Biochemistry and Biomolecules Lecture Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering the four major categories of biomolecules, their monomers, polymers, chemical synthesis processes, and functional characteristics based on lecture notes.

Biomolecules

The basic building blocks of living organisms, also known as macromolecules, which are classified into carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Monomer

Small carbon subunits or pieces that serve as the building blocks of biomolecules.

Polymer

Large organic molecules constructed by linking multiple monomer subunits together in chains or branches.

Dehydration Synthesis

The chemical process of joining monomers to build a polymer by removing a water molecule ($H_2O$).

Hydrolysis

The chemical process of breaking down a polymer into individual monomers by adding a water molecule ($H_2O$).

Polymerization

The process of making polymers via dehydration synthesis.

Carbohydrates

Biomolecules composed of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen in a $1:2:1$ ratio that serve as the main fast/short-term energy source and structural support for living things.

Monosaccharide

A single-molecule or simple sugar that serves as the monomer of carbohydrates, sharing the chemical formula $C_6H_{12}O_6$.

Glucose

A common six-carbon monosaccharide that serves as a fundamental simple sugar ring for energy production in cells.

Fructose

A six-carbon monosaccharide simple sugar isomer of glucose.

Galactose

A six-carbon monosaccharide simple sugar that combines with glucose to form lactose.

Disaccharide

A double sugar molecule formed by chemically joining two monosaccharides through dehydration synthesis.

Sucrose

A disaccharide (table sugar) formed by chemically joining a glucose molecule with a fructose molecule.

Maltose

A disaccharide sugar formed by chemically joining two glucose molecules together.

Lactose

A disaccharide double sugar found in milk, formed by combining galactose and glucose.

Polysaccharide

Carbohydrate polymers formed by chemically linking long chains or branches of many single monosaccharides.

Starch

A common polysaccharide carbohydrate polymer made of long glucose chains used for energy storage.

Glycogen

A polysaccharide carbohydrate polymer consisting of branched glucose molecules stored in animal tissues such as the liver.

Cellulose

A non-digestible polysaccharide carbohydrate polymer that provides structural support in plant cell walls.

Lipids

Hydrophobic biomolecules composed of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen (with more hydrogen than oxygen) that function in long-term energy storage, membrane structure, chemical communication, and protection.

Triglyceride

The polymer of most lipids, formed by attaching one glycerol molecule to three fatty acid chains through dehydration synthesis.

Saturated Fat

A lipid in which the fatty acid chains consist of only single carbon-carbon bonds, making it solid at room temperature.

Unsaturated Fat

A lipid containing fatty acid chains with one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, making it liquid at room temperature.

Polyunsaturated Fat

A lipid containing fatty acid chains with many carbon-carbon double bonds.

Phospholipid

A structural lipid with hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions that forms the cell membrane bilayer.

Hydrophobic

Water-hating property of lipid molecules that allows cell membranes to regulate what enters and leaves the cell.

Hydrophilic

Water-loving property of molecular structures that interact readily with water.

Steroids

Lipids formed into carbon ring structures that act as hormones for chemical communication in the body.

Proteins

Biomolecules composed of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and sometimes Sulfur (CHON) that function in structural support, transport, chemical communication, reaction speeds, and cell repair.

Amino Acid

The 20 different carbon monomers of proteins, consisting of a central carbon, an amino group ($NH_2$), a carboxyl group ($COOH$), a hydrogen atom, and a variable radical group.

Polypeptide

The polymer of proteins, consisting of amino acid chains linked by dehydration synthesis that fold into functional protein structures.

Enzymes

Protein catalysts made from amino acids that speed up metabolic reactions in cells by lowering the required activation energy.

Active Site

The specific three-dimensional region on an enzyme where substrate molecules bind.

Lock and Key Model

The model describing the precise structural fit between a substrate and the active site of an enzyme.

Induced Fit

The slight conformational change an active site undergoes to fit a substrate molecule more tightly.

Competitive Inhibitors

Molecules that decrease enzyme activity by binding directly to the active site, preventing substrate binding.

Non-competitive Inhibitors

Molecules that decrease enzyme activity by binding to a location on the enzyme other than the active site.

Denatured

The inactive state of a protein or enzyme resulting from a loss of its unique three-dimensional shape due to extreme temperature or pH changes.

Nucleic Acids

Biomolecules made of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus (CHONP) that store and transmit genetic information and guide protein synthesis.

Nucleotide

The monomer of nucleic acids, composed of a five-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid)

A double-stranded nucleic acid polymer in a double helix shape containing deoxyribose sugar and the bases Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, and Cytosine.

RNA (Ribonucleic Acid)

A single-stranded nucleic acid polymer containing ribose sugar and Uracil in place of Thymine, functioning in protein synthesis.