Chapter #3 Flashcards
Amino Acid
An organic molecule containing a carboxyl group, an amino group, a hydrogen atom, and a variable side chain that serves as the monomer of proteins
Atherosclerosis
I cardiovascular disease in which plaque develops inside the arteries, narrowing the passageways in which blood can flow
Carbohydrates
A biological molecule consisting of simple single monomer sugars, two monomer sugars, and other multi unit sugars.
Cellulose
Glucose monomers linked to cable like fibrils that provide support for plant or animal cells.
Dehydration Reaction
A chemical process in which a polymer forms when monomers are linked by the removal of water. A dehydration reaction is the opposite of a hydrolysis reaction.
Denaturation
A process in which protein molecules unravel losing specific conformation and hence function. can be caused in changes in ph, salt concentration, or by high temperature. also refers to the separation of a double helix.
Disaccharide
A sugar molecule consisting of two monosaccharides, linked by a dehydration reaction.
DNA
The genetic material that organisms inherit from their parents.
Double Helix
The form assumed by DNA in living cells, referring to its two adjacent polynucleotide strands wound into a spiral shape.
Fat
A large lipid molecule made from an alcohol called glycerol and three fatty acids; a triglyceride. Most fats function as energy storage molecules.
Functional Groups
The atoms that form the chemically reactive part of an organic molecule.
Gene
A unit of inheritance in DNA consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence that programs the amino acid sequence of a polypeptide. Most of the genes of a eukaryote are located in its chromosomal DNA; a few are carried by the DNA of mitochondria and chloroplasts.
Glycogen
A complex, extensively branched polysaccharide made up of many glucose monomers; serves as an energy-storage molecule in liver and muscle cells
Hydrocarbons
A chemical compound composed only of the elements carbon and hydrogen.
Hydrogenation
The process of converting unsaturated fats to saturated fats by the addition of hydrogen
Hydrolysis
A chemical process in which macromolecules are broken down by the chemical addition of water molecules to the bonds linking their monomers; an essential part of digestion. A hydrolysis reaction is the opposite of a dehydration reaction.
Hydrophilic
“water loving”; pertaining to polar, or charged molecules which are soluble in water.
Hydrophobic
” water fearing “; retaining to non polar molecules which do not dissolve in water.
Isomers
One of two or more molecules with the same molecular formula but different structures, thus different properties.
Lipids
An organic compound consisting mainly of carbo and hydrogen atoms linked by non polar covalent bonds and therefor mostly hydrophobic. Wax, fat ,phospholipids, and steroids.
Macromolecules
A giant molecule in a living organism. Ex. proteins
Monomers
A chemical subunit that serves as a building block of a polymer.
Monosaccharides
The smallest kind of a sugar molecule; a single-unit sugar; also known as a simple sugar. Monosaccharides are the building blocks of more complex sugars and polysaccharides.
Nucleic Acids
A polymer consisting of many nucleotide monomers; serves as the blueprint for proteins and, through the actions of protein for all cellular structure/ activity.
