Life on This Rock: Section 2-2 Flashcards
What are sugar molecules called?
Saccharides.
What is a single saccharide called?
Monosaccharide.
What are multiple saccharides called?
Polysaccharides.
What do plants convert glucose into?
Starch.
How do plants form cellulose?
They link rows of glucose polymers by hydrogen bonding.
What is a polymer?
A substance that has a molecular structure that consists of a large number of similar units bonded together.
What are the cell walls of plant cells and the trunks of trees made of?
Cellulose.
What is chitin?
A strong, glucose-based polymer that makes up the exoskeleton of insects and crustaceans.
True or false? We can digest cellulose.
False.
Why is fiber good for us?
It scrapes along the sides of our intestines and cleans them.
Do complex or simple sugars give long, sustained bursts of energy?
Complex.
Do lipids have a simple or complex structure?
Simple.
What are the two common names for lipids?
Fats and oils.
What purposes do fats serve?
They are long-term energy storage and insulation.
What purposes do oils serve?
They waterproof things.
What are fatty acids?
The lipid portion of fats and oils. It is made of a long hydrocarbon chain that has a carboxyl functional group.
What will an acid molecule do in water?
Dissociate, yielding an H+ and negative ion.
Why don’t molecules of fats and oils dissolve in water?
Oils and fats are non-polar molecules, whereas water molecules are polar. Therefore, the oil molecules are more attracted to each other than to the water molecules.
What molecule do fatty acids combine with to make fats and oils?
Glycerol.
What does glycerol do that binds fatty acids together?
It binds three fatty acids together via a dehydration reaction.
Is an assembled molecule of fat/oil polar or non-polar?
Non-polar
What element is the “backbone” of an oil/fat made of?
Carbon
What kinds of bonds can carbon form with itself?
Single or double.
What does the term “saturated” mean in the context of chemistry?
A chain of carbons with the maximum amount of hydrogen atoms associated with it.
What is an unsaturated fat?
A fat that does not have the maximum amount of carbon atoms associated with it.
Why do fat molecules bend?
Their double bond forces it.
What does the bend in a fat molecule do?
It results in a molecule that is solid or liquid at room temperature.
What is an S-shaped fat called?
A trans fat.
What is the curved shape of a fat called?
A cis fat.
True or false? Fats are always bad for us.
False.
What is an example of a fat that is very important to our health?
Omega 3 fish oil.
Why does fat taste good to us?
It developed over evolutionary time when food was scarce. It contains more energy than protein, so fat helped early man make it through tough times.
What is the worst kind of fat?
Trans fat.
What sort of problems do saturated fats cause?
They stick to arterial walls and can clog them.
What can happen if the four arteries coming from the heart get clogged?
Heart attack.
What can happen if the capillaries the brain get clogged?
Stroke.
What are the arteries in the heart called?
The coronary arteries.
Why are the cravings for fat dangerous in the modern day?
We do not have to hunt for food, because it is available in excess.
How are trans fats formed?
A process called hydrogenation.
What is hydrogenation?
A process where hydrogens are artificially added to unsaturated fats, forcing them to straighten out.
Why are trans fats so dangerous?
They increase production of the cholesterol that increases heart attacks and decreases levels of the kind that prevents them.
Steroids are a form of _____.
Lipids.
True or false? Steroids have long hydrocarbon backbones.
False.
Describe the molecular properties of steroids.
They are four connected carbon rings that are insoluble in water.
What do steroids do?
Help us develop.
What does estrogen do?
Help memory and regulate metabolism.
What does testosterone do?
Stimulate muscle growth.
What disease can steroids promote in the long run?
Cancer.
What are proteins?
Polymers assembled from amino acids.
True or false? Amino acids have a functional group on each end.
True.
Do proteins consist of similar monomers or different ones?
Similar.
What is the primary structure of a protein?
The order in which amino acids are assembled.
True or false? Proteins can twist to accommodate positive or negative charges.
True.
What is a spiral stair case shape of a protein called?
Alpha-helix.
What is a pleated sheet shape?
A protein that is folded.