Biological Molecules Flashcards
(120 cards)
Polysaccharides
Polysaccharides
Polysaccharides contain monosaccharides. They are formed by condensation reactions linked by glycosidic bonds.
Mainly used as energy stores and structual components of cells.
Major polysaccharides include starch and cellulose in plants and glycogen in animals.
What is starch and what is its function?
Formed from two polymers of alpha glucose - amylose and amylopectin
Found in starch grains inside plant cells (inside chloroplasts)
Function - is an insoluble store of glucoser
How is starch formed.
Formed from two polymers of alpha glucose - amylose and amylopectin
Amylose - condensation reaction which forms a 1-4 glycosidic bond.
Amylose features
Amylose
condensation reaction which forms a 1-4 glycosidic bond.
• 1-4 glycosidic bonds
• Unbranched chains
• Helical structure
Amylopectin
Amylopectin
• 1-4 and 1-6 glycosidic bonds
• Highly branched chains due to the placement of the bonds.
Where is starch stored
Starch is a major carbohydrate in plants.
It is usually stored as intracellular starch grains in organelles called plastids. The plastids include green chloroplasts and colourless amyloplasts.
Explain how the structure of cellulose leads to its function
Many hydrogen bonds provide collective strength
Insoluble so wont affect water potential
What is cellulose and its function
Formed from beta glucose
Found in cell wall of plant cells
Function provides structual strength to cell wall.
Hydrogen bonds in cellulose
Hydrogen bonds give molecules great tensile strength which is ideal for providing structual support to plant cells.
Hydrogen bonds then form between chains via the OH group to form microfibres and cellulose fibres.
Very rigid which is ideal for structual components such as plant cell walls.
What is gylcogen
Polymer of alpha glucose.
Functionm - is an insoluble store of glucose
Highly branched and can be compacted easily
Where are glycogen found
These branches of glucose form glycogen grains which are found in cytoplasm of muscle and liver cells.
Formation and structure of glycogen
Formed from many condensation reactions between alpha glucose
containing alpha 1-6 glycosidic bonds that produce and even more 1-6 bonds making a very branched structure.
Properties of lipids
Properties of lipids:
• made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
• Proportion of carbon to oxygen and hydrogen is smaller than carbohydrates.
• Insoluble in water
• Soluble in organic solvents such as alcohol and acetone
Roles of lipids
Roles of lipids
• contribute to flexibility to cell membranes
• Source of energy
• Waterproofing
• Insulation
• Protection
What are triglycerides
They are produced from a condensation reaction between 3 fattu acids and one molecule of glycerol.
This forms 3 ester bonds and 3 h2o molecules
Whatfunctional group does fatty acids contain
There are over 70 different fatty acids and they all have the COOH carboxillic acid group with a hydrogen chain attached.
The length of chain determines how saturated the fat is. The more double bonds in the tail means the more unsaturated the fat is.
What is a phospholipid
Made of a glycerol molecule, two fatty acid chains and a phosphate group attached to the glycerol.
The two fatty acids also bond to the glycerol via two condensation reactions resulting in two ester bonds
Energy storage in triglycerides
Due to the large ratio of energy stpry carbon hydrogen bonds compared to the number of carbon atoms, alot of energy is stored in the molecule.
Triglycerides in water
They do not affect water potential and osmosis.
This is because they are large and hydrophobic making them insoluble in water
How many amino acids are in the body
There are over 20 amino acids found in biology.
What are the two sulphyr containing amino acid
There are only two sulphur containing amino acids, these include cysteine and methionine. The sulfur atoms in the cysteine molecules can form a covalent bond. This is a disulphide bonds. Not broken by high temps or ph changes
What is a polypeptide
If we join three or more amino acids, we make a polypeptide. One molecule of water is formed from every peptide formed.
We can reverse this reaction and break the peptide bond by hydrolysing the molecule (adding water) which can be done by protease in the digestive system.
What is the difference between the polypeptide and the protein?
A polypeptide has to fold into a complex 3d shape to carry out its function - we would refer to it as a protein molecule
Primary structure in proteins
The sequence of amino acids bonded by covalent peptide bonds is the primary structure of a protein
DNA of a cell determines the primary structure of a protein by instructing the cell to add certain amino acids in specific quantities in a certain sequence.
This affects the shape and the function of the protein.
The primary structure is specific for each protein.