Biological Molecules and SI Units Flashcards

This set of flashcards covers measurement standards, chemical bonding, and the structure/function of primary biological macromolecules and reactions as described in the lecture.

SI Units

International standard metric units and prefixes (such as kilo-, centi-, milli-, micro-, nano-) used in scientific measurements to ensure global consistency.

Carbohydrates

Organic compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (usually in a $1:2:1$ ratio) that serve as primary energy sources and structural components.

Lipids

A diverse group of non-polar organic molecules (including fats, oils, waxes, and steroids) that are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents.

Covalent Bonds

Strong chemical bonds formed when two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons.

Macromolecules

Large complex molecules (such as polysaccharides, polypeptides, and nucleic acids) built from smaller subunits.

Monomers

Small, simple molecules that can bind covalently to other similar molecules to form a polymer.

Polymers

Large molecules composed of many repeating monomer subunits linked together.

Polysaccharides

Long carbohydrate polymers made of many monosaccharide units linked by glycosidic bonds (e.g., starch, glycogen, cellulose).

Polypeptides

Polymers of amino acids linked by peptide bonds, which fold into functional proteins.

Nucleic Acids

Polymers made of nucleotide monomers (DNA and RNA) responsible for storing and transmitting genetic information.

Condensation Reactions

Chemical reactions where two molecules combine to form a larger molecule, producing a water molecule as a byproduct.

Hydrolysis Reactions

Chemical reactions that break down polymers into monomers by adding a water molecule (splitting it into $-H$ and $-OH$ groups).

Monosaccharides

The simplest form of carbohydrates (single sugar units like glucose, ribose) that serve as the building blocks for larger sugars.

Pentose Sugars

Monosaccharides containing five carbon atoms per molecule (e.g., ribose and deoxyribose).

Hexose Sugars

Monosaccharides containing six carbon atoms per molecule (e.g., glucose, fructose, galactose).

Starch

A compact, insoluble polysaccharide in plants made of alpha-glucose units; used for energy storage (consists of amylose and amylopectin).

Amylose

A linear, unbranched form of starch made of alpha-glucose units coiled into a helix.