Unit 2: Cellular Chemistry Flashcards

1
Q

Atoms are most stable when…

a) when they have the fewest possible valence electrons
b) when they have the maximum number of unpaired electrons
c) when al the electron orbitals in their valence shells are filled
d) when they are electrically neutral

A

c) when all the electron orbitals in their valence shell are filled

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2
Q

When considering atoms with partial charges, which of the following are true?

a) refer to atoms that have lost or gained electrons
b) refer to asymmetric distribution of electrons in a chemical bond, such that electrons tend to spend more time near the nucleus of one atom, and less time near the nucleus of another
c) refer to atoms that have ionized
d) are a property of water that explains why it is considered the ‘universal solvent’
e) both b and d are true

A

e) asymmetrical distribution and why water is the ‘universal solvent’

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3
Q

The most water soluble amino acids will have the following structural features:

a) hydrocarbon R groups
b) ionized R groups that can participate in both hydrogen bonding and ionic bonds
c) partially charged R groups that can participate in hydrogen bonding
d) uncharged ring structures

A

b) ionized R groups that can participate in both hydrogen bonding and ionic bonds

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4
Q

What type of interaction is directly responsible for peptide chains forming alpha-helices and beta-sheets?

a) peptide bonds between adjacent amino acids
b) peptide bonds between non-adjacent amino acids
c) hydrogen bonds between sections of the polypeptide backbone
d) hydrogen bonds between R groups of amino acids

A

c) hydrogen bonds between sections of the polypeptide backbone

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5
Q

When a single peptide chain has formed a globular structure including the juxtapositioning of segments of helices and sheets, what is the highest level of structure that has been completed?

a) primary
b) secondary
c) tertiary
d) quaternary

A

c) tertiary

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6
Q

What forms the ‘backbone’ of a nucleic acid?

a) chain of sugar and phosphate groups, linked together through phosphodiester bonds
b) purine and pyrimidine pairs, hydrogen-bonded to each other
c) chain of amino and carboxyl groups, linked via peptide bonds
d) double helix of antiparallel strands

A

a) chain of sugar and phosphate groups, linked together through phosphodiester bonds

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7
Q

What causes the formation of DNA’s secondary structure?

A

hydrogen bonding between complementary base pairs

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8
Q

Which of the following are isomers?

a) glucose and galactose
b) glutamine and glutamate
c) adenine and guanine
d) glycogen and cellulose

A

a) glucose and galactose

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9
Q

What are the two similarities shared by polysaccharides, proteins and nucleic acids?

A

chains are composed of subunits or monomers

subunits joined through condensation reactions

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10
Q

Why is vegetable oil a liquid at room temperature when animal fats are solid at room temperature?

A

Fatty acids in vegetable oil contain more double bonds in their chains than animal fats

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11
Q

What is the primary sequence of proteins?

A

linear amino acid sequence

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12
Q

What would cause the incorrect shape of a proteins tertiary structure?

A

Incorrect primary structure - sequence of amino acids (i.e. sickle cell disease)

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13
Q

What is the most hydrophilic amino acid side chain?

A

Arginine (polar charged)

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14
Q

What is the most hydrophobic amino acid side chain?

A

Isoleucine (non-polar)

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15
Q

In what order are amino acids displayed?

A

N-terminus (amino end) to C-terminus (carboxyl end)

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16
Q

Isomeric form?

A

Same chemical groups arranged differently

17
Q

Why is energy stored as glycogen?

A

Molecule is unstable, and Alpha-linkages which are easy to hydrolyze - easy to get the energy back out

18
Q

True or false: Proteins are the only macromolecule

A

FALSE: lipids are the only macromolecule that does not have a polymer

19
Q

Describe the composition of a triglyceride

A

3 fatty acid tales (carboxylic acid with long hydrocarbon head) linked to glycerol with an ester linkage

20
Q

What is the difference between a cis and trans unsaturated fat?

A

A trans unsaturated fat has the hydrogens on both sides of the double bond. A cis unsaturated fat has the hydrogens on only one side of the double bond - causing a bent appearance

21
Q

Describe the composition of a phospholipid

A

2 fatty acid tails attached to glycerol, bonded to phosphoric acid which is attached to a polar group at the head

22
Q

Describe the difference in lipid structure between fatty acids, triglycerides, and phospholipids?

A

Fatty acids form surface film or micelles when surrounded by water. Triglycerides form a large spherical fat droplet in the cytosol. Phospholipids form self sealing bilayers, with the hydrophobic tails towards each other and the hydrophilic heads towards water.

23
Q

What does the addition of cholesterol between fatty acid chains do to membrane fluidity?

A

Addition of cholesterol provides more connections, more rigidity, making the membrane less fluid. Removal of cholesterol provides less connections, less rigidity, making the membrane more fluid

24
Q

What is a nucleotide composed of?

A

nitrogenous base + pentose sugar + phosphate group

25
Q

What is the difference between pentose sugars?

A

Ribose sugar contains hydroxyl group (OH) which makes it high reactive (why RNA doesn’t last as long as DNA)

26
Q

Describe the secondary structure of RNA

A

Mostly hydrogen bonding between bases on SAME strand - causing stems and loop structures