Organic Molecules Flashcards

1
Q

Macromolecules

A
  • carbohydrates, proteins and nucleic acids

- chain-like molecules called polymers

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2
Q

Polymer

A
  • large molecule consisting of many similar or identical building blocks linked by covalent bonds (monomers)
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3
Q

Enzymes

A
  • specialized macromolecules that catalyze chemical reactions
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4
Q

Dehydration reaction

A
  • monomers are connected in a reaction where two molecules are covalently bonded with the loss of a water molecule
  • dehydration removes a water molecule, forming a new bond
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5
Q

Hydrolysis

A
  • bond between monomers is broken with the addition of a water molecule
  • hydrolysis adds a water molecule, breaking a bond
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6
Q

Carbohydrates

A
  • sugars or polymers of sugars
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7
Q

Monosaccharide

A
  • in the form CnH2nOn with a carbonyl group and many hydroxyl groups
  • can be aldoses or ketoses
  • range from 3-7 carbons (trioses, pentoses, hexoses)
  • differ in the arrangement of groups around the asymmetrical carbon (carbon bonded to four different atoms/groups)
  • often exists as rings in aqueous solution
  • major nutrient in cells, especially glucose- broken down in a cellular respiration
  • serve as raw material for the synthesis of other types of small organic molecules (amino acids and fatty acids)
  • others are incorporated as monomers in the synthesis of disaccharides and polysaccharides
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8
Q

Disaccharides

A
  • two monosaccharides linked by glycosidic linkages (covalent bonds between two monosaccharides formed in a dehydration reaction)
  • maltose= glucose + glucose
  • sucrose = glucose + fructose (plants transport carbohydrates from the leaves to the roots and other non-photosynthetic organs in the form of sucrose)
  • lactose = glucose + galactose
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9
Q

Polysaccharides

A
  • macromolecule of a few hundred or thousand monosaccharides connected by glycosidic linkages
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10
Q

Starch

A
  • polymer of glucose that plants store as granules within plastids
  • represents stored energy that is released by hydrolysis
  • animals and humans have enzymes that can hydrolyze plants starch
  • most glucose monomers are connected by 1-4 glycosidic linkages (amylose- unbranched) and some are connected by 1-6 linkages (amylopectin- branched)
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11
Q

Glycogen

A
  • polymer of glucose that is extensively branched (allows more free ends for hydrolysis)
  • used for energy storage in animals (in the liver and muscle cells of humans/vertebrates)
  • stored fuel does not last long and must be replenished through the diet
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12
Q

Cellulose

A
  • major component of plant cell walls (most abundant organic molecule on Earth)
  • polymer of glucose (β configuration)
  • straight and unbranched
  • OH groups are free to H bond with hydroxyl groups on other cellulose molecules- grouped into units called microfibrils
  • enzymes that hydrolyze plant starch cannot hydrolyze the β linkages in cellulose (few organisms possess these enzymes)
  • cellulose has an important role in the diet as it abrades the walls of the digestive tract and stimulates mucus secretion to facilitate the smooth movement of food
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13
Q

Chitin

A
  • used by arthropods to build their cytoskeletons and by fungi in their cell walls
  • has β linkages with the glucose monomers having an N-containing appendage
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14
Q

Lipids

A
  • hydrophobic due to largely hydrocarbon regions

- generally not large enough to be macromolecules

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15
Q

Fats

A
  • consist of a glycerol and fatty acids- long carbon skeletons (16-18 C) with a carboxyl group at one end
  • three fatty acids joined to a glycerol by ester linkages forms a triacylglycerol
  • saturated fatty acids- only single bonds
  • unsaturated fatty acids- one or more double bonds- mostly cis bonds in naturally occurring double bonds that cause a kink in the hydrocarbon chain
  • animal fats are saturated- solid at room temperature due to flexibility allowing close packing of fatty acids
  • fats in plants and fishes (oils) are unsaturated- liquid at room temperature due to kinks in the hydrocarbon chain preventing tight packing and solidification
  • primary function is energy storage (1 g of fat contains 2x energy of 1 g of polysaccharide) which is beneficial for motile organisms
  • animals and humans store their long-term food reserves in adipose tissue (provides cushioning for vital organs and a subcutaneous layer of insulation)
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16
Q

Phospholipids

A
  • major component of plasma membranes- forms a boundary between the external and internal environments
  • two fatty acids attached to a glycerol with a phosphate group attached to the third hydroxyl group of glycerol
  • usually, an additional small charged/polar molecule is attached to the phosphate group (choline)
  • has a polar hydrophilic head and two non polar hydrophobic tails
  • arrange themselves into bilayers in water with hydrophilic heads on the outside of the bilayer, in contact with the aqueous solutions inside and outside of the cell
17
Q

Steroids

A
  • composed of four fused rings

- lipid

18
Q

Cholesterol

A
  • a type of steroid that is crucial in animals
  • present in animal cell membranes an is a precursor from which other steroids (vertebrate sex hormones) are synthesized
  • in vertebrates, cholesterol is synthesized in the liver and is obtained from the diet
  • high levels of cholesterol may contribute to atherosclerosis
19
Q

Catalysts

A
  • chemical agents that selectively speed up chemical reactions without being consumed by the reaction
20
Q

Proteins

A
  • composed of 20 different amino acids, linked in unbranched polymers (polypeptides)
  • bond between amino acids is a peptide bond (covalent bond formed by a dehydration reaction)
  • biologically functional molecule made up of 1 or more polypeptides foiled and coiled into a specific 3D structure
  • the amino acid sequence of each polypeptide determines its 3D structure
21
Q

What are the functions of proteins?

A
  • enzymatic- selective acceleration chemical reactions (digestive enzymes)
  • hormonal- coordination of organism’s activities (insulin)
  • defensive- protection against disease (antibodies)
  • transport- movement of substances (hemoglobin)
  • contractile and motor- movement (actin and myosin)
  • structural- support (keratin, collagen)
  • -