Chapter 2: The chemistry of life vocab

Organic

molecules containing carbon and hydrogen

Macromolecule

important organic molecules of life made from thousands of atoms arranged into smaller building blocks that are then strung together

Monomer

a building block of a larger molecule (polymer)

Polymer

a large molecule composed of smaller building blocks (monomers)

Dehydration reaction

a chemical reaction in which subunits are joined together by the formation of a covalent bond and water is produced during the reaction

Hydrolysis reaction

a chemical reaction in which a water molecule is added to break a covalent bond between subunits in a molecule

Monosaccharide

simple sugar; the monomer of carbohydrates

Disaccharide

two monosaccharides bonded together; the simplest carbohydrates

Polysaccharide

more than two monosaccharides bonded together; when there are many monosaccharides bonded together, it is referred to as a complex carbohydrate

Triglyceride

fats or oils

Phospholipid

special type of lipid with a phosphate group that is a component of cell membranes

Amino acid

monomer of proteins containing a carboxylic acid group, an amine group, and a variable region

Polypeptide

many amino acids strung together but not yet folded into a protein

Denatured

when a molecule becomes misshapen due to unfavorable environmental properties (ex: temp, pH)

DNA

Genetic material that stores information for its own replication and for protein synthesis within the order of nucleotide bases

RNA

Acts as a “middle men” molecule, taking instructions for protein production from DNA to other parts of the cell where proteins are synthesized

Nucleotide

Monomer of nucleic acids

Parts of a nucleotide

phosphate, pentose sugar, & nitrogen-containing (nitrogenous) base

ATP

a nucleotide composed of adenine and ribose (adenosine) and three phosphates which acts as energy currency for the cell