Core-1: Biological Compounds - Inorganic Ions, Water, Carbohydrates, Lipids, and Proteins

A comprehensive set of practice flashcards covering inorganic ions, water, carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins from Core-1: Biological Compounds.

Nitrate ions are required to make which two biomolecules?

DNA and amino acids.

Calcium ions are needed to form what for the middle lamellae?

Calcium pectate.

Phosphate ions are required to make which energy carriers?

ADP and ATP.

Magnesium ions are needed to produce which pigment?

Chlorophyll.

Iron ions are a component of which oxygen-carrying molecule in red blood cells?

Haemoglobin.

Why is water considered a polar molecule?

Unequal sharing of electrons, with the oxygen atom attracting electrons more strongly than the hydrogen atoms.

In metabolism, water acts as a metabolite in which types of reactions?

Condensation and hydrolysis.

Water acts as a solvent in which processes?

Many metabolic reactions occur in water as a solvent.

What effect does water’s high heat capacity have on living organisms?

Minimises temperature fluctuations and helps buffer temperature changes.

What does water’s large latent heat of vaporisation provide?

A cooling effect with little water loss.

What role does water cohesion play in transport within plants?

Strong cohesion enables the transport of water in tube-like transport cells and contributes to high surface tension at the water-air boundary.

Carbohydrates are molecules that consist of which elements?

Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

Name the three types of saccharides.

Monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides.

Glyceraldehyde, ribose, and glucose are examples of which class of sugars?

Monosaccharides.

Maltose is formed by condensation of which two monosaccharides?

Glucose and glucose.

Sucrose is formed by condensation of which monosaccharides?

Glucose and fructose.

Lactose is formed by condensation of which monosaccharides?

Glucose and galactose.

Glycogen and starch are polysaccharides formed from which sugar?

Alpha glucose.

How is amylose joined, and what is its structural shape?

Joined by 1,4 glycosidic bonds; it is unbranched and coiled (very compact).

Amylopectin differs from amylose in being what?

Branched; joined by 1,4 and 1,6 glycosidic bonds and digested rapidly due to many branches.

Cellulose is formed from which type of glucose and by what type of bonds?

Beta glucose; glyCosidic bonds; microfibrils formed and held together by hydrogen bonds.

What are microfibrils?

Strong threads made of long cellulose chains joined by hydrogen bonds, providing structural support in plant cell walls.

Chitin is a polysaccharide made of which monomers and what modification occurs?

Beta glucose monomers with amino acid side chains; one hydroxyl group (OH) is replaced with an amino acid.

Two main categories of lipids are described; what are they and a key distinction?

Saturated lipids (no C=C double bonds; typically solid at room temperature) and Unsaturated lipids (contain C=C bonds; liquids at room temperature and provide essential fatty acids).

What is a triglyceride composed of?

One glycerol molecule and three fatty acids joined by ester bonds.

In phospholipids, what replaces one fatty acid, and what is the polarity of the heads and tails?

A phosphate-containing group replaces one fatty acid; the heads are hydrophilic (water-attracting) and the tails are hydrophobic (water-repelling).

What structure do phospholipids form when in contact with water?

Micelles, with heads on the outside and tails on the inside.

Amino acids are the monomers of proteins and contain which groups?

An amino group (NH2), a carboxyl group, and a variable R group; there are 20 different amino acids.

How are amino acids joined, and what is the term for a molecule containing two amino acids?

Joined by peptide bonds formed in condensation reactions; a dipeptide contains two amino acids; polypeptides contain three or more.

What determines the secondary structure of a protein?

Shape (alpha helix or beta pleated sheet) determined by bonding such as hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds and disulphide bridges.

What are the two general shapes of tertiary protein structure and give examples?

Globular proteins (e.g., enzymes) and fibrous proteins (e.g., keratin).

Why is collagen considered a particularly strong protein?

Due to the presence of both hydrogen and covalent bonds; collagen molecules wrap around to form fibrils and strong collagen fibres.

Haemoglobin is described as a water-soluble globular protein with which components, and what is its function?

Two beta polypeptide chains and a haem group; carries oxygen by binding to the haem (Fe2+) group and releases it when needed.