Cell bio- chemical components of cel

How is atom stability determined

Full outer shell is more stable

What is a covalent bond

electron sharing between atoms

two types: polar and nonpolar

electronegativity

The tendency of an atom to attract the shared pair of electrons towards itself

Linus Pauling determinations

• if difference is less then 0.4 it is considered non-polar

• if difference is 0.4 to 1.6 then it is polar

• if difference is greater than 1.6 then it is ionic

Noncovalent hydrogen bonds

the electrical attraction between oppositely partially charged atoms from two different molecules

Ionic bonds

The electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions with very different electronegativity

Van der Waals forces

nonspecific interaction caused by fluctuations in the distribution of electrons - attracted briefly and weakly

What are the 4 types of organic molecules important for cellular function?

carbohydrates, peptides/proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids

RNA is a molecule used in…

1. transcribing the genetic code: mRNA

2. translating the genetic code tRNA

3. structural - rRNA

Composition of a nucleotide (subunit of nucleic acid)

nitrogen-containing base, 5 carbon sugar, and 1 or more phosphate groups (which make it negatively charged)

DNA vs RNA composition

DNA is missing the oxygen at the 2’ carbon position

How are nucleotides joined

by phosphodiester bonds between the 5’ and 3’ carbon atoms of the sugar ring

ATP vs dATP

ATP serves as energy currency for the cell and dATP serves as the precursor to DNA synthesis

cellular role for nucleic acids

genetic code, energy carriers, co-enzymes, cell signaling

Structure of an amino acid

amino group, alpha carbon, H, carboxyl group, and side chain

How are amino acids joined together

through a peptide bond

How many amino acids do we have?

20 - 9 of them are essential

Amino acid categories

x

Cellular roles of amino acids

protein synthesis, neurotransmitters, precursors to other molecules, metabolites