Organic Compounds and Macromolecules

Flashcards covering organic compounds, carbon chemistry, macromolecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids), and their building blocks and functions.

Organic compounds are __-based molecules.

carbon

Carbon can share electrons with other atoms in __ covalent bonds.

four

Carbon skeletons can vary in and pattern.

size and branching

Carbon atoms in organic compounds most commonly bond with hydrogen, oxygen, and __.

nitrogen

One of the simplest organic compounds, CH4, is called __.

methane

The energy-rich parts of __ molecules have a structure similar to gasoline.

fat

The unique properties of an organic compound depend on its carbon skeleton and the __ attached to the skeleton.

atoms

Groups of atoms directly involved in chemical reactions within an organic compound are called .

functional groups

Three categories of macromolecules are carbohydrates, proteins, and .

nucleic acids

Macromolecules are __.

polymers

Polymers are made by stringing together many smaller molecules called __.

monomers

A links two monomers together and removes a molecule of water.

dehydration reaction

__ breaks down macromolecules to make monomers available to your cells.

Digestion

__ breaks bonds between monomers, adds a molecule of water, and reverses the dehydration reaction.

Hydrolysis

The four categories of large biological molecules found in all living creatures are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and .

nucleic acids

Carbohydrates are a primary source of energy for animals and serve as material for plants.

dietary, building

__ are the monomers of carbohydrates and cannot be broken down into smaller sugars.

Monosaccharides

Common examples of monosaccharides are in sports drinks and found in fruit.

glucose, fructose

Glucose and fructose are __, meaning they have the same molecular formula but different structures.

isomers

__ are the main fuels for cellular work, especially glucose.

Monosaccharides

A __ is a double sugar constructed from two monosaccharides by a dehydration reaction.

disaccharide

Examples of disaccharides include lactose in milk, maltose in beer, and __ in table sugar.

sucrose

__ is the main carbohydrate found in plant sap.

Sucrose

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is made by converting natural glucose in corn syrup to much sweeter __.

fructose

__ are complex carbohydrates made of long chains of sugars.

Polysaccharides

__ consists of long strings of glucose monomers and is used by plant cells to store energy.

Starch

__ is used by animal cells to store energy and is broken down to release glucose when needed.

Glycogen

__ is the most abundant organic compound on Earth and forms cable-like fibrils in plant cell walls.

Cellulose

No enzyme produced by __ can break down cellulose.

animals

Unlike carbohydrates, lipids are __ molecules and unable to mix with water.

hydrophobic

Lipids are not necessarily __ built from repeating monomers.

polymers

A typical fat, or __, consists of a glycerol molecule joined with three fatty acid molecules.

triglyceride

Fats perform essential functions in the human body, including energy storage, cushioning, and __.

insulation

A fatty acid with fewer than the maximum number of hydrogens at the double bond is __.

unsaturated

A fatty acid with the maximum number of hydrogens is __.

saturated

Most animal fats have a high proportion of __ fatty acids and tend to be solid at room temperature.

saturated

Most plant and fish fats tend to be high in __ fatty acids and are liquid at room temperature.

unsaturated

__ adds hydrogen to unsaturated fats, converting them to saturated fats and creating trans fats.

Hydrogenation

Proteins are __ of amino acid monomers and account for more than 50% of the dry weight of most cells.

polymers

All proteins are made by stringing together a common set of __ kinds of amino acids.

20

Every amino acid consists of a central carbon atom bonded to a carboxyl group, an amino group, a hydrogen atom, and a .

side chain

Each type of amino acid has a unique , which gives that amino acid its special chemical properties.

side chain

Cells link amino acids together by dehydration reactions, forming __ bonds and creating long chains called polypeptides.

peptide

A functional protein is one or more polypeptide chains precisely twisted, folded, and coiled into a molecule of unique __.

shape

The amino acid sequence of each polypeptide determines the __ structure of the protein.

three-dimensional

A protein’s three-dimensional structure enables the molecule to carry out its specific __.

function

A slight change in the amino acid sequence can affect a protein’s ability to function, as seen in - disease caused by a single amino acid substitution in hemoglobin.

sickle-cell

__ proteins are associated with many diseases, including some severe nervous system disorders like those caused by prions.

Misfolded

An unfavorable change in temperature, pH, or some other factor can cause a protein to __.

unravel

__ acids are macromolecules that store information and provide the instructions for building proteins.

Nucleic

The two types of nucleic acids are and .

DNA and RNA

The genetic material inherited by organisms consists of giant molecules of DNA, which reside in the cell as long fibers called __.

chromosomes

A __ is a unit of inheritance encoded in a specific stretch of DNA that programs the amino acid sequence of a polypeptide.

gene

Nucleic acids are polymers made from monomers called __.

nucleotides

Each nucleotide has three parts: a five-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a - base.

nitrogen-containing

Each DNA nucleotide has one of four possible nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T), or __ (C).

cytosine

Dehydration reactions link nucleotide monomers into long chains called __, forming a sugar-phosphate backbone.

polynucleotides

A molecule of cellular DNA is double-stranded, with two polynucleotide strands coiled around each other to form a .

double helix

In DNA, adenine (A) only pairs with (T), and guanine (G) can only pair with (C).

thymine, cytosine

Both DNA and RNA are polymers of __ and are made of a sugar, a phosphate, and a base.

nucleotides

The RNA sugar is rather than deoxyribose in DNA, and instead of thymine, RNA has a base called .

ribose, uracil

RNA is usually found in __-stranded form, whereas DNA usually exists as a double helix.

single