Unit 1 (Chapter 3 Part 1)

Question 1

What is a carbon-containing molecule, so named because such molecules were first discovered in living organisms?

Answer 1

Organic molecule (contains carbon)

Question 2

What are other organic molecules instead of carbohydrate, proteins, and nucleic acids?

Answer 2

Lipids

Question 3

What was Vitalism?

Answer 3

Organic molecules could not be created and were a vital life force within living things.

Question 4

How was Vitalism disproved?

Answer 4

Wohler accidentally created urea crystals which he studied extensively. This began the field of organic chemistry.

Question 5

What is so special about the carbon atom?

Answer 5

It can form four covalent bonds.

Question 6

What types of atoms does carbon bond to?

Answer 6

Bonds with other carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur atoms.

Question 7

What types of bonds is carbon capable of?

Answer 7

Single or double bonds.

Or, in the case of Carbon and Nitrogen, can be triple bonds.

Question 8

What bonds with carbon are nonpolar?

Answer 8

Carbon and hydrogen (similar electronegativities) bonding and obviously with Carbon and Carbon bonding.

Question 9

What do you call molecules with predominantly hydrogen–carbon bonds?

Answer 9

Hydrocarbons

Remember: They are poorly soluble in water and have extremely similar electronegativities.

Otherwise, formations with molecules such as oxygen or nitrogen, they are much more soluble in water.

Question 10

What is another important feature of carbon?

Answer 10

Carbon bonds are stable within large temperature ranges.

Question 11

Why are carbon bonds more stable in a large range of temperatures (frigid poles and superheated deep-sea vents)?

Answer 11

Since Carbon atoms are relatively small, their bonds are incredibly short which makes them much stronger. Longer bonds tend to form between larger atoms.

Question 12

What is a group of atoms with a characteristic chemical structure that exhibits particular properties?

Answer 12

Functional Groups

Each functional group exhibits the same properties in all molecules in which it occurs.

Question 13

Bonus: What does the R mean in chemical formulas?

Answer 13

A radical.

It is an abbreviation for any group in which a carbon or hydrogen atom is attached.

Question 14

What are some functional groups, where they might be found, and their properties?

Answer 14

Amino - Amino acids (proteins) // Weakly basic (can accept H+); polar; forms part of peptide bonds

Carbonyl - Steroids, waxes, and proteins // Polar; highly chemically reactive; forms hydrogen bonds

Aldehyde - Linear forms of sugars and some odor molecules // Polar; highly chemically reactive; forms hydrogen bonds

Carboxyl - Amino acids, fatty acids // Acidic (gives up H+ in water); forms part of peptide bonds

Hydroxyl -
Steroids, alcohol, carbohydrates, some amino acids // Polar; forms hydrogen bonds with water

Methyl - May be attached to DNA, proteins, and carbohydrates // Nonpolar

Phosphate - Nucleic acids, ATP, phospholipids // Polar; weakly acidic and negatively charged at typical pH of living organisms

Sulfate - May be attached to carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids // Polar; negatively charged at typical pH of living organisms

Sulfhydryl - Proteins that contain the amino acid cysteine // Polar; forms disulfide bridges in many proteins

Question 15

What is an isomer?

Answer 15

Two or more molecules with the same chemical formula but different structures and characteristics.

Question 16

What are isomers that contain the same atoms but in different bonding relationships?

Answer 16

Structural isomers.

Much like urea and ammonium cyanate. Or like isopropyl alcohol and propyl alcohol.

Question 17

What are isomers with identical bonding relationships, but different spatial positioning of their atoms?

Answer 17

Stereoisomers

Question 18

What are the two types of stereoisomers?

Answer 18

Cis-trans isomers and enantiomers.

Question 19

What are organic molecules with the same chemical composition but existing in two different configurations determined by the positions of hydrogen atoms on the two carbons of a C═C double bond?

Answer 19

Cis/trans isomers.

When the hydrogen atoms are on the same side of the double bond, it is called a cis isomer; when on the opposite sides of the double bond, it is a trans isomer.

Question 20

What is the most notable property of a cis/trans isomer?

Answer 20

Their stability and sensitivity to heat and light.

For example, the light sensitive region of your eye contains a molecule called retinal, which exists in either a cis or trans form. In darkness, the cis-retinal form predominates. The energy of sunlight, however, causes retinal to isomerize to the trans form. The trans-retinal activates the light-capturing cells in the eye.

Question 21

What isomer is one of a pair of stereoisomers that exist as mirror images?

Answer 21

Enantiomer.

You can think of these as a pair of gloves. No way you hold the left-handed glove, it will never fit the right hand.

Another example… An enzyme that recognizes one enantiomer usually does not recognize the other.

Question 22

Some organic molecules are extremely large. How do these molecules link together?

Answer 22

They use organic molecules called a Monomer (meaning one part).

This is used to form a larger molecule called a polymer which consists of many repeating units of the monomer.

Question 23

What is a large molecule formed by linking many smaller molecules called monomers?

Answer 23

A polymer (meaning many parts).

Question 24

What is a chemical reaction in which two or more molecules are combined into one larger molecule by covalent boning, with the loss of a small molecule?

Answer 24

Condensation reaction.

This produces a larger organic molecule plus a water molecule.

Question 25

What is another name for condensation reaction and why?

Answer 25

Dehydration reaction because a molecule of water is lost.

Question 26

T/F Polymers can reach great lengths, much like DNA, by the process of dehydration reactions up to millions of monomers called nucleotides.

Answer 26

True

Question 27

What is an example of an unstable polymer unlike the stable polymer of DNA?

Answer 27

Carbohydrates

Question 28

What is the process by which a polymer is broken down into monomers?

Answer 28

A hydrolysis reaction.

This is a chemical reaction that utilizes water to break apart other molecules.

In the example of a carbohydrate, plants store them as starches, which use hydrolysis reactions to break them down into their constituent monomers for energy.

Question 29

What are the four broad categories of organic molecules and macromolecules in all forms of life based on their chemical and biological properties?

Answer 29

Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, and Nucleic acids.