Chapter 3: Enzymes and Carbohydrates

Vocabulary flashcards covering enzymes, carbohydrate structures, monosaccharides, and disaccharides based on Chapter 3 lecture notes.

Enzyme

A protein molecule that speeds up a chemical reaction without being consumed or changed in the reaction, allowing cells to carry out dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis reactions.

Substrate

The reactant involved in an enzyme-catalyzed reaction that is converted into a product.

Carbohydrates

Organic molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms in a $1:2:1$ ratio that function as an energy source ($15\,\text{min} - 24\,\text{hours}$) and provide structural building materials.

Cellulose

A structural carbohydrate (fiber) found in plant cell walls that humans cannot digest, passing directly to the large intestine.

Chitin

A structural carbohydrate found in shells.

Peptidoglycan

A structural carbohydrate component found in cell walls.

Monosaccharide

A single sugar molecule, also known as a simple sugar.

Glucose

A monosaccharide simple sugar with the molecular formula $C_6H_{12}O_6$ (blood sugar); its level in the blood is lowered when the pancreas produces insulin.

Fructose

A monosaccharide simple sugar commonly referred to as fruit sugar.

Ribose and Deoxyribose

Monosaccharide sugars contained within nucleotides, which serve as the monomers of DNA.

Disaccharide

A sugar molecule consisting of two monosaccharides joined together during a dehydration reaction.

Lactose

A disaccharide known as milk sugar that is composed of galactose and glucose.