Midterm Flashcards
(185 cards)
What are macromolecules composed of? Give some examples
Composed of monomeric subunits
Eg. Protein -> amino acids
DNA -> deoxynucleotides
What is dynamic steady state?
When the rate of appearance of a cellular component is exactly matched to its rate of disappearance
Define isolated, closed, and open system
Isolated: organism exchanges neither energy nor matter with the environment
Closed: organism exchanges energy, but not matter with the environment
Open: organism exchanges both energy and matter with its surroundings
Define anabolic and catabolic pathways
Anabolic: requires input of energy (synthesis)
Catabolic: release energy (degradation)
Describe prokaryotic cells
Lack cell membranes
Unicellular
No nucleus or suncellular organelles
Cell wall
Describe eukaryotic cells
High organized system of membranes
Multicellular with nucleus
Contain organelles
What are the bulk elements of cells?
Oxygen = 65% Carbon = 18% Hydrogen = 10% Nitrogen = 3%
What are the major elements in the cell that are cations?
Account for 4%
Calcium - framework
Sodium - animal extracellular fluid, membrane integrity, nerve impulse activity
Potassium - irremplaçable intracellular cation, membrane integrity, nerve impulse activity
Magnesium - associated with bone structure, membrane integrity
What are the major elements of the cells that are anions?
Phosphorus:
1. Organophosphate - compounds which contain oxidized phosphate radical, nucleic acids, phospholipids, energy metabolism
2. Inorganic phosphate - animal skeletons, major intracellular anion in animal cells
Chloride - major extra cellular anion
Sulphur - sulphites
What are the minor elements present in cells?
Iron - hemoglobin and cytochromes
Iodine - thyroid hormone
What are the trace elements in cells?
Copper, zinc, magnésium, Mo
Very specific activities in the cell
Activators of specific enzyme systems
Name and rate the bond types in terms of strength from highest to lowest.
Covalent Ionic Dipole-dipole Hydrogen Charge transfer Hydrophobic Vander waals
What are some of the biological properties of water?
- Transport medium: intake of nutrients, excretion of toxic waste
- High solubility capacity
- Temperature regulator
- Structural component
What is the dielectric nature of water?
Dipole nature permits electrostatic interactions between ions
Build up of water sheath will lead to prevention of interaction between oppositely charged particles (solvation sphere)
Dielectric constant is very high
What are the consequences of higher dielectric nature?
- High solubilisation capacity towards ionic compounds
2. High solubility towards polar compounds
What is a colloid?
A state of matter typified by large molecules
What are hemotherms?
Organisms that maintains its body temperature at a constant level, usually above that of the environment, by its metabolic activity
Water hydrogen bonds with proteins and is prevented from becoming ice
What are some dynamic properties of water?
- High specific heat of capacity
- energy going into covalent bonds - High heat of vaporization
- Hydrogen bonding between water molecules and polar compounds leads to segregation of any non-polar compounds interacting via a polar forces
- Maximum density = 4C
What are amphiphilic molecules?
Neither polar nor non polar
Form micelles in solution
Micelles repel one another due to negatively charged surfaces and thereby maintain relative stability in solution
Describe a buffer system
- Weak acid
- buffers OH- which increases the pH with the addition of OH-
- as H2O and A- goes up, HA goes down
- produces water and therefore there is no change in pH
- you can keep pulling out H+ until HA is exhausted - Salt of weak acid
- buffers H+
- conjugate base component
What is buffer capacity?
Total capacity to buffer on a quantitative basis against the addition of H+ and OH-
A system has a buffering capacity of 1 when the addition if 1g/mol of H+ or OH- produces a unit change of pH
Describe traits of very weak acids in biological systems
- Have very small dissociation
2. [undissociated acids] = [weak acids]
What is buffer efficiency?
Buffer should be able to buffer in either direction
Maximum buffer efficiency should be able to buffer [OH-] as equally well as [H+]
In general, buffer over a range of +- 1 pH of a pK value
What is pK?
A measure of a systems capacity to yield H+