Enzymes and Biochemistry-Honors Biology

Unit 2 vocab

Carbon

An element that is the main building block to life

Monomers

Single units: small molecules that can join together to make larger molecules called polymers

Polymers

A larger molecule made of monomers

Dehydration synthesis

The removal of water to form bonds between monomers to form polymers

Hydrolysis

The addition of water to break bonds between polymers to form monomers

Carbohydrate

Composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen

1:2:1 [1 part carbon] [2 parts hydrogen] [1 part oxygen]

Glycosidic link/bond

The chemical bond that connects sugar molecules together

Lipid

insoluble organic compounds that are made up of fatty acids and long term energy storage

Protein

A large molecule made up of amino acid that performs many jobs in cells such as building structures and speeding up reactors

Amino acid

The building block (monomer) of proteins

Peptide bond

The bond that connects amino acids together to form proteins

Nucleic acid

A biological molecule that stores and carries genetic information such as DNA and RNA

Glyco-

Sugar prefix

Lipo-

Fat

Nucleo-

Nucleus

Hydro-

Water

Mono-

One

Di-

Two

Poly-

Many

Synth-

To put together

-Ose

Sugar

-lysis

Dissolving (breaking apart)

Enzyme

Biocatalysts: speeds up the rate of a reaction by lowering barriers known as biological catalysts.

Activation energy

Minimum energy required to start a chemical reaction

Active site

The place on an enzyme where the substrate binds.

Substrate

Thing that binds to an enzyme

Product

Denature

When an enzyme that has lost its normal 3d or tertiaray structure

R group

A variable group that can represent different types of atoms or groups of atoms

Hydroxyl

A group containing an oxygen and hydrogen-OH usually makes molecules polar

Carbonyl

A carbon double bonded to oxygen c=o it can be an aldehyde or ketone

Carboxyl

A carbonyl and hydroxyl together - COOH often acts as an acid

Amino

A nitrogen with hydrogens- nh2 often acts as a base

Methyl

A carbon bonded to three hydrogens ch3 can affect a molecules shape and function

Phosphate

A phosphate bonded to oxygen atoms - po4 important in energy transfer and DNA and RNA