Synthesis of Macromolecules

Vocabulary flashcards covering the concepts of dehydration synthesis, hydrolysis, and the building blocks of macromolecules as presented in the lecture notes.

Macromolecules

Large organic molecules built from smaller molecule subunits, categorized into four major types: Protein, Nucleic Acid, Lipids, and Carbohydrate.

Monomers

Single subunits or building blocks that serve as the foundation for most macromolecules.

Polymers

Larger molecules formed from monomers that are linked together by covalent bonds.

Dehydration synthesis

The reaction that links monomers together into polymers through the loss of water, a process that requires energy for the formation of new bonds.

Hydrolysis

The reaction that separates polymers into their monomer subunits by breaking bonds and releasing energy; one part gains a hydrogen atom ($H^+$) and the other gains a hydroxyl molecule ($OH^-$).

Maltose

A disaccharide formed when two glucose molecules link together during a dehydration synthesis reaction.

Catalytic enzymes

Substances that can increase the speed of both hydrolysis and dehydration synthesis reactions.

Water molecule ($H_2O$)

The molecule that is produced during dehydration synthesis and consumed during hydrolysis.