Week 3 - Biological Macromolecules Flashcards
Dehydration Rxn
aka dehydration synthesis; 2 monomers covalently bond together by LOSING A WATER MOLECULE; this rxn requires/stores energy
Hydrolysis Rxn
covalent bond in polymer is broken by addition of water molecule; RELEASES energy
Four main types of biological macromolecules
Carbs
Lipids
Nucleic acids (DNA/RNA)
Proteins
Monosaccharides
simplest sugar; monomers of all carbohydrates
Glucose (C6H12O6) is a common monosaccharide know chemical symbol of Glucose
Other examples: fructose, galactose, ribose
Disaccharide
2 monosaccharides joined via dehydration rxn (e.g. sucrose)
covalent bond joining the 2 monosaccharides is a glycosidic bond (or linkage)
Polysaccharide
polymer of sugar (multiple monosaccharides joined together)
Function of carbs
Fuel and building blocks
Starch
energy storage of polysaccharides in PLANTS; comprised of monosaccharides
Glycogen
energy storage of polysaccharides in ANIMALS; comprised of monosaccharides
Cellulose
structural polysaccharide in plants made up of glucose monomers; tough building material for plant cell walls (e.g. celery, give CRUNCH)
Chitin
structural polysaccharide in some animals (insects, crustaceans, and some fungi)
Lipids
fats, phospholipids, and steroids
Consist mainly of hydrocarbon regions (hydrophobic)
Not macromolecules on their own; no true polymers
Hydrocarbon
molecule of hydrogen bonded to carbon ONLY
Fats
THREE (3) FA’s attach to ONE glycerol thru dehydration rxns → product is a triacylglycerol (aka triglyceride) Main function = energy storage
Can store lots of energy in SMALL space
triacylglycerol (aka triglyceride)
just another name for fats; THREE (3) FA’s attach to ONE glycerol
Steroids
lipids that contain Carbon skeleton w/ four (4) fused ring structures; other chem grps may attach to these rings
hormones
Small signaling molecules that ctrl/regulate body fxns
Cholesterol is a common steroid
Phospholipid
made up of glycerol attached to 2x FA’s and a phosphate group
have hydrophobic areas (Fatty Acid tails) and hydrophilic areas (phosphate “head” → wants to mix with water) - comprise PM
Nucleic Acids
hold instructions for building proteins and reproducing life (DNA/RNA)
Nucleotide components
Pentose (5 carbon sugar molecule) Phosphate group Nitrogenous base - Cytosine, Thymine, Uracil (pyrimidines) - Adenine, Guanine (purines)
phosphodiester linkage
Bond holding two nucleotides together
nitrogenous bases
Two types: Pyrimidines and Purines
- Cytosine, Thymine, Uracil (pyrimidines)
- Adenine, Guanine (purines)
Nucleic acids’ structure
Adenine-Thymine
Guanine-Cytosine
Proteins
fxnal molecules composed of amino acid monomers
