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Biological Molecules Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the three sugar monomers?

A

Glucose, fructose and ribose

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2
Q

What are the three sugar disaccharides?

A

Sucrose, maltose and lactose

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3
Q

What are the three carbohydrate polysaccharides?

A

Starch, cellulose and glycogen

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4
Q

What and where is the bond between two monosaccharides?

A

Between two carbons, a glycosidic bond

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5
Q

How many monosaccharides for a polysaccharide have?

A

More than 10

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6
Q

What are features of polysaccharides that make them different from a sugar? (Two things!)

A

They’re not sweet, and they’re not easily soluble

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7
Q

What is the function of polysaccharides? (Two things!)

A

To provide energy and to provide structure

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8
Q

What are four features of alpha glucose polysaccharides that make them good for energy storage?

A
  • very compact
  • insoluble in water (no impact to the cells water potential)
  • large + do not diffuse out of the cell
  • can be easily hydrolysed into alpha glucose for energy
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9
Q

What are the two monomers in starch (give the ‘catagory’ then the two specific monomers

A
  • alpha glucose
  • amylose and amylopectin
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10
Q

What is the bonding structure of starch like?

A

Mainly branched

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11
Q

What is the function of starch?

A

An insoluble store of glucose

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12
Q

Where is starch stored?

A

In plant cells (starch grains) normally in chloroplasts and amyloplasts

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13
Q

What is the structure of starch?

A
  • amylose with 1-4 glycosidic bonds in a helix
  • amylopectin with 1-6 and 1-4 glycosidic bonds in a branch
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14
Q

What is the monomer in glycogen?

A

Alpha glucose

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15
Q

What is the bonding structure of glycogen like?

A

Highly branched

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16
Q

What is the function of glycogen?

A

Insoluble source of glucose

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17
Q

Where is glycogen stored in the body?

A

In the muscle and liver cells in animals

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18
Q

What is the structure of glycogen?

A

Lots of 1-6 glycosidic bonds to create branches that can still be compacted

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19
Q

What are the monomers of cellulose?

A

Beta glucose

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20
Q

What is the bonding structure of cellulose?

A

Long straight chains forming a fibril

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21
Q

What is the function of cellulose?

A

Structural strength

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22
Q

Where is cellulose found?

A

In cell walls in plants

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23
Q

What is bonding in cellulose?

A

1-4 glycosidic bonds creating many straight chains held together by many hydrogen bonds

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24
Q

What do the hydrogen bonds do in cellulose?

A

The number of hydrogen bonds creates strength and micro fibrils being layered to form a rigid network

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25
What are reducing sugars/what can they do?
A type of carb with a free aldehyde (-CHO) or ketone (C=O) It can donate electrons to reduce them in chemical reactions
26
How many accessible ends does amylopectin have? What is it broken down by?
4, by amylace
27
How many accessible ends does amylose have?
2
28
Why is glucose soluble in water?
Hydroxyl groups
29
What is the function of triglycerides?
A good source of energy (lipid has double that of carbohydrate)
30
Structure of a triglyceride?
One glycerol, three fatty acids
31
What is the difference between saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids?
- Saturated: single bonds between carbon atoms only - Unsaturated: at least one double bond between carbon atoms
32
What is the difference between saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids?
- Saturated: single bonds between carbon atoms only - Unsaturated: at least one double bond between carbon atoms
33
What bonds are formed during a triglyceride condensation reaction?
3 ester bonds
34
What is released in the condensation reaction to form triglycerides?
3 water molecules
35
What is an ester bond?
The covalent bond formed by a condensation reaction between the -OH group of a carboxylic acid and the -OH group of an alcohol
36
What is an ester bond?
The covalent bond formed by a condensation reaction between the -OH group of a carboxylic acid and the -OH group of an alcohol
37
What is the basic difference (structurally) between phospholipids and triglycerides?
Phospholipids have a phosphate and only two fatty acids, triglycerides have no phosphate and three fatty acids
38
What are some of the structural features of phospholipids? (Two and what it means for the molecule)
Phosphate heads - hydrophilic Fatty acid tails - hydrophobic Non-polar molecules can pass through, polar ones need channel proteins
39
How are phospholipids formed?
- a condensation reaction between the OH on the phosphoric acid and on the glycerol
40
What bond is formed when creating a phospholipid?
A phosphate ester bond
41
How do phospholipids behave in water?
It formed a bi/mono layer or a spherical micelle
42
What are four features of the phospholipid bilayer?
- is fluid - controls substance entrance and exit - important for electrical insulation (keeps certain charges in + out of the cell) - area in the middle is a non-aqueous environment
43
Are triglycerides polymers?
No, because it doesn’t have the same repeating subunit
44
General amino acid formula
NH2CH(R)COOH
45
What does amphoteric mean?
Can be both an acid and a base
46
What makes up an amino acid + how?
- an amine group, a side chain of hydrocarbons and a hydroxyl group - the -COOH group is acidic and can dissociate to donate H+ for NH- to accept
47
What are the differences between fibrous and globular proteins?
Fibrous: - insoluble - formed from straight chain polypeptides held by H bonds Globular: - soluble - generally spherical in shape - generally for metabolic functions
48
What is an example for a fibrous and a globular protein?
Fibrous: collagen Globular: insulin
49
How many different types of amino acids are there?
20
50
What is a dipeptide + how is it formed?
- two peptides bonded together through a condensation reaction - the -OH from the hydroxyl group to the -H on the amine group release H20
51
What are the four levels of protein structure?
Primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary
52
What is the primary structure?
The order of amino acids in a polypeptide chain
53
Describe secondary protein structure
The polypeptide chain causing parts of the molecule to bend into a helix or beta pleated sheet, hydrogen bonds holding it together
54
Where are the bonds that hold a helix or beta pleated sheet together?
Between the C=O on the hydroxyl group and the -H (amine) of another
55
Describe the tertiary structure
Folding to form a unique 3D shape held by ionic, hydrogen + disulphide bonds
56
Describe the quaternary protein structure
More than 1 polypeptide chains being held together
57
What happens in terms of protein structure when a protein is denatured?
The bonds that hold the tertiary and secondary structure break + the unique 3D shape is lost
58
How to test for starch?
Add iodine and watch an orange to blue/black colour change
59
How to test for reducing sugars + what is the colour change?
- add Benedict’s reagent + heat - blue to green/yellow/orange/red (more red, more concentrated)
60
How to test for non-reducing sugars + colour change?
- confirm via Benedict’s + add acid - boil for 2 mins (acid hydrolysis) - cool + add alkali - add Benedict’s + reheat - blue to green/yellow/orange/red colour change
61
How to test for proteins + colour change?
- add biuret solution - blue to purple
62
How to test for lipids?
- dissolve sample in ethanol + shake - add distilled water + shake - white emulsion forms
63
How do you test for mono and disaccharides?
Benedict’s solution
64
What shape are globular proteins + why?
- rounded structures - hydrophobic R-groups fold inwards while hydrophilic R-groups become external surface

Biology (4 decks)

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