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Biology AS > Biological Molecules > Flashcards

Biological Molecules Flashcards

1
Q

What is a monomer?

A

the basic subunit that joins to form larger molecules such as monosaccharides, amino acids, and nucleotides

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2
Q

What is a polymer?

A

a molecule made of long chains of a repeating subunit

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3
Q

What is a macromolecule?

A

a giant molecule such as polysaccharides, proteins, and nucleic acids

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4
Q

What is a carbohydrate?

A

sugars made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen with the general formula Cx(H2O)n

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5
Q

What is a monosaccharide?

A

a single molecule of sugar

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6
Q

What is a disaccharide?

A

two monosaccharides joined by a glycosidic bond

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7
Q

What is a polysaccharide?

A

long chains of monosaccharides joined by glycosidic bonds

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8
Q

What is glucose?

A

the most common hexose sugar, which is used as energy in aerobic respiration and as a building block

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9
Q

What is alpha glucose?

A

an isotope of glucose in which the hydroxyl group OH on the first carbon is positioned below the ring structure

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10
Q

What is beta glucose?

A

an isotope of glucose in which the hydroxyl group OH on the first carbon is positioned above the ring structure

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11
Q

What is the bond between carbohydrates?

A

the glycosidic bond, C-O-C

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12
Q

How is the bond between carbohydrates formed?

A

by condensation, the removal of a water molecule

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13
Q

What are some common disaccharides?

A
  • sucrose, a glucose + b fructose, linkage
  • maltose, a glucose + a glucose
  • lactose, glucose + galactose
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14
Q

What are some common polysaccharides?

A
  • starch
  • glycogen
  • cellulose
  • amylose
  • amylopectin
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15
Q

What are some common monosaccharides?

A
  • hexoses (glucose, fructose, galactose)
  • pentoses (ribose, deoxyribose)
  • trioses
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16
Q

How is the bond between carbohydrates broken?

A

by hydrolysis, the addition of a water molecule

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17
Q

What is amylose?

A

a very long, unbranched polymer of 1, 4-linked a glucose that forms helices

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18
Q

What is amylopectin?

A

a shorter, branched polymer of a glucose, where the straight chains form 1, 4 linkages, and the branches form 1, 6 linkages

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19
Q

What is starch?

A

the storage macromolecule found in plant cell chloroplasts, made of a mixture of amylose and amylopectin

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20
Q

What is glycogen?

A

the storage molecule found in animal cells, a polymer of 1, 4 and 1, 6-linked a glucose similar in structure to amylopectin, but more complexly branched and therefore tightly packed in granules

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21
Q

What is cellulose?

A

the structural component in plant cell walls, a polymer of 1, 4-linked b glucose, each molecule of which is rotated 180° to the next

crosslink to form microfibrils, which form fibres

these form insoluble fibres with high tensile strength

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22
Q

What is a lipid?

A

an insoluble molecule characterised by a bond between an alcohol and a fatty acid, commonly known as fats and oils

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23
Q

What is the bond between alcohols and fatty acids?

A

the ester linkage, COO

24
Q

What is a triglyceride?

A

a macromolecule made of three fatty acid chains, or ‘tails’, bonded with one molecule of glycerol (COOH), which acts as an energy reserve for living organisms, as it is even richer in hydrogen-carbon bonds than carbohydrates

25
Q

What is a fatty acid?

A

a long chain consisting of a carboxyl group and many hydrocarbon bonds, which can be saturated or unsaturated

unsaturated fatty acids contain carbon double bonds C=C, so are not saturated with the maximum amount of hydrogen, they have kinks due to double bonds, and are more commonly present in plants

26
Q

What is a phospholipid?

A

a molecule found in cell membranes, similar to a triglyceride, where one fatty acid tail is replaced by a phosphate PO4 group to form a hydrophilic phosphate head, and two hydrophobic tails

27
Q

What is the difference between fats and oils?

