Ch 4: Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life

Question 1

Stanley Miller

Answer 1

Investigated origin of life in test tubes, Supports the idea that abiotic synthesis of organic compounds could have been an early stage in the origin of life

Question 2

Organic Compounds

Answer 2

compounds containing carbon

Question 3

What is the bonding capacity of carbon?

Answer 3

Because of carbon’s ability to form four bonds allows carbon to form a multitude of organic compounds from few elements

Question 4

Tetrahedron

Answer 4

When a carbon atom forms four single covalent bonds

Question 5

Carbon Skeletons

Answer 5

“chains”, the basis of most organic molecules, Carbon atoms can use one or more valence electrons to form covalent bonds to other carbon atoms

Question 6

Three types of carbon skeletons

Answer 6

straight, branched, rings

Question 7

Hydrocarbons

Answer 7

organic molecules consisting of only carbon and hydrogen

Question 8

Fats

Answer 8

long hydrocarbon tails attached to nonhydrocarbon, hydrophobic, undergo reactions that release a relatively large amount of energy

Question 9

Isomers

Answer 9

compounds that have the same numbers of atoms of the same elements but different structures, and different properties.

Question 10

Three types of isomers

Answer 10

structural, cis-trans, enantiomers

Question 11

Structural isomers

Answer 11

differ in the covalent arrangements of their atoms, differ in the location of double bonds

Question 12

Cis-trans isomers (geometric isomers)

Answer 12

carbons have covalent bonds to the same atoms, but differ in their spatial arrangements due to the inflexibility of double bonds

Question 13

Enantiomers

Answer 13

isomers that are mirror images of each other, differ in shape due to the presence of an asymmetric carbon, Two enantiomers of a drug may not be equally effective

Question 14

The properties of an organic molecule depend on

Answer 14

arrangement of carbon skeleton, various chemical groups attached to that skeleton,these groups may participate in chemical reactions, indirectly by their effects on molecular shape

Question 15

Functional groups

Answer 15

chemical groups are directly involved in chemical reactions

Question 16

Seven types of functional groups

Answer 16

hydroxyl group, carbonyl group, carboxyl group, amino group, sulfhydryl group (hydrophilic), phosphate group, and methyl group (hydrophilic)

Question 17

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)

Answer 17

organic molecule called adenosine attached to a string of three phosphate groups, stores the potential to react with water/other molecules