation of a fructose and a glucose molecule.

Question 39

What is a Triglyceride?

Answer 39

A type of fatty acid formed by the condensation of one molecule of glycerol and 3 molecules of fatty acid.