Unit 1: Biochemistry Flashcards
What are the four main properties of water?
- Cohesion/adhesion
- High specific heat capacity/heat of vapourization
- Low density of ice
- Solubility
Which property allows water to be moved easily by adjusting the pressure exerted on it?
also allows water to completely fill a space
Cohesion/adhesion
Define evaporative cooling
add when pertaining to individual organisms
Definition: When water molecules have enough kinetic energy to go to the vapour state.
Sweat evaporates off the skin of an organism to cool it down
What is the specific heat capacity of water
in J/gºC
4.184 J/gºC
What would happen if solid ice was more dense than liquid water?
Much of earth’s water would be permanently frozen at the bottom of lakes and oceans; it would sink and crush aquatic organisms
2 conditions
When will a molecule dissolve in water (at room temperature)
If they are ions or polar and small
Define: hydrophilic
A substance that has an affinity for water
Define: hydrophobic
A substance that repels water
Which elements appear in organic molecules?
Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, Sulphur (CHNOPS)
Which elements are found in all organic molecules?
Carbon and Hydrogen
What type of functional group is this:
–O-H
What are the properties of this group
Hydroxyl
polar, soluble
Ignore the horizontal lines
What type of functional group is this:
O ___
|| ___
–C-O-H
What are the properties of this group
Carboxyl
ionic, weakly acidic, polar, soluble
Ignore the horizontal lines
What type of functional group is this:
O _
|| _
–C-H
What are the properties of this group
Carbonyl (Aldehyde)
slightly polar, weakly soluble
ignore the horizontal lines
What type of functional group is this:
O
||
–C–
What are the properties of this group
Carbonyl (Ketone)
slightly polar, weakly soluble
ignore the horizontal lines
What type of functional group is this:
H
|
–N-H
What are the properties of this group
Amino
polar, basic, soluble
ignore the horizontal lines
What type of functional group is this:
–S-H
What are the properties of this group
Sulfhydryl
nonpolar, insoluble, strong smell
ignore the horizontal lines
What type of functional group is this:
O
||
–O-P-OH
|
OH
What are the properties of this group
Phosphate
ionic, acidic, soluble
ignore the horizontal lines
What type of functional group is this:
O
||
–O-P-O-
|
O-
What are the properties of this group
Phosphate
Define: Monomer
small simple unit molecules that form polymers
monomer or polymer
What is a monosaccharide?
Monomer
monomer or polymer
What is an amino acid
Monomer
monomer or polymer
What is a nucleotide
Monomer
Define: Polymer
long chain of repetitive monomers linked together by covalent bonds
Which types of organic molecules are polymers
Molecules of carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids
Define: Oligomer
small polymer between 3-20 units long
What reaction builds a biological polymer
Dehydration synthesis (condensation synthesis)
What is the process of dehydration synthesis?
Removal of H2O (has H2O as a product when forming a polymer)
What type of reaction breaks down a biological polymer?
Hydrolysis
What is the process of hydrolysis?
Adding H2O to a polymer to break it down
Which type of biological molecule does not form polymers
Lipids
triglycerides perform the reactions but don’t form polymers
Define: Carbohydrate
group of molecules loosley defined as containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen
most common ratio is 1:2:1 (C:H:O)
What are the 2 functions of a carbohydrate?
Energy storage/structural
Define: monosaccharide
monomer of simple sugar (glucose)
Define: disaccharide
a dimer of double sugar (maltose)
Define: oligosaccharide
an oligomer; short chain of linked sugars (raffinose)
Define: polysaccharide
a polymer; long chain of linked glucose molecules (amylose)
What bond is in carbohydrates?
Glycosidic Linkage
What is glycosidic linkage?
covalent bonding that connects a carbohydrate (sugar) molecule to another group
Draw an example of a simple glycosidic linkage
C–O–C
What is alpha glucose?
Common product of photosynthesis and the most important source of energy for almost all life forms
Define: starch
Formed using alpha glucose monomers; called storage polysaccharides
How does the size of the starch molecule affect its solubility in water?
bigger starch molecule=less soluble in water; this allows for it to be stored in the cell because it has a less osmotic effect.
Define: Osmosis
the passage of a liquid through membrane from a less concentrated solution to a more concentrated solution
What is the structure of amylose?
Helix (spiral shape)
What is the structure of amylopectin?
