A&P unit 3- Biochemistry

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on key concepts and terms from the biochemistry lecture notes.

Organic Compounds

Molecules that form the building blocks of life, containing carbon.

Covalent Bonds

Bonds formed between atoms when they share electrons, characteristic of carbon.

Functional Groups

Groups of atoms in organic molecules responsible for characteristic chemical reactions.

Hydrocarbons

Organic compounds entirely made of hydrogen and carbon.

Alcohol

Organic compound with a hydroxyl (–OH) functional group, e.g., ethanol.

Ester

Organic compound formed from an alcohol and a carboxylic acid, characterized by -yl-oate naming.

Peptide Bond

Covalent bond formed between the carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amino group of another.

Amino Acids

Building blocks of proteins, containing an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a unique side chain (R group).

Primary Structure

The specific sequence of amino acids in a protein.

Hydrophobic Interactions

Forces that cause non-polar molecules or regions of molecules to cluster together in aqueous solutions.

Activation Energy

The minimum energy required to initiate a chemical reaction.

Catalyst

Substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed.

Cofactor

Inorganic ion or molecule that assists an enzyme in catalyzing a reaction.

Lipids

Hydrophobic biological molecules primarily composed of carbon and hydrogen.

Phospholipids

Lipids with a hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tails that form cell membranes.

Disaccharides

Sugars composed of two monosaccharides, such as sucrose.

Polysaccharides

Carbohydrates composed of long chains of monosaccharides, such as glycogen.

Nucleotides

Monomers consisting of a nitrogenous base, a sugar, and a phosphate group that make up nucleic acids.

Base Pairing

Specific hydrogen bonding between nitrogenous bases in DNA and RNA.

Denaturation

The process that disrupts the secondary, tertiary, or quaternary structure of proteins.