Biochemistry Flashcards
(34 cards)
Describe homeostasis.
Homeostasis is that property of a system, which regulates its internal
environment so as to maintain a stable, constant condition.
Which are the major elements of the human body?
OCH N: Oxygen - 65% Carbon - 18% Hydrogen - 10% Nitrogen - 3%
Which are the lesser elements of the human body?
Ca, P, K, S, Na, Cl, Fe, Mg
Name some trace elements of the human body.
Aluminium, Boron, Chromium, Cobalt, Zinc, Copper, Flourine, Tin, Vanadium, Iodine, Manganese, Molybdenum & Selenium.
What are the inorganic compounds of the body?
Water, acids, bases and salts.
Name some properties of the most abundand inorganic compound water.
High heat capacity High heat of vaporization Polar solvent properties Reactivity Transport medium Lubricates Cushioning
What differs an acid from a base and from a salt?
An acid drops a hydrogen ion, a base drop a hydroxide ion and a salt doesn’t drop any of these when solved in water.
Describe iodine deficiency.
Thyroid hormones need iodine.
Can cause metabolic problems and retardation.
Prevent with iodized salt.
What are the the main organic compounds in the body?
Carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
Which are the subgroups of carbohydrates?
Monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides.
Name five monosaccharides.
Glucose (druvsocker) Fructose (fruktsocker) Galactose Ribose (RNA) Deoxyribose (DNA)
Name three disaccharides.
Sucrose (glucose and fructose)
Maltose (glucose)
Lactose (glucose and galactose)
Describe lactose intolerance.
Hypolactasia. Lack of enzyme lactase which breakes lactose into its building blocks glucose and galactose.
Name three polysaccharides.
Glycogen
Starches
Cellulose
(They are all made out of glucose)
Name three lipids.
Fatty acids
Triglycerides
Phospholipids
What are the functions and the properties of fatty acids?
They are single lipids
Building block for triglycerides and phospholipids
Contain energy
They can be saturated with no double bonds of the carbon or unsaturated with these double bonds and a crooked shape.
What are the functions and the properties of triglycerides?
They contain a lot of energy and has an unlimited storage capacity.
Made out of three fatty acids and one glycerol molecule.
Recognized as our fats and oils, which can be either solid or liquid in room temp.
What are the functions and the properties of phospholipids?
Made out of two fatty acids, one glycerol molecule and one phosphate group.
Polar (hydrophilic) head and nonpolar (hydrophobic) tails.
Make up our cell membranes with bilayer sheets.
A ball of phospholipids is called a micelle and a double membrane layer sphere is called a liposome. The latter are used in endo- and exocytosis.
Which are the four nitrogenous bases?
Adenine and Thymine (Uranine in RNA)
Cytosine and Guanine
What is the nucleotide composed of?
Nitrogenous base, deoxyribose and a phosphate group.
A gene consists of about 3000 nucleotides.
What are the properties and functions of DNA?
Double stranded
Located in nucleus and contain genetic info (basic instructions for building proteins)
Replicates before cell division
What are the properties and functions of RNA?
Single stranded Is found outside the nucleus mRNA - Messenger tRNA - Transporter rRNA - Ribosome
What is the structure of amino acids?
Amino group (H-H-N) - Side chain of carbon and hydrogen - Carboxyl group (C=O-OH)
What are the abbreviations EAA and BCAA short for?
Essential Amino Acids (important for life) and Branched Chain Amino Acids (good before work out).