Biochemistry

Question 1

Carbohydrate

Answer 1

Carbohydrates are one of the main types of nutrients.

Question 2

Monosaccharide

Answer 2

Monosaccharides are polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones; that is, they are molecules with more than one hydroxyl group (−OH), and a carbonyl group (C=O) either at the terminal carbon atom (aldose) or at the second carbon atom (ketose).

Question 3

Disaccharide

Answer 3

A disaccharide is a sugar (a carbohydrate) composed of two monosaccharides. It is formed when two sugars are joined together and a molecule of water is removed. For example, milk sugar (lactose) is made from glucose and galactose whereas cane sugar (sucrose) is made from glucose and fructose.

Question 4

Polysaccharide

Answer 4

Polysaccharides are polymeric carbohydrate molecules composed of long chains of monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic linkages and on hydrolysis give the constituent monosaccharides or oligosaccharides. They range in structure from linear to highly branched.

Question 5

Protein

Answer 5

Proteins are large biomolecules, or macromolecules, consisting of one or more long chains of amino acid residues.

Question 6

Wax

Answer 6

Waxes are a class of chemical compounds that are malleable near ambient temperatures. They are also a type of lipid.

Question 7

Steroid

Answer 7

A steroid is an organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific configuration. Examples include the dietary lipid cholesterol, the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone.

Question 8

Phospholipid

Answer 8

Phospholipids are a class of lipids that are a major component of all cell membranes. They can form lipid bilayers because of their amphiphilic characteristic. The structure of the phospholipid molecule generally consists of two hydrophobic fatty acid “tails” and a hydrophilic “head” consisting of a phosphate group.

Question 9

Nucleic acid

Answer 9

Nucleic acids are biopolymers, or large biomolecules, essential for all known forms of life. Nucleic acids, which include DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid), are made from monomers known as nucleotides.

Question 10

Nucleotide

Answer 10

Nucleotides are organic molecules that serve as the monomers, or subunits, of nucleic acids like DNA and RNA. The building blocks of nucleic acids, nucleotides are composed of a nitrogenous base, a five-carbon sugar (ribose or deoxyribose), and at least one phosphate group.

Question 11

Functional group

Answer 11

Functional groups are specific atoms, ions, or groups of atoms having consistent properties. A functional group makes up part of a larger molecule. For example, -OH, the hydroxyl group that characterizes alcohols, is an oxygen with a hydrogen attached. It could be found on any number of different molecules.

Question 12

Adenosine triphosphate

Answer 12

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a nucleoside triphosphate used in cells as a coenzyme often called the “molecular unit of currency” of intracellular energy transfer. ATP transports chemical energy within cells for metabolism.

Question 13

RNA

Answer 13

Ribonucleic acid, or RNA is one of the three major biological macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life (along with DNA and proteins). A central tenet of molecular biology states that the flow of genetic information in a cell is from DNA through RNA to proteins: “DNA makes RNA makes protein”.

Question 14

DNA

Answer 14

DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms.

Question 15

Isomer

Answer 15

An isomer (/ˈaɪsəmər/; from Greek ἰσομερής, isomerès; isos = “equal”, méros = “part”) is a molecule with the same chemical formula as another molecule, but with a different chemical structure. That is, isomers contain the same number of atoms of each element, but have different arrangements of their atoms.

Question 16

Polymer

Answer 16

A polymer (/ˈpɒlɨmər/) (Greek poly-, “many” + -mer, “parts”) is a large molecule, or macromolecule, composed of many repeated subunits. Because of their broad range of properties, both synthetic and natural polymers play an essential and ubiquitous role in everyday life.

Question 17

Monomer

Answer 17

A monomer (/ˈmɒnəmər/ MON-ə-mər) (mono-, “one” + -mer, “part”) is a molecule that may bind chemically to other molecules to form a polymer. The term “monomeric protein” may also be used to describe one of the proteins making up a multiprotein complex.

Question 18

Dehydration

Answer 18

The monomers combine with each other via covalent bonds to form larger molecules known as polymers. In doing so, monomers release water molecules as byproducts. This type of reaction is known as dehydration synthesis, which means “to put together while losing water.

Question 19

Active site

Answer 19

a region on an enzyme that binds to a protein or other substance during a reaction.

Question 20

Enzyme

Answer 20

a substance produced by a living organism that acts as a catalyst to bring about a specific biochemical reaction.

Question 21

Substrate

Answer 21

a substance or layer that underlies something, or on which some process occurs, in particular.
the surface or material on or from which an organism lives, grows, or obtains its nourishment.
the substance on which an enzyme acts.

Question 22

Amino acid

Answer 22

a simple organic compound containing both a carboxyl (—COOH) and an amino (—NH2) group.

Question 23

Hydrolysis

Answer 23

the chemical breakdown of a compound due to reaction with water.

Question 24

Synthesis

Answer 24

combination or composition, in particular.

Question 25

Macromolecule

Answer 25

Biological macromolecules, the large molecules necessary for life, include carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins. Dehydration Synthesis. In dehydration synthesis, monomers combine with each other via covalent bonds to form polymers.

Question 26

Condensation reaction

Answer 26

A condensation reaction, is a chemical reaction in which two molecules or moieties (functional groups) combine to form a larger molecule, together with the loss of a small molecule.

Question 27

Polypeptide

Answer 27

Polypeptides are chains of amino acids. Proteins are made up of one or more polypeptide molecules. The amino acids are linked covalently by peptide bonds. The graphic on the right shows how three amino acids are linked by peptide bonds into a tripeptide.

Question 28

Peptide bond

Answer 28

A peptide bond is a chemical bond formed between two molecules when the carboxyl group of one molecule reacts with the amino group of the other molecule, releasing a molecule of water (H2O). This is a dehydration synthesis reaction (also known as a condensation reaction), and usually occurs between amino acids.

Question 29

Lipid

Answer 29

any of a class of organic compounds that are fatty acids or their derivatives and are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents. They include many natural oils, waxes, and steroids.