Helix (spiral) with multiple branches
What is the structure of glycogen?
Helix (spiral) with many more branches
What is the structure of beta glucose?
linear; makes cellulose molecules and chitin
What is the difference between starch and cellulose?
Starch is made up of alpha glucose and is in a helical shape. Cellulose is made up of beta glucose and is in a linear shape.
Define: Lipid
a hydrophobic molecule that consists of C,H,O
What are the 3 main functions of lipids?
waterproofing, insulation, long term energy storage
What are the 4 categories of lipids?
triglycerides, phospholipids, steroids, waxes
Classifications of a fatty acid:
Must have a carboxyl group on the end of a long carbon chain
Classifications of wax
Must have a carboxyl in the middle of a long carbon chain
Classification of triglyceride
Hydroxyl on glycerol connected to the hydroxyl on the carboxyl of the fatty acid
How do you know when something is saturated?
no double bonds in the hydrocarbon chain
How do you know when something is monounsaturated?
one double bond in the hydrocarbon chain
How do you know when something is polyunsaturated?
two or more double bonds in the hydrocarbon chain
What bond is on lipids?
Ester bond
Draw an ester bond
O______
||______
–C–O–C–
What forms the stable lipid bilayer in a membrane?
Phospholipids
Define: Steroid
a lipid soluble hormone derived from cholesterol
Draw a basic steroid molecule
2 hexagons connected side by side, one hexagon connected to the top of the second, and 1 pentagon connected to the third hexagon
Define: Nucleic Acid
molecules that contain CHNOP elements
What is the main function of nucleic acids?
to code information for the primary structure of proteins
What is the monomer for nucleic acids?
nucleotide
What are the 3 components of nucleotides?
Contains a nitrogenose base, contains sugar, contains phosphate
What is the shape of the sugar in a nucleotide?
pentose monosaccharide
Define: Purine
shape
double ring structure
(hexagon + pentagon)
What are the 2 purines?
Adenine and Guanine (A+G)
Define: Pyrimidine
shape
single ring structure
What are the 2 pyrimidines in DNA
cytosine and thymine
What are the 2 pyrimidines in RNA
cytosine and uracil
Which purines and pyrimidines pair together?
A-T
G-C
What is a pyrmidine nitrogenous base?
Single ring structure of the nitrogen base
What is a purine nitrogen base?
A double ring structure of the nitrogen basee
What is a purine nucleotide?
double ring structure on the nitrogen base attached to the entire nucleotide monomer
What bond is present in nucleic acids?
Phosphodiester bond
Draw a phosphodiester bond
O
||
3’C–O–P–O–C5’
|
OH
Define: complementary base pairing
H-bonding that occurs between bases
Define: Proteins
polymer of amino acids based on 3D folding
Define: Amino Acids
The monomer that makes up proteins
What are the 4 ways to classify an amino acid?
When naming
polar, non-polar, charged acidic, or charged basic
What is the bond present in proteins?
peptide bond
What are the 4 levels of protein structure?
Primary, secondary, tertiary, quarternary
Define: Enzyme
a substance that acts as a catalyst in a biochemical reaction
How does an enzyme work?
what does it do?
it lowers the activation energy of a chemical reaction by stressing/distorting the bonds of the substrate in order to speed up the functino of a product
Name 3 factors that affect enzymes
Temperature, pH, concentration of substrate
Define: denature
a denatured enzyme cannot bind properly to its substrate and therefore no enzyme-substrate complexes can form
What is the cell membrane?
semipermeable membrane enveloping cells made of phospholipids
Define: Passive transport
Where it does not require energy for a molecule to pass through the membrane
What substances use diffusion/passive transport?
oxygen and water
Define: hypertonic
when the concentration is higher inside of the cell than outside of the cell
Define: hypotonic
when the concentration is lower inside of the cell than outside of the cell
Define: isotonic
when the concentration is the same inside and outside the cell
Define: Active transport
where a substance is moved from a low concentration to a high concentration; moving something with energy that requires ATP
Define: Vesicular transport
form of active transport where vesicles are used to transport materials in and out of the cell
Define: exocytosis
when vesicles transport materials outside of a cell
Define: endocytosis
when vesicles transport materials into the cell
Define: phagocytosis
vesicles “devouring” something harmful to it
Define: pinocytosis
fluid filled vesicles are used to absorb nutrients
