Chemistry of Life Lecture Practice

Flashcards covering the chemistry of life, specifically focusing on lipids, proteins, enzymes, metabolism, nucleic acids, and photosynthesis from chapters 25-28.

What is the name for the class of relatively water-insoluble compounds that includes fats, oils, and waxes?

Lipids

How is a protein defined in terms of its amino acid count?

A peptide with more than roughly $100$ amino acids

What is a complex carbohydrate formed by the linkage of many monosaccharide monomers?

Polysaccharide

What are proteins that act as biological catalysts called?

Enzymes

What term describes any combination of amino acids in which the amino group of one acid is united with the carboxylic group of another?

Peptide

What is the collective name for the set of all chemical reactions that occur within a living organism?

Metabolism

What is the weak association of an enzyme and its substrate necessary for catalytic activity called?

Enzyme-substrate complex

Which complex lipid contains a phosphate group and is a major component of most cell membranes?

Phospholipid

What is the polymer of deoxyribonucleotides found primarily in the nucleus of a cell?

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

What process do green plants and algae use to convert radiant solar energy into chemical energy to synthesize glucose?

Photosynthesis

What are the two types of nucleic acids found in every living cell?

DNA and RNA

What is the primary source of stored energy for animals?

Glycogen

What type of bonds stabilize the DNA double-helical structure?

Hydrogen bonds

The genetic plan for an organism is determined by the order of nitrogen bases in which molecule?

The DNA of the organism

Interferon, urease, HIV protease, and hemoglobin are all examples of which biomolecule class?

Proteins

Which two elements are characteristic components of nucleic acids according to the notes?

Nitrogen and phosphorus

What are the three components that compose a typical nucleotide?

Phosphate, sugar, and base

What occurs during the process of anabolism in living cells?

Simple molecules are combined to form larger and more complex molecules

In the block diagram for the nucleotide deoxyadenosine monophosphate, what unit follows Phosphate and deoxyribose?

Adenine

How is myoglobin characterized in muscle tissue?

An oxygen-storage protein

How may gene mutations occur in a DNA molecule?

When nucleotides are added to or substituted in a DNA molecule

Do enzymes change the normal equilibrium of a biological reaction?

No; they increase the rate of reactions but do not change the normal equilibrium

What part of the structure distinguishes the $20$ common amino acids from one another?

The chemical nature of the side-chain group

In a DNA sample where $36\%$ of the bases are thymine, what percentage of the bases are cytosine?

$$14\%$$

What factor causes differences in the biological properties of proteins within a cell?

Differences in the amino acid sequences of the proteins

What are the main components of a cell membrane?

A phospholipid bilayer and proteins

Waxes are defined as esters of which two types of long-chain molecules?

Long-chain fatty acids and long-chain alcohols

What is a defining structural difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells regarding the nucleus?

Prokaryotic cells do not have a nucleus

What method can be used to identify people by comparing their genetic records?

DNA fingerprints

What do some enzymes require to catalyze the transformation of a substrate into a product?

Metal ion cofactors

Starch, cellulose, and cotton are all examples of which type of biomolecule?

Carbohydrates

What two substances are yielded by the hydrolysis of sucrose when catalyzed by the enzyme sucrase?

Glucose and fructose

How many nucleotide monomers in a sequence are required to specify one amino acid in a peptide or protein chain?

$$3$$

What atmospheric compound is reduced to carbohydrates during the process of photosynthesis?

Carbon dioxide ($CO_2$)

What is the correct biological flow of genetic information in a cell?

$$DNA \rightarrow RNA \rightarrow \text{Protein}$$