CHAPTER THREE- MOLECULES OF LIFE Flashcards
(21 cards)
Macromolecules
large organic molecules made from smaller building blocks or subunits– four major classes: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids
carbohydrates
sugars, CH20 general formula, dissolve well in water
Monosaccharides
single unit sugars– store a great deal of energy that are broken down by organisms
Disaccharides
two monosaccharides
Polysaccharides
two main functions– store energy (starch and glycogen) and structural support ( cellulose and chitin)
Cellulose
most abundant organic compound on earth, made up of glucose, found in cell walls
Starch
made up of glucose, energy storage molecule in plants
Fats
long term energy storage and insulation
Lipids
group together because they are hydrophobic
Sterols
regulate growth and development
Phospholipids
Form cellular membranes
Structure of Triglyceride
carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
Saturated fats
solid at room temperature, all single covalent bonds
Unsaturated fats
at least one double bond between carbon bonds– liquid at room temperature
Hydrogeneration
artificial addition of hydrogen atoms to an unsaturated fat in oder to make the fat more saturated
Cholesterol (sterol)
important component of cell membrane in animals
Steroid hormones
regulate sexual development, maturation and sex cell production
Proteins
made of amino acids, peptide bonds like amino acids , order of amino acids determine by DNA, order of amino acids determines structure of protein
Tertiary structure
polypeptide chain takes on complex three dimensional shape due to interactions of its side chains and aqueous environment
Quaternary structure
two or more polypeptide chains bond together
Nucleic acids
composed of nucleotides ( sugar, nitrogenous base, phosphate group) , function as heredity information, blueprint for making proteins (DNA & RNA)
