Section 1: Molecular Composition of Plants Flashcards
what are the four major elements in plants?
H, C, N, O
covalent bonds
strong, formed by sharing electrons
ionic bonds
strong, between polar molecules (don’t share electron density evenly)
weak interactions
hydrogen bonds
non-polar interactions
carbohydrates bulding blocks
sugars (C, H, O)
carbohydrates characteristics
polar
carbohydrates functions
sucrose: carbon transport
starch: carbon/energy storage
cellulose: cell walls
lipids building blocks
fatty acids
glycerol
(C, H, O)
lipids characteristics
non-polar
hydrophobic
lipids functions
oils: carbon/energy storage
membrane lipids: compartmentalization
proteins building blocks
amino acids (C, H, O, N)
proteins characteristics
mostly polar
proteins functions
enzymes: catalyze chemical reactions
protein fibers: cell structure, motion
storage proteins: energy/carbon/nitrogen storage
nucleic acids building blocks
nucleotides (phosphate and sugar, nitrogenous base)
C, H, N, O, P
nucleic acids characteristics
polar
