Molecular Bio Exam 1 (Ch.2)

How do cells exploit the laws of chemistry and physics to survive, thrive, and reproduce?

it is overwhelmingly based on carbon compounds

How do different atoms interact to form molecules?

The outermost electrons determine how atoms interact
The electrons in incomplete shells can participate in chemical reactions with other atoms

Why are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen prevalent in living cells?

constitute 96% of any organism's weight

What are the differences between covalent and noncovalent bonds?

A covalent bond involves the sharing of electrons between atoms, forming a strong and stable connection, while a noncovalent bond does not share electrons and is significantly weaker

What’s the unique property of a noncovalent ionic bond?

table without needing water, but are 10-100 times weaker than covalent bonds

What are the four major carbon-based molecules found in all organisms?

Sugars, fatty acids, nucleotides, and amino acids

What are sugar's major properties and functions in living cells?

Energy sources and subunits of polysaccharides, called carbohydrates
Glucose: glycogen in animals and starch in plants reserved for energy production
Combined through condensation reactions and broken down through hydrolysis

What are fatty acids' major properties and functions in living cells?

Components of cell membranes
Serve as a more concentrated food reserve in cells in cytoplasm
Lipid bilayer allowing which molecules can enter a cell

What are nucleic acids' major properties and functions (DNA and RNA) in living cells?

Can be a part of ATP to assist in transfer of energy in hundreds of metabolic reactions
Serve a fundamental role in the storage and retrieval of biological information

What are amino acids' major properties and functions in living cells?

Subunits of proteins
Always has an amino group, N-terminus, and a carboxyl group, C-terminus
Functions: metabolism, transport, replication, catalytic activity

How are different macromolecules built-in cells?

Macromolecules are constructed by covalently linking small organic monomers
Each macromolecule contains a specific sequence of subunits
Non Covalent bonds allow a macromolecule to bind other selected molecules