Chapter 2 Biomolecules

Question 1

What are the 3 particles that make up an atom?

Answer 1

Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons

Question 2

What is a Covalent Bond?

Answer 2

“co” = to share. “valent” = outer most electrons of an atom.
a type of chemical bond where 2 atoms share a number of their outermost (valence) electrons. A single covalent bond shares 2 electrons, double covalent bonds share 4 electrons, and triple covalent bonds share 6 electrons.

Question 3

What is a pH scale?

Answer 3

a measurement system used to indicate the concentration of free H+ (hydrogen atoms missing an electron) in a solution. It ranges from acidic to basic on a scale between 0-14. As numbers decrease from 7 closer to 0, they are more acidic. Numbers increasing from 7 closer to 14 are more basic. 7 is considered completely neutral.

Question 4

What elements does carbon bond with to make up life’s molecules?

Answer 4

Carbon can bond with many elements including Hydrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, Sulfur, and Nitrogen to form the molecules of life.

Question 5

Why is Carbon so useful in being the key element to allow for life to occur?

Answer 5

Carbon is very common in the universe.
It is relatively small as an atom making it versatile.
It has 4 valence electrons which allow for up to 4 more additional covalent bonds.
It can bond to itself to form an endless number of shapes.
It can covalently bond in single, double, or triple bonds which can alter how the molecules are shaped in 3D.

Question 6

What is a monomer?

Answer 6

“monos” is a greek word meaning “single”.

A monomer are smaller chemical units which can chain together to form larger molecules.

Question 7

What is a polymer

Answer 7

“polus” is a greak word meaning “many”.

Polymers are larger molecules made from the combination of several smaller monomers.

Question 8

What is polymerization?

Answer 8

Process of connecting monomers together to form polymers.

Question 9

What is a carbohydrate?

Answer 9

Compounds made of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen, usually in a ratio of 1:2:1. (example-glucose is C6H12O6)

Living things use carbohydrates as their main source of energy. Plants, some animals, and other organisms also use carbohydrates for structural purposes.

Question 10

What is a similarity and a difference between a monosaccharide and a polysaccharide?

Answer 10

Similarity - They are both considered carbohydrates (as types of sugars). “ sákkharon” is Greek for “sugar”.

Difference - Monosaccharides are the monomers (building blocks) of the larger sugar polymer, polysaccharides.

Monosaccharides: Glucose, fructose, galactose
Polysaccharides: glycogen, starches, cellulose

Question 11

What are lipids?

Answer 11

molecules made mostly of carbon and hydrogen atoms.
Lipids can be used to store energy, be important parts of biological membranes, waterproof coverings, and many types of hormones like steroids.

Question 12

What are good fats and bad fats?

Answer 12

Good Fats: mono or polyunsaturated fats (body can break down) Omega-3 Omega-9 fats.

Bad Fats: Trans fats or saturated fats (body doesn’t handle well).

Question 13

What is a nucleic acid?

Answer 13

a macromolecule containing Oxygen, Nitrogen, Carbon, and Phosphorus. Nucleic Acids are the polymers of nucleotides which store and transmit hereditary (genetic) information. They come in two main varieties, DNA and RNA.

Question 14

What is the name of the monomer of a nucleic acid and what 3 parts make it up?

Answer 14

Nucleotide:

1) 5-carbon sugar (deoxyribose –> DNA. ribose –> RNA)
2) A phosphate group (-PO4)
3) A nitrogenous base (DNA has ACGT. RNA has ACGU)

Question 15

What is the name of the monomer of a protein and what 3 parts make it up?

Answer 15

Amino Acid:

1) Amine Group (-NH2)
2) Carboxylic Acid (-COOH)
3) An “R” group which will be different depeding on which specific amino acid.

Question 16

What do we call a chain of amino acids?

Answer 16

Polypeptide

Question 17

What are enzymes?

Answer 17

Enzymes are biological protein catalysts which are specifically shaped in a way that they can speed up the rate of reaction in breaking down a particular substrate. (much like how a lock has a specific key that works on it). Enzymes work by lowering the activation energy for a reaction.

Question 18

What are proteins?

Answer 18

macromolecules that contain Nitrogen, Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen. They are polymers of amino acids which can be folded into particular shapes to do a variety of processes.

Some proteins control the rate of reactions as enzymes, some regulate cell processes, some form important cellular structures, some help transport substances into our out of cells, some help fight disease, some help build muscle tissue.

Question 19

What is a chemical reaction?

Answer 19

process that changes, or transforms, one set of chemicals into another by breaking bonds and reforming bonds.

Question 20

How do energy changes affect whether a chemical reaction will occur?

Answer 20

Chemical reactions that release energy often occur on their own, or spontaneously. Chemical reactions that absorb energy will not occur without a source of energy.

Question 21

What is Activation Energy?

Answer 21

The energy necessary for a reaction to take place. This can be high or low depending on a variety of things like the stability of the reactants in the chemical reaction.

Question 22

What is a catalyst?

Answer 22

a substance that speeds up the rate of chemical reaction. (like an enzyme)

Question 23

What is a substrate?

Answer 23

the reactants of enzyme-catalyzed reactions. (the thing that the enzyme is breaking down)

Question 24

What things can affect the function of an enzyme?

Answer 24

Anything that may change the physical shape of the enzyme’s bind site. This could include changes in temperature, pH, or the activity of other regulatory molecules.

Question 25

If an atom has 6 protons, 6 neutrons, and 7 electrons,

1) Which element is it?
2) What is the atomic mass?
3) What is the charge?

Answer 25

1) this is carbon - proton number determines which element
2) adding up the mass of the protons and neutrons (electrons not taken into account because of their minimal mass) gets us at 12.
3) Because protons each have 1 positive charge and electrons each have 1 negative charge, seeing that there is one more electron than proton gives us a charge of (-1).

Question 26

If an atom has 7 protons, 6 neutrons, and 6 electrons:

1) Which element is it?
2) What is the atomic mass?
3) What is the charge?

Answer 26

1) Nitrogen - proton number determines the element
2) adding up the neutrons and protons (leaving out the low mass electrons) gives us an atomic mass of 13.
3) 7 positively charged protons outnumbers the 6 negatively charged electrons giving the atom a charge of (+1)