Structure & Function of Large Biological Molecules Flashcards
4 classes of large biological molecules
carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, proteins
macromolecules
polymers built from monomers
polymers
long molecule consisting of many similar building blocks
monomer
repeating units that serve as building blocks
enzymes
specialized macromolecules that speed up chemical reactions such as those that make or break down polymers
dehydration reaction
occurs when 2 monomers bond together through loss of water molecule
hydrolysis
reaction that breaks a bond by absorbing a water molecule
carbohydrates
includes sugars and polymers of sugars
monosaccharides
have molecular formulas that usually multiples of (CH20)6
most common monosaccharides
glucose, fructose, galactose
covalent bond of carbohydrates
glycosidic linkage
polysaccharides
polymers of sugars, have storage and structural roles
carbohydrate polysaccharides
starch, glycogen, cellulose, chitin
starch
storage polysaccharides of plants
simplest form of starch
amylose
glycogen
storage polysaccharide of animals (stored mainly in liver and muscle cell)
cellulose
major components of tough wall of plant cells
chitin
found in exoskeleton of antropods (animals and fungi)
lipids
class that does not include true polymers
3 types of lipids
fats, phospholipids, steroids
fats
constructed from 2 types of smaller molecules (fatty acids and glycerol)
glycerol
3-carbon alcohol with hydroxyl group attached to each carbon
fatty acids
consists of carboxyl group attached to long carbon skeleton
Esther linkage
covalent bond that links glycerol and fatty acids