AP Biology unit 1 - chemistry of life

Elements of life

C, H, N, O, P, S

the four bio molecule families

carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids

Water is a....

polar molecule with unequal electron sharing between oxygen and hydrogen.

The negative and positive parts of water

Oxygen is negative, hydrogen is positive

The kind of bonds water has

Hydrogen bonds which are intermolecular and covalent bonds which are intramolecular

Hydrogen bonds are essential for

DNA and RNA structure

cohesion

hydrogen bonds between water molecules

Cohesion is responsible for

high heat of vaporization, high specific heat/hold a lot of water, high surface tension

Adhesion

hydrogen bonds between water and other polar molecules

transpiration

how water gets pulled up to the top of trees

surface tension

force exerted by the water molecules on the surface of a body of water

Carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids are built from

monomers

polymers

chain of monomers

dehydration synthesis

process of putting monomers together to make polymers, water is exerted

hydrolysis

enzymes insert water molecule between the monomers making up a polymer

phosphate

key for energy exchange

methyl

used to silence DNA or turn off genes

hydroxl and carbonyl

makes a molecule hydrophilic/water soluble

carboxyl and amino

essential in amino acids

Sulfhydrl

important in protein structure, creates stabilizing bond that holds proteins in a 3 dimensional shape.

acetyl

used to activate DNA through process called acetylation

monosaccharide

energy sources and building blocks, simple sugars

Disaccharides

energy transfer, two linked monossacharides

polysaccharide

energy storage, starch for plants and glycogen for animals; structure rolls, like cellulose in plant walls

lipids

wholly or partly non polar, not composed of repeating monomers

lipid functions

long term energy storage (fats or oils), wax (waterproofing), membrane function (phospholipid bilayer), signaling, insulation

phospholipid structure

hydrophilic head that is polar and hydrophobic tail that is nonpolar

the four levels of protein structure

primary structure, secondary structure, tertiary structure, Quaternary structure

primary structure

linear sequence of amino acids that is genetically determined

secondary structure

interactions between carbonyl group and amino groups within a polypeptide backbone, forms hydrogen bonds which stabalizes shapes

tertiary structure

emerges from interactions between amino acid side chains/r groups. Can either have a alpha helix shape or beta pleated sheet shape.

alpha helix

a corkscrew shape stabalized by internal hydrogen bonds within the polypeptide backbone

beta pleated sheet

stabilized by hydrogen bonds within the polypeptide backbone

Quaternary structure

involves multiple folded polypeptide chains that bond together, can involve hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds, hydrophobic interactions, and rarely covalent bonds .

nucleic acids

molecules of genetic information

DNA

Molecule of hereditary

RNA

information transfer which can fold, bend into variety of shapes which leads to variety of functions

nucelotides

monomer of nucleic acids

amino aicd

monomer of protein

Sugar in DNA

deoxyribose

DNA bases

adenine, thymine, cytosine, guanine

Sugar in RNA

ribose

RNA bases

adenine, uracil, cytosine, guanine

structure of DNA

two nucleotide strands, within each strand the nucleotides are connected by sugar phosphate bonds. Strands connect to one another by hydrogen bonds. The two strands area antiparallel

DNA Base matches

Adenine --> thymine

Guanine --> cytosine

polymerases

enzymes that build DNA which can only add new nucleotides at the 3' end of growing strand

RNA base matches

Adenine --> Uracil

Guanine --> cytosine

carbohydrate functions

short term energy storage, main source of energy, excess is converted to fat, structural base on many organisms

Elements that are in carbohydrates

CHO, Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen

elements that are in lipids

CHO, Carbon, Hydrogen Oxygen

protein functions

makes up things like muscle tissues, hair, collagen, protein channels, can be receptors in cell signaling

elements that are in proteins

CHON, Carbon, Hydrogen, Ozygen, Nitrogen

Elements in nucleic acids

CHONP, Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus