B1: Macromolecules and Enzymes Review

Question 1

What is a macromolecule?

Answer 1

-Large complex organic molecules
-organic contains carbon and hydrogen
-inorganic is non living matter

Question 2

What is dehydration synthesis?

Answer 2

-Process to assemble macromolecules
-a covalent bond is formed between a -OH (hydroxyl) group from one molecule and a -H (hydrogen) atom from another molecule

Question 3

What is hydrolysis?

Answer 3

-Process to disassemble macromolecules
-water is added to break a molecule into parts

Question 4

Describe a carbohydrate

Answer 4

-Always contain H,C and O
-provide energy storage
-most easily digested macromolecule
-simple sugars

Question 5

What is a monosaccharide?

Answer 5

-One of the subunits of a carbohydrate
-carbohydrate with 3-7 carbon atoms
e.g. glucose, fructose

Question 6

What is a disaccharide?

Answer 6

-Other subunit of a carbohydrate
-2 simple sugars
e.g. lactose, sucrose

Question 7

What is a polysaccharide?

Answer 7

-Complex carbohydrate (many linked sugars)
e.g. starches, celluse (plants), glycogen (animals)

Question 8

Describe a lipid

Answer 8

-Diverse group
e.g. phospholipids, steroids, energy storage, molecules, etc
-all are insoluble in water
-composed of one glycerol with 3 fatty acids chains (triglyceride) or one glycerol with 2 fatty acids (phospholipids)

Question 9

Describe the 2 types of fatty acids

Answer 9

-Saturated fatty acids have no double covalent bonds (C-C-C-C) (usually solid at room temperature)
-Unsaturated fatty acids have double covalent bonds (C-C=C-C) (liquid at room temperature)

Question 10

Describe a protein

Answer 10

-Building blocks of life
-make up most cellular structures
-polymers or chains of amino acids
-20 amino acids in total (11 are synthesized by the body, 9 are essential (need them in food)
-the amino acids are determined by the R group
-amino acids are joined together by a peptide bond
- final shape is 3D structure
-different R groups will attract or repel each other
-amino acids are the subunits

Question 11

Describe a nucleic acid

Answer 11

-Carry genetic info to make proteins
-subunits are nucleotides which are linked into long chains
2 main types of nucleic acids are RNA (ribonucleic acid) and DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

Question 12

What does DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) do?

Answer 12

-Carries the genetic instructions for building and maintaining any organism

Question 13

What does RNA (ribonucleic acid) do?

Answer 13

-Plays a role in protein synthesis

Question 14

What do vitamins do?

Answer 14

-Serve as co-enzymes, chemicals needed to make enzymes function

Question 15

Describe a catalyst

Answer 15

-A chemical that speeds up a chemical reaction but is not used up in the reaction
-lowers the amount of activation energy needed to initiate a reaction
-without them reactions would release to much heat which would cause proteins to lose their 3D structure

Question 16

What is an enzyme?

Answer 16

-Protein catalyst
-when combined with a substrate they make a “enzyme-substrate complex”

Question 17

What is a substrate?

Answer 17

-fit in an enzyme and help bring molecules together, speeding up the reaction or breaking them apart
-specific shape

Question 18

List the factors that affect enzymes

Answer 18

-Temperature: work in an optimal temperature range e.g. body enzymes work best at ~36C
-PH: most work best at ~6-8
-inhibitors: reduce an enzymes ability to bind substrates

Question 19

What are the types of inhibitors?

Answer 19

-Competitive: attach at the active site (where the substrate binds)
-non-competitive: attach elsewhere and change the enzymes 3D shape