BIOLOGY 101 - Chapter 3 BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from the General Biology 101 lecture on Biological Macromolecules, including carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Carbohydrates

Macromolecules of life made up of simple sugars.

Lipids

Macromolecules of life made up of fatty acids.

Proteins

Macromolecules of life made up of amino acids.

Nucleic acids2

Macromolecules of life made up of nucleotides.

Organic compounds

Carbon-based molecules, typically containing carbon and hydrogen atoms.

Inorganic compounds

Compounds that typically do not contain carbon and hydrogen together, such as CO2 or H2O.

Carbon Skeleton

A chain of carbon atoms that can be branched, unbranched, or in the form of a ring, forming the backbone of organic molecules.

Functional Groups

Parts of organic molecules that determine the characteristics and chemical reactivity of the molecules and are more likely to participate in chemical reactions.

Hydrocarbons

Compounds composed of only carbon and hydrogen, which are organic in nature.

Structural Isomers

Molecules with the same molecular or empirical formula but different arrangements of atoms.

Macromolecules

Very large biological molecules, also called polymers, made from identical building blocks strung together.

Polymers

Large molecules made from identical building blocks (monomers) strung together.

Monomers

The building blocks of polymers.

Metabolism

A process by which cells acquire and use energy to grow and maintain themselves, involving both breakdown (catabolism) and building (anabolism) of molecules.

Anabolism

An endergonic process involving dehydration reactions to build molecules.

Catabolism

An exergonic process involving hydrolysis reactions to break down molecules.

Carbohydrates

Macromolecules composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a 1:2:1 ratio, serving as important instant energy sources.

Monosaccharide

A carbohydrate consisting of just one sugar molecule, such as glucose or fructose.

Disaccharide

A carbohydrate consisting of two sugar molecules bonded together, such as sucrose, maltose, or lactose.

Polysaccharide

A carbohydrate consisting of many sugar molecules bonded together, functioning as storage molecules or structural compounds like starch, glycogen, cellulose, or chitin.

Sucrose

A disaccharide also known as table sugar, composed of glucose and fructose.

Maltose

A disaccharide also known as grain sugar, composed of two glucose molecules.

Lactose

A disaccharide also known as milk sugar, composed of glucose and galactose.

Starch

A polysaccharide composed of glucose monomers with a spiral structure, used by plants for energy storage.

Glycogen

A polysaccharide composed of glucose monomers with an arranged group structure, used by animals for energy storage.

Cellulose

A polymer of glucose with a chained structure that forms plant cell walls.

Chitin

A polysaccharide used by insects and crustaceans to build an exoskeleton and found in the cell walls of fungi.

Lipids

Water-insoluble (hydrophobic) compounds important in long-term energy storage, providing insulation, building hormones, and forming cellular membranes.

Saturated Fatty Acid

A type of fatty acid that contains no carbon-carbon double bonds in the carbon-backbone, packs tightly, and exists as solids at room temperature (e.g., stearic acid).

Unsaturated Fatty Acid

A type of fatty acid that contains at least one carbon-carbon double bond in the carbon chain backbone, often liquid at room temperature (oils), and has a kink wherever there is a double bond.

Monounsaturated Fat

An unsaturated fatty acid with one carbon-carbon double bond.

Polyunsaturated Fat

An unsaturated fatty acid with more than one carbon-carbon double bond.

Triglycerides

Lipids made up of a glycerol head and three fatty acid tails, serving as a form of fat.

Phospholipids

Lipids with two hydrophobic tails and one hydrophilic head, forming the structural component of cell membranes.

Steroids

Lipids in which the carbon skeleton contains four fused rings, such as cholesterol.

Waxes

Hydrophobic lipids that prevent water from sticking to surfaces, found on feathers of aquatic birds and plant leaves.

Proteins

The most abundant organic macromolecules in the body, composed of 20 different amino acid monomers, involved in nearly every dynamic function including defense, structure, movement, and catalysis.

Amino Acids

The building blocks of proteins, each containing an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a variable R-group (side chain).

Peptide Bond

The bond formed in a dehydration reaction that joins the carboxyl group of one amino acid to the amino group of the next amino acid.

Polypeptide Chain

A chain of amino acids joined together by peptide bonds.

Denaturation

The process by which a polypeptide chain unravels, loses its specific shape, and consequently loses its function due to changes in salt concentration, pH, or high heat.

Primary Structure of Protein

The unique sequence of amino acids linked together in a protein.

Secondary Structure of Protein

Results from coiling (helix) or folding (pleated sheet) of the polypeptide chain.

Tertiary Structure of Protein

The overall three-dimensional shape of a polypeptide, held together by various bonds and interactions (e.g., disulfide bridges, hydrophobic/hydrophilic interactions).

Quaternary Structure of Protein

Occurs when two or more polypeptide chains (subunits) associate to form a functional protein.

Nucleic Acids

Macromolecules, including DNA and RNA, composed of monomers called nucleotides.

Nucleotides

The monomers of nucleic acids, consisting of three parts: a phosphate group (P), a base (B), and a sugar (S).

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid)

A double helical nucleic acid that uses adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G) as bases; it is the hereditary molecule and remains in the nucleus.

RNA (Ribonucleic Acid)

A single helix nucleic acid that uses adenine (A), uracil (U), cytosine (C), and guanine (G) as bases; it helps to make proteins after receiving instructions from DNA and can leave the nucleus.

Central Dogma of Molecular Biology

The process describing the flow of genetic information: DNA to RNA (transcription) to protein (translation).

Complementary Base Pairing Rule

In DNA, adenine (A) always pairs with thymine (T), and cytosine (C) always pairs with guanine (G) through hydrogen bonds.

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)

A nucleotide that acts as a primary energy carrier in cells.

Electron Carriers

Nucleotides that function in carrying electrons within metabolic pathways (e.g., NADH, FADH2, though not explicitly named, the concept is present).