Studied by 18 people
what are the 4 most important elements for life?
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen
what is the most important feature of organic chemistry?
carbon’s ability to form 4 covalent bonds
what properties of water are essential to life?
polarity, cohesion, adhesion, surface tension, capillary action, universal solvent, solid less dense than a liquid, specific heat
does catabolism release or require energy?
release
what type of reaction is hydrolysis?
catabolic
does anabolism release or require energy?
require
what type of reaction is dehydration synthesis?
anabolic
does matter flow or cycle?
cycle
does energy flow or cycle?
flow
is attraction between water molecules cohesion or adhesion?
cohesion
is high surface tension a result of cohesion or adhesion?
cohesion
why is water less dense as a solid than as a liquid?
ice has four hydrogen bonds with other water molecules, creating an open crystal structure not present in liquid water
what gives water its special properties?
its hydrogen bonds and polarity
which type of reaction joins two molecules by removing water?
dehydration synthesis
which type of reaction breaks down a molecule by adding water?
hydrolysis
what elements make up carbohydrates?
CHO
what elements make up lipids?
CHO
what elements make up proteins?
CHON
what elements make up nucleic acids?
CHONP
where are the groups attached to a ring located in a ring-structured monosaccharide?
above or below the plane of the ring
what are the main functional groups?
hydroxyl (OH), carbonyl (CO), carboxyl (COOH), phosphate (PO4)
what are the characteristics of the main functional groups?
polar, hydrophilic, found in different kinds of macromolecules, sometimes negatively charged at the pH of a cell
what is glycogen used for?
energy storage for animals
what is starch used for?
energy storage for plants
what is cellulose used for?
structural unit for plants
what is chitin used for?
structural unit for animals and fungi
how are glycosidic bonds formed?
through dehydration synthesis
what is triacylglycerol used for?
energy storage
what is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids?
unsaturated fatty acids have carbon double bonds and are liquid at room temperature, while saturated fatty acids don’t have carbon double bonds and are solid at room temperature
what do steroids do?
serve as components of cell membranes and chemical messengers
what is the structure of steroids?
a core composed of twenty carbon atoms bonded to form four fused rings with additional functional groups attached
what is the function of phospholipids?
serve as the major components of cell membranes
which parts of the phospholipid are the “tails” and the “head?”
the “tails” are the fatty acids and the “head” is the chemical structure with a phosphate group
what is the main difference between the phospholipid “tails” and “head?”
the “tails” are hydrophobic and the “head” is hydrophilic
are the fatty acid tails on the outside or inside of the cell membrane?
the inside
is the chemical structure with a phosphate group on the inside or outside of the cell membrane?
the outside
what do proteins do?
molecule transport, reception of signals, enzyme catalysis, intercellular joining, and more
what is the amino group made of?
NH2
what is the carboxyl group made of?
COOH
what is the difference between basic and acidic amino acids?
basic are positively charged and acidic are negatively charged
what is the difference between essential and non-essential amino acids?
our body can synthesize non-essential ones but not essential ones, so we have to get the essential ones from food
what is the N terminus?
the free amino group on an amino acid
what is the C terminus?
the carboxyl group on an amino acid
what is the difference between an alpha helix and a beta sheet?
an alpha helix has a twisted polypeptide that forms a helix while a beta sheet has a straight polypeptide that forms a pleated sheet
organic molecules
biological molecules that contain carbon (usually bonded to a hydrogen)
carbon cycle
an intricately linked network of geological and biological processes that shuttles carbon among rocks, soil, ocean, air, and organisms
covalent bond
a pair of electrons are shared between the two atoms
electronegativity
the ability of atoms to attract electrons to themselves
polar covalent bond
electrons are shared unequally between two atoms
nonpolar covalent bond
electrons are shared equally between two atoms
ionic bond
two ions with opposite electrical charges associate with each other because of the differences in charge
chemical reaction
a process by which atoms or molecules are transformed into different molecules
polymers
long chains built from monomers
monomers
smaller repeating subunits that make up polymers
amino acids
the repeating subunits that make up proteins
function of nucleic acids
encode, store, and transmit genetic information
two types of nucleic acids
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid)
nucleotides
the repeating subunits that make up nucleotides
DNA
the genetic material in all organisms
function of carbohydrates
energy storage and provide structure
monosaccharides
the repeating subunits that make up carbohydrates
lipids
organic molecules that are hydrophobic
hydrophobic
“water fearing” - nonpolar molecules that don’t dissolve in water
hydrophilic
“water loving” - polar molecules that readily associate with and dissolve in water
cohesion
hydrogen bonding between water molecules
adhesion
hydrogen bonding between water and other molecules
high surface tension
extensive hydrogen bonding on the surface of liquid water
why is water less dense as a solid than as a liquid?
ice has four hydrogen bonds with other water molecules, creating an open crystal structure not present in liquid water
specific heat
amount of energy needed to change the temperature of a substance by 1 degree Celsius (extensive hydrogen bonding of liquid water)
why is water a good solvent?
it can form hydrogen bonds with other polar molecules
reactive
participation in chemical reactions that build and break down molecules
solvent
a substance that can dissolve another substance
water is a good solvent for which types of molecules?
polar & organic
dehydration synthesis reaction
two reactants are joined (synthesized) with a covalent bond and water is removed (dehydrated) in the process
hydrolysis reaction
a covalent bond between two molecules is broken by adding water across the bond (hydrolysis = “to break using water”)
monomers of carbohydrates
sugars (monosaccharides)
chemical formula of glucose & fructose
C6H12O6
two structures of monossaccharides
linear and ring/cyclic
isomers
molecules with the same chemical formula but different structures (eg. glucose & fructose)
functional groups
groups of one or more atoms that have particular chemical properties, regardless of what they’re attached to
hydroxyl group
OH; polar, hydrophilic; commonly found in carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids
carbonyl group
CO; polar, hydrophilic; commonly found in carbohydrates and proteins
carboxyl group
COOH; polar, negatively charged at the pH of a cell, hydrophilic, commonly found in fatty acids, amino acids, and proteins
phosphate group
PO4; polar, negatively charged at the pH of a cell, hydrophilic; commonly found in phospholipids, nucleic acids, and ATP
hydrates of carbon
molecules with several CH bonds often paired with a hydroxyl group
how does a linear structure become a ring structure?
the carbon at one end covalently bonds with the oxygen of a hydroxyl group attached to another carbon in the same molecule
disaccharide
two simple sugars covalently bonded together
polysaccharide
three or more simple sugars covalently bonded together (combined in many ways)
complex carbohydrates
long, branched chains of monosaccharides
glycosidic bonds
covalent bonds between monosaccharides or to another polymer of cells
cell membranes (plasma membranes)
structures that define the boundary between the inside and outside of all cells
triacylglycerol
a lipid used for energy storage; major component of animal fat and vegetable oil
structure of triacylglycerol
glycerol joined to three fatty acids
structure of glycerol
three carbon molecule with hydroxyl groups attached to each carbon
structure of a fatty acid
long chain of carbon atoms (hydrogen carbon chain) attached to a carboxyl group at one end
saturated fatty acids
fatty acids without double bonds; solid at room temperature (eg. animal fats)
unsaturated fatty acids
fatty acids with carbon-carbon double bonds; liquid at room temperature (eg. vegetable/fish oils)
van der Waals forces
an interaction of temporarily polarized molecules because of the attraction of opposite charges (only when atoms are very close to one another; weaker than hydrogen bonds)
steroids
components of cell membranes and chemical messengers
structure of steroids
core composed of 20 carbon atoms bonded to form 4 fused rings
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Flashcard (102)