Organic Compounds and Biochemical Processes in Biology

Biosynthesis

Living things putting together substances

Organic compounds

Compounds that contain carbon

Carbon bonding

Covalent

Shapes formed by carbon bonds & importance

Straight, branched chains, rings, single, double, or triple bonds. Important because it provides a lot of personality

Functions of organic compounds

1. Structural - compounds used as building blocks of a cell or extracellular structure; 2. Enzymatic - compounds that are enzymes or help enzymes in their functions; 3. Storage - compounds that store energy, other substances, or information for future use

Four groups of organic compounds

Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids

Carbohydrates

Made up of C, H, O. They store energy

Difference between monosaccharides and disaccharides

Mono: One single sugar cell; Di: Two monosaccharides bonded together

Glucose

Monosaccharide. It comes from the food you eat

Dehydration synthesis

The process of joining two molecules together following the removal of water

Lactose and sucrose locations

Lactose: Milk; Sucrose: Table sugar

Hydrolysis

Disaccharides broken down by water to make monosaccharides

Starch and glycogen

Polysaccharide

Starch

Energy storage for plants

Glycogen

Energy storage for animals

Cellulose

Found in plant walls. It cleans the digestive system for humans. It is a polysaccharide

Chitin

Used for hard coverings. Found in lobsters, insects, and clams. It is a polysaccharide

Lipids

Fats

Functions of lipids

Help with structure; Store extra energy (2x more than muscle)

Semi-soluble lipids

There is a limit to the amount of substance you can dissolve

Energy storage of lipids

2 times as much

Hydrophilic vs hydrophobic

Philic: Loves water; Phobic: Hates water

Triglycerides

Fats with 3 fatty acids and store energy

Saturated vs unsaturated triglycerides

Saturated: Single bonds, unhealthy, solid at room temp; Unsaturated: Double bonds, liquid

Cell membranes

Phospholipids

Proteins

They make a person unique, needed for every function. Amino acids are the building blocks

Elements in proteins

Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen

Amino acids

There are 11. Only 9 are essential

Order of amino acids

The order determines the shape of the protein

Peptide bonds

Hold amino acids together

Broken amino acid shape

They might not function

Nucleic acids

DNA and RNA

DNA

It's the blueprint for all organisms

Enzyme

Biological catalyst

Catalyst

Lowers activation energy for a reaction to occur

Composition of enzymes

Proteins

Reducing activation energy

To lower the energy barrier for a reaction to start

Enzymes and homeostasis

They will become less efficient and stop working

Lock and key model

Enzymes fit their substrates like a lock fits a key—one enzyme works on one substrate

Solute vs solvent

Solute: Thing being dissolved; Solvent: Thing doing the dissolving

Concentration

The extent of a feature's spread of space

Water polarity

It has a partial positive charge on one end and a partial negative charge on the other

Water molecule bonding

Hydrogen bonds

Adhesion vs cohesion

Adhesion: Attraction between molecules of a different substance; Cohesion: Attraction of molecules of the same substance

High specific heat of water

Requires a lot of energy to change temperature; allows for homeostasis

Acids

Substances that release hydrogen atoms; Number is 7 on pH scale; Made through chemical reactions

Bases

Can neutralize acids and accept hydrogen atoms; Numbers greater than 7 on pH scale

Neutral substances

Pure water

Osmosis

Type of diffusion where water moves to equalize concentration inside/outside a cell

-ose, -ate, -ase meanings

Ose: Sugar; Ate: Oxygen; Ase: Enzymes