A

fats are made of saturated fatty acids and are solid at room temperature and are usually found in animals and animal products, such as butter, ghee, and blubber

oils are made of unsaturated fatty acids and are liquid at room temperature and are usually found in plants and plant products, such as canola and sunflower oil

28
Q

What is a protein?

A

a macromolecule made of amino acids

29
Q

What are the functions of proteins?

A
  • enzymes
  • antibodies
  • collagen
  • haemoglobin
  • muscle contraction
30
Q

What is an amino acid?

A

the monomer that makes up polypeptides, which make proteins, consisting of a central carbon, a carboxyl group, an amine group, a hydrogen atom, and a varying R group or side chain

31
Q

What is the primary structure?

A

the sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain

32
Q

What is the secondary structure?

A

the folding of the polypeptide chain into a helices and b pleated sheets

33
Q

What is the tertiary structure?

A

the further folding of the polypeptide to form specific three dimensional shapes

34
Q

What is the quaternary structure?

A

the interaction of multiple polypeptide chains

35
Q

What are the bonds that form at primary structure?

A

peptide

36
Q

What are the bonds that form at secondary structure?

A

hydrogen

37
Q

What are the bonds that form at tertiary structure?

A

ionic, disulfide, hydrophobic interaction

38
Q

What are the bonds that form at quaternary structure?

A

ionic, disulfide, hydrophobic interaction

39
Q

What is haemoglobin?

A

the oxygen carrying red pigment in our red blood cells

40
Q

What is the structure of haemoglobin?

A

a globular protein consisting of four polypeptide chains, two a globin and two b globin, arranged so that the hydrophilic R groups of amino acids face outwards, and the hydrophobic R groups face inwards

41
Q

What is collagen?

A

a structural protein in animals, forming bones and cartilage

42
Q

What is the structure of collagen?

A

a fibrous protein made of three helical polypeptide chains held together by hydrogen and covalent bonds, the small glycine on the inside of strands allow tight packing, which help form fibrils and tensile, flexible fibres

43
Q

What is a haem group?

A

one on each polypeptide chain in a haemoglobin molecule, consisting of an iron atom which can carry two oxygen molecules

44
Q

What is the purpose of iron in haemoglobin?

A

to carry oxygen in the blood

45
Q

What are the properties of water?

A
  • hydrogen bonding
  • high specific heat capacity
  • high latent heat of vaporisation
  • high density
  • high surface tension and cohesion
  • solvent
  • transport medium
46
Q

What are the properties of water?

A
  • hydrogen bonding
  • high specific heat capacity
  • high latent heat of vaporisation
  • high density
  • high surface tension and cohesion
  • solvent for ions
  • transport medium
  • reagent for reactions
47
Q

What is specific heat capacity?

A

the amount of energy needed to heat one kg of water by 1°C

48
Q

What is latent heat of vaporisation?

A

the heat energy needed to vaporise water

49
Q

What is the density of water?

A

high density, higher density as liquid than solid

50
Q

What is the food test for reducing sugars?

A

the reducing sugar test -
drops of benedict’s solution are added to a sample which is then heated, the test is positive if the colour changes from blue to brick red

51
Q

What is the food test for non-reducing sugars?

A

the non-reducing sugar test -
if the reducing sugar test is negative, drops of hydrochloric acid are added to the sample, which is then heated and neutralised with an alkali base, the reducing sugar test is performed again, if positive, non-reducing sugar sucrose is present

52
Q

What is the food test for proteins?

A

the biuret test -

53
Q

What is the food test for non-reducing sugars?

A

the non-reducing sugar test -
if the reducing sugar test is negative, drops of hydrochloric acid are added to the sample, which is then heated and neutralised with an alkali (sodium hydroxide), the reducing sugar test is performed again, if positive, non-reducing sugar sucrose is present

54
Q

What is the food test for proteins?

A 
the biuret test - 
biuret reagent (dilute sodium hydroxide and copper II sulfate) is added to sample, the test is positive if the solution turns purple
55
Q

What is the food test for lipids?

A

the emulsion test -

ethanol is added to a sample and shaken, then poured into water, the test is positive if milky white droplets form

Biology AS (12 decks)

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