Study Questions #2 Flashcards
September 4-7 (59 cards)
What are hydrophobic interactions, and why are they important for living organisms?
Hydrophobic molecules are nonpolar. Hydrophobic interactions are two nonpolars interacting. Water excludes these molecules and forces them to associate together. This is how the final shapes of biopolymers.
Why do water and oil separate after you shake them up?
Water pushes oil away because it can’t hydrogen bond with oil.
What is a mole (to a chemist)?
quantity of a chemical that contains avogadro’s number of molecules(easier to weigh molecules than count them)
What is pH and why is it important to living organisms?
Power of Hydrogen. Measures how acidic something is. most reactions in the body have an optimal pH at which they operate best so pH must remain constant. pH= -log[H]
What is the difference in [H+] between a solution whose pH is 5 and a solution whose pH is 8?
- 10 fold increase between each pH.
What is a buffer?
minimizes changes in pH. A H+ resvoir donating or receiving as needed to keep pH constant.
Why is life based on carbon?
carbon can be assembled into large macromolecules; forms backbone of these molecules. Carbs, Lipids, Proteins, Nucleic acids
What is a functional group (in organic chemistry) and why are they so important?
groups of atoms that confer certain chemical properties
List the 7 most important functional groups in biological molecules.
hydroxyl(-OH), Sulfhydryl(-SH), Carbonyl(C=O),phosphate(-PO4), Carboxyl(-COOH), methyl(-CH3), Amino(-NH2)
What is a macromolecule, and what features do all macromolecules have in common?
large molecule; polymer of similar polar units
What types of macromolecules do you find in living organisms?
monomers- monosachharide,amino acid,fatty acid and glycerol, nucleotides Polymer-polysaccharide,fat,protein,nucleic
What is a dehydration reaction?
when two monomers bond together through the loss of a water molecule
What is an anabolic reaction?
Builds larger molecules from smaller molecules
What is a hydrolytic reaction?
when water is added to a polymer to split it apart
What is a carbohydrate, and what functions do carbohydrates perform?
Sugars. Store energy, structural, signaling
Why are carbohydrates good for storing energy?
large number of C-H bonds
What is an isomer?
Compound with same structural formula, but arranged differently
What is the difference between a structural isomer and a stereoisomer?
Structural- functional groups on different C Stereoisomer- functional groups attached to same carbon but in a different orientation.
What is a transport dissacharide?
disaccharides made by plants to keep sugars from being broken down as they pass through the plant. Maximizes the amount of sugar that is stored in the root
What is the difference between starch, glycogen and cellulose?
All are glucose polymers.
difference between alpha and beta- when glucose forms a ring the OH group is either below(alpha) or above(beta) the plane of the ring.
starches- glucose joined by 1-4 alpha links (C1 bonds to C4 of next glucose) (coil in water because glucoses bond to each other instead of water- makes them insoluble- slows hydrolysis)
glycogen- branched starch from animals- branches by 1-6 alpha links, this makes it soluble
cellulose- glucose joined by 1-4 beta links(glucose alternate C6 up then C6 down)- forms chains instead of coils- glucose hydrogen bond adjacent chains- beta 1-4links makes it hard to digest
Why is starch insoluble in water?
Its nonpolar and forms coils.
What is carbo-loading and how does it work?
strategy used by athletes
maximizes storage of glycogen in the muscles as a source of energy
diet night before race; fruits, vegetables, whole wheat and grains
Why is it so much harder to digest cellulose then starch?
Cellulose is formed from beta glucose and few organisms have the enzyme to break it down
Why do beans give you gas?
beans contain roffinase sugars with alpha galactose 1-6 links that humans cannot digest easily; bacteria can ferment the sugar giving off CO2 gas
