Chapter 3 : Molecules of the Cell Vocab (part 2) Flashcards
Hydocarbon
A chemical composed only of the elements carbon and hydrogen
Hydrolysis
A chemical process in which polymers are broken down by the chemical addition of water molecules to the bonds linking their monomers; an essential part of digestion
Hydorphilic
“water-loving”
Pertaining to polar, or charged, molecules (or parts of molecules) that are soluble in water
Hydrophobic
“water-fearing”
Pertaining to nonpolar molecules (or parts of molecules) that are soluble in water
Lipid
An organic compound consisting mainly of carbon and hydrogen atoms linked by nonpolar covalent bonds, making the compound mostly hydrophobic
Macromolecule
A giant molecule in a living organism formed by the joining of smaller molecules: a protein, carbohydrate, or nucleic acid
Monomer
A chemical subunit that serves as a building block of a poylmer
Monosaccharide
The simplest carbohydrate; a simple sugar with a molecule formula that is generally some multiple of CH2O. These molecules are the building blocks of disaccharides and polysaccharides
Nucleotide
An organic monomer consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group.
The building blocks of nucleic acids
Organic compound
A chemical compound containing the element carbon and usually synthesized by cells
Peptide bond
The covalent linkage between two amino acids in a polypeptide; formed by a dehydration reaction
Phosphoipid
A lipid made up of glycerol joined to two fatty acids and a phosphate group, giving the molecule a nonpolar hydrophilic head
Polymer
A large molecule consisting of many identical or similar molecular units, called monomers, covalenty joined together in a chain
Polypeptide
A polymer of amino acids linked by peptide bonds
