chapter 3 Flashcards
(56 cards)
what makes a compound organic
contains carbon in it (plus hydrogen)
The large molecules in living organisms fall into four categories. Name all four.
- Carbohydrates (macromolecule)
- Lipids
-Protein (macromolecule)
-Nucleic Acids (macromolecule)
Describe how bonds are created. Explain what makes carbon special during these processes.
Carbon has two shells surrounding the nucleus, and as we learned in Chemistry, the first shell can only contain two electrons while the second can contain 8. Within shells, electrons form pairs and the number of unpaired electrons within the valence shell is called the atoms valence. Carbons first shell is complete but within its second shell there are four unpaired electrons. This means that Carbon can bond to other atoms through four different connecting areas. If two of these unpaired atoms from carbon both connect to a molecule with two unpaired electrons, then a double bond is formed. On the other hand if only a single unpaired electron from carbon bonds with a single bond from another atom, then this creates a single bond.
What is a hydrocarbon?
Organic compounds made entirely of Carbon and hydrogen. Hydrocarbons exist throughout the body in certain molecules and are hydrophobic due to the nonpolar linkage between carbon and hydrogen.
What does ATP stand for?
What are the components of ATP?
How is energy released though this reaction?
-Adenosine triphosphate
-3 phosphate groups linked by single bonds, connected to Adenosine.
- When ATP reacts with water, of the bonds is broken and a single phosphate group is released. The breaking of this bond causes energy to flow into the system.
What is a Macromolecule?
Macromolecules are long chain-like molecules called polymers.
What is a monomer?
The building block to creating polymers which when arranged in special ways can create large and complex molecules.
How are enzymes used within the synthesis and breakdown of polymers?
enzymes are specialized molecules that speed up these chemical reactions by lowering the bar at which the bonds within a molecule are broken.
What is dehydration reaction?
This is when you remove H2O from a polymer chain. When these polymers are formed the monomers provide OH on one side and H on the other. By removing these functional groups from the monomers (in the form of water), they then create a bond between each other.
What is hydrolysis?
This is when you add H2O to the bond between two monomers. The OH will go to one monomer and the H with go to the other.
What causes diversity within Polymers?
All molecules are created from about 40-50 different types of monomers. The arrangement of these monomers is key to the function of the molecules.
What is a Carbohydrate?
What are the components of a carbohydrate?
the sugars and the polymers of sugars within a living organism. Serves as fuel and building material within our body. The smallest components of a carbohydrate are monosaccharaides which are combined through dehydration reaction to create disaccharides (2 mono-) and can then build up to create polysaccharides.
What is the link between two monosaccharaides called?
Glycosidic linkage… created by dehydration reaction between monomers.
Describe the typical sugar monosaccharaides chemical composition.
C6H12O6 = glucose
What shape does glucose and other sugars take while in water?
ring shape
How are sugars such as glucose important for cellular respiration?
during this process the cells extract energy from glucose though a series of reactions that breaks down the glucose molecule.
What is a polysaccharide?
A long string of monosaccharaides chained together by Glycosidic linkages.
What are storage polysaccharide?
These are long chains of polysaccharides that are stored within the body for later uses. A great example of this would be starch. Starch is a lot of glucose monomers linked together. The cells within plants can actually store these starch polysaccharides and then break them down through hydrolysis when the glucose is needed. Animals store glycogen which is stored like starch and then broken down to get glucose when the body needs sugar.
What are structural polysaccharides?
These are polysaccharides used to build strong materials for the body. An example would be cellulose which makes up the whole composition of a plant basically. As a building material glucose can arrange itself into different shapes to serve distinct purposes .
Describe the glucose alpha ring formation
All the glucose monosaccharaides are in the upright position in which the hydroxide groups are all in the same orientation. (example: starch)
Describe the glucose beta ring formation
Every other monosaccharide is upside down, meaning that the hydroxide groups are alternating top and bottom. (example: cellulose)
Why cant we digest cellulose and why is cellulose important in our bodies?
-Enzymes that break down our food are unable to hydrolyze the beta linkages in cellulose since the hydroxyl groups are all over the place.
-Cellulose is important for our digestion. Causes stomach lining to secrete a mucus that makes digestion easier.
What is a major trait that describes all lipids?
They are hydrophobic. Lipids have huge hydrocarbon chains which with their nonpolar property causes the lipids to be hydrophobic.
What is a fat made up of?
glycerol and fatty acid chains. A carboxyl group at the end of the fatty acid is what makes the linkage to glycerol possible through dehydration reaction.
