Biochemicals Study Guide

what is a polymer?

a large molecule made of multiple repeating units

what is a monomer?

one individual unit

how are polymers formed?

via dehydration synthesis

what is dehydration synthesis?

monomers are joined by removed OH from one monomer and removed H from the other

how are polymers broken down by?

hydrolysis

what are the four major macromolecules?

carbohydrates, lipids, protiens, and nucleic acids

what is a carbohydrate monomer called?

monosaccharide

what do carbohydrates do?

give quick energy

what foods are high in carbohydrates?

starches, sweets, bread, fiber

if a molecule ends in “ose”, what does it mean?

it’s a sugar

what are some exceptions to the “ose” = “sugar” rule?

amylopectin, chitin

what are carbohydrates made of?

carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen

what are monosaccharides?

one sugar

what are disaccharides?

two sugar

what are polysaccharides?

many sugar

what are some examples for monosaccharides?

glucose, fructose, galactose

what are some examples for disaccharides?

maltose, sucrose, lactose

what are some examples for polysaccharides?

starch, cellulose, and lactose

how do plants store energy?

starch

how do animals store energy?

glycogen

how do plants maintain structures?

cellulose

how to fungi and arthropods maintain structure?

chitin

what are lipid subunits called?

triglyceride

what’s the use for lipids?

long term energy storage, insulation, and making cell membranes

what elements make up lipids?

carbon, hydrogen, and very little oxygen

what foods have a lot of lipids?

oils, butter, animal fat, and lard

what are some lipid molecule examples?

hormones, phospholipids, steroids, vitamin a, d, and k

what are the three types of fats?

saturated, unsaturated, and trans fats

what are the differences between saturated and unsaturated fats?

saturated is tightly packed and animal based, unsaturated are loosely packed and plant based

how to polar and non-polar substances react with one another?

each type will mix with their own, but they will not mix with the opposite type

what are protein monomers called?

amino acids

what elements make up proteins?

carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sometimes sulfur

what do proteins do?

helps create muscle tissue, hair, nails, and skin cells

what foods are high in protein?

meats, peanut butter, beans, egg whites, tofu, dairy

what are some protein molecule examples?

collagen, insulin, actin or myosin, hemoglobin, enzymes, amylose

what are the different groups of an amino acid structure?

amino group, side chain, and carboxyl group

how do proteins work?

they have to have the correct shape

what are the different structures of proteins? name all of them.

primary structure, secondary alpha/helix, secondary pleat/sheet structure, tertiary structure, quaternary structure

what do actin and myosin do?

actin is basically useless while myosin is responsible for contracting and relaxing muscles

what are nucleic acid monomers called?

nucleotides

what elements are nucleic acids made of?

carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus

what does nucleic acids do?

provide instructions for building proteins, stores genetic information

what foods are high in nucleic acid?

all living things

what are some nucleic acid molecule examples

RNA and DNA

name all the different parts that make up a nucleotide

phosphate group, 5 carbon ribose sugar, and nitrogenous base

what are the different chemicals that make up DNA?

A, C, G, T

what are the different chemicals that make up RNA?

A, C, G, U

what’s the chemical formula for monosaccharides?

C6H12O6

which disaccharide is this?

sucrose

which disaccharide is this?

maltose

why can’t dna leave the nucleus but rna can?

rna has a weaker h-bond compared to dna

what are enzymes?

proteins that speed up chemical reactions by lowering the activation energy

what do amylase, lactase, and sucrase do?

breaks down carbohydrates

what do protease and peptidase do?

breaks down proteins

what does lipase do?

breaks down fats

what do DNA and RNA polymerase do?

put together to create nucleic acid

how do digestive enzymes work?

via hydrolysis

how do synthesis enzymes work?

via dehydration synthesis

what is metabolism?

all chemical reactions in an organism’s body

what is the orange part of the diagram called?

active site

what is the purple part of the diagram called?

the substrate or reactant

which stage of the enzyme as catalyst is this?

enzyme: substrate enters the active site of the enzyme

what stage of the enzyme as catalyst is this?

enzyme-substrate complex: chemical reaction is triggered by enzyme

what stage of the enzyme as catalyst is this?

enzyme and product: enzyme releases product

enzymes are both —- and —-

reusable, specific

what is a catabolic reaction?

cutting or breaking the bond

what are anabolic reactions?

merges or creates the bond

what is an inhibitor?

controls enzymes from catalyzing reactions

what are the two types of inhibitors?

competitive: blocks the active site, non-competitive: changes the shape of the active site

what is needed for enzymes to catalyze reactions?

cofactors: helpers of enzymes

what’s the difference between facts that REGULATE and AFFECT enzymes?

regulate is only temporary, while affect is permanent

what does “denature” mean?

changing the shape of the enzyme by unfolding, making it useless

what are the four factors that can affect enzymes?

temperature, pH, enzyme concentration, and substrate concentration

in — temperatures, enzymes begin to slow down and completely denature.

high

in — temperatures, enzymes slow down but do not denature

low

changing the number of neutrons gives you an…

isotope

changing the number of electrons gives you a…

negative charge

what type of bond is this? electrons are transferred.

ionic

what type of bond is this? electrons are shared equally

covalent

what type of bond is this? electrons are shared unequally

ionic

what type of bond is this? weak attractions between molecules

covalent

what is the difference between an atom and a molecule?

an atom is the smallest unit of matter, while molecules are a chain of atoms

explain how you can find the number of valence electrons an element has.

The electron in the last shell/circle are valence electrons. These take part informing a bond.

what types of bonds gives water its special properties?

cohesion and adhesion

what is cohesion, and why is it important to life?

cohesion is when water molecules stick to other water molecules. it’s important since it’s why water’s boiling point is high and helps us regulate our body temperature

what is adhesion and why is it important to life?

adhesion is when water sticks to other polar substances, it’s important because it’s useful for fluid transport.

what is high specific heat and why is it important to life?

it’s when it takes a long time for water to heat up, it’s important because it useful for regulating body temperature

what is evaporative cooling, and why is it important to life?

it’s when water evaporates from a surface, causing it to cool down. it’s useful for maintaining homeostasis, such as sweating.