Unit 1: Topic 3 - Introduction to Biological Macromolecules

Question 1

What type of bond holds protein together?

Answer 1

Peptide bonds between the amino acids of the protein.

Question 2

What type of bond holds nucleic acids together?

Answer 2

Hydrogen bonds (only in DNA) and covalent bonds. In RNA and DNA, covalent bonds are used to create the sugar-phosphate backbone and bind nucleotides to it. Hydrogen bonds in DNA are used to link the nucleotides of two strands together.

Question 3

What type of bond holds complex carbohydrates together?

Answer 3

Complex carbohydrates are held together by special covalent bonds called glycosidic bonds. Glycosidic bonds are the bonds that form between two simple carbohydrates.

Question 4

What happens during hydrolysis, and what are the products and reactants?

Answer 4

The reactants of hydrolysis include a polymer (in the diagram, this is maltose) and an H2O molecule (water). During hydrolysis, the covalent bonds between the polymer are split using water. The product of hydrolysis is the monomers of the polymer (in the diagram, this is glucose).

Question 5

What happens during dehydration synthesis, and what are the products and reactants?

Answer 5

The reactants of dehydration synthesis are monomers (in the diagram, these are the glucose molecules) and an H2O molecule (water). During dehydration synthesis, H2O is used to create a covalent bond between the monomers, so the product of dehydration synthesis is a polymer (in this diagram, this is maltose) of those monomers.