Final Review for Bio 113 Test 1 Chemistry of Life

This set of flashcards covers key concepts from Bio 113 Test 1, focusing on the chemistry of life, cellular components, and processes relevant to biology.

What major elements are found in cells?

Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.

How many covalent bonds can hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon form?

Hydrogen can make 1, oxygen 2, nitrogen 3, and carbon 4 covalent bonds.

What is the general formula for carbohydrates?

(CH2O)n.

What reactions typically form carbohydrates?

Condensation reactions.

What are the key roles of carbohydrates in biology?

Energy storage, structural support, and cell communication.

What distinguishes monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides?

The number of subunits: one (mono), two (di), or more (poly).

What type of linkage is found in structural carbohydrates?

B-glycosidic linkages.

What type of linkage is found in energy storage carbohydrates?

A-glycosidic linkages.

What are the three major types of lipids?

Triglycerides, phospholipids, and steroids.

What is the structure of triglycerides?

A glycerol head and three fatty acid tails.

What is the main difference between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids?

Saturated have no double bonds, while unsaturated have double bonds.

What defines the structure of phospholipids?

A glycerol backbone with two fatty acid tails, amphipathic nature.

What are nucleic acids made of?

Monomers called nucleotides.

What is the base pairing in DNA?

A-T, G-C.

What is the function of mRNA?

Carries genetic information for protein synthesis.

What do tRNA and rRNA do?

tRNA links mRNA to amino acids; rRNA forms ribosome structure.

What are the four levels of protein structure?

Primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary.

What bonds are involved in tertiary protein structure?

Hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds, and disulfide bridges.

What is the function of enzymes?

Speed up chemical reactions by lowering activation energy.

What are competitive inhibitors?

Inhibitors that compete with the substrate for the active site.

What role does the sodium-potassium pump play in cells?

Maintains a negative charge by moving 2Na out and 3K in.

What is the primary process of cellular respiration?

Breaking down glucose to produce ATP.

What are the products of glycolysis?

2 pyruvate, 2 ATP, and 2 NADH.

What is the function of the Golgi apparatus?

Modifies, sorts, and packages proteins and lipids.

What are the functions of the plasma membrane?

Selective barrier, transport, signaling, cell recognition, structural support.

What differentiates prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?

Prokaryotes are simpler, without a nucleus; eukaryotes are complex, with a nucleus.

What is the role of lysosomes?

Break down cellular waste and recycle components.

What are oncogenes?

Mutated proto-oncogenes that promote unregulated cell growth.

What is photosynthesis?

The process of converting light energy into chemical energy.

What are the two stages of photosynthesis?

Light-dependent reactions and Calvin cycle.

What is the role of RNA polymerase in transcription?

Synthesizes RNA from the DNA template.

What is the significance of the 5' cap and poly-A tail in mRNA?

They protect mRNA and assist in translation.