biological molecules Flashcards
(91 cards)
how is water a polar molecule? ( H2O )
shared negative hydrogen electrons attracted to oxygen
other side of each hydrogen - slight positive charge
unshared negative electrons on oxygen - slight negative charge
partial positive + negative charge
what does water having a high specific heat capacity mean?
a lot of energy needed raise temp - hydrogen bonds between water molecules absorb a lot of energy ( not enough for water )
how is water having a high heat capacity helpful?
water doesn’t experience rapid temp changes
good habitat
what does water having a high latent heat of evaporation mean?
lots of heat needed to break hydrogen bonds
lots of energy used up when it evaporates
how is water having a high latent heat of evaporation helpful?
good for cooling things like mammals
what does water being cohesive mean?
good attraction between the molecules - polar
helps water flow
how is water’s cohesion helpful?
easily transported up plant stems in transpiration stream
how is water a good solvent?
polar
slight negative end of water molecule attracted to positive ion .etc
ions get completely surrounded by water molecules - dissolve
why is ice less dense than water?
water molecules further apart in ice - each forms 4 hydrogen bonds to other water molecules
lattice structure
how is ice being less dense than water useful?
ice forms insulating layer
organisms in water beneath don’t freeze
3 elements that make up a carbohydrate?
carbon + hydrogen + oxygen
monosaccharide?
disaccharide?
polysaccharide?
single sugar unit
2 monosaccharides joined
more than 2 monosaccharides
why is glucose a hexose monosaccharide?
six carbon atoms
what is the difference between alpha and beta glucose?
their OH groups are reversed
what is ribose?
a pentose monosaccharide
how are monosaccharides formed?
glycosidic bonds
what happens in a condensation reaction?
hydrogen atom on a monosaccahride bonds to an OH group on other
releases molecule of water ( lost )
what happens in a hydrolysis reaction?
molecule of water reacts with glycosidic bond
breaks glycosidic bond
( reverse of condensation )
what is the polysaccharide starch used for?
energy storage material in plants
broken down to release glucose - energy
what is starch made up of?
2 polysaccharides of alpha glucose
amylose + amylopectin
what is the structure of amylose?
long + unbranched chain of alpha glucose
angles of glycosidic bonds give a coiled structure
glycosidic bonds between carbons 1-4
explain the properties of amylose?
good for storage - compact
insoluble so water doesn’t enter cells by osmosis ( don’t swell )
what is the polysaccharide glycogen used for?
energy storage material in animals
what is glycogen made up of?
a polysaccharide of alpha glucose