BIO183 Class 1: Course Overview & Macromolecules (Carbohydrates & Water)

Flashcards covering course overview, syllabus details, exam structure, properties of water, carbon bonding, isomers, and carbohydrate structures from Class 1 of BIO183.

What is the electronegativity difference between oxygen and hydrogen in a water molecule, and what type of bond does it produce?

Oxygen has an electronegativity of $3.44$ and hydrogen has $2.20$, producing a difference of $1.24$, which results in a polar O-H covalent bond.

What high physical properties of water provide stability to aquatic and internal organismal environments?

Water has high surface tension, high adhesion, high heat capacity, and high heat of vaporization.

How many outer shell electrons does a carbon atom have, and how many covalent bonds can it form?

Carbon has $4$ electrons in its outer shell and can form up to $4$ covalent bonds to satisfy the octet rule of $8$ electrons.

What defines structural isomers?

Structural isomers are molecules that have the same chemical formula but differ in the covalent arrangement of their atoms.

What defines geometric isomers?

Geometric isomers are molecules that have the same chemical formula but differ in the spatial arrangement of atoms around a double bond.

What are enantiomers, and which specific stereoisomers naturally occur in amino acids and monosaccharides?

Enantiomers are non-superimposable mirror images that share the same chemical formula and bonds but differ in 3D arrangement. Amino acids naturally occur as L-isomers, whereas monosaccharides naturally occur as D-isomers.

What are the four major classes of biological macromolecules?

Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

What general formula ratio do carbohydrates follow, and what is the formula for glucose?

Carbohydrates follow multiples of the empirical unit $CH_2O$, giving glucose the chemical formula $C_6H_{12}O_6$.

Which three hexose sugars are structural isomers of each other with the formula $C_6H_{12}O_6$?

Glucose, galactose, and fructose.

How are aldoses and ketoses classified based on the location of their carbonyl group?

Aldoses have a carbonyl group at the end of the carbon chain, whereas ketoses have a carbonyl group in the middle of the carbon chain.

What terms refer to monosaccharides with 3-carbon, 5-carbon, and 6-carbon backbones?

Trioses ($3$ carbons), pentoses ($5$ carbons), and hexoses ($6$ carbons).

How do ring sizes compare between glucose, fructose, and ribose when in solution?

Glucose forms a six-membered ring, whereas fructose and ribose form five-membered rings.

How do $\alpha$-glucose and $\beta$-glucose differ structurally at carbon-1?

In $\alpha$-glucose, the hydroxyl group attached to carbon-1 points downward (below the plane of the ring), while in $\beta$-glucose, it points upward (above the plane of the ring).

What chemical process occurs during a dehydration synthesis (condensation) reaction?

Two monomers are covalently joined together with the removal of a water molecule ($H_2O$).

What chemical process occurs during a hydrolysis reaction?

A polymer is broken down into individual monomers through the addition of a water molecule ($H_2O$).

Which specific monosaccharide pairs form maltose, lactose, and sucrose?

Maltose consists of glucose + glucose; lactose consists of glucose + galactose; sucrose consists of glucose + fructose.

How do plants and animals store surplus glucose?

Plants store surplus glucose as starch, whereas animals store surplus glucose as glycogen, which is highly branched.

How do the structural linkages of $\alpha$-glucose and $\beta$-glucose affect the properties of starch and cellulose?

$\alpha$-glucose linkages in starch create helical polymer structures, whereas $\beta$-glucose linkages in cellulose form straight, rigid, linear chains stabilized by hydrogen bonds.

What is chitin, where is it found, and what key element distinguishes it from simple carbohydrates?

Chitin is a structural polysaccharide found in arthropod exoskeletons and fungal cell walls that uniquely contains nitrogen.

What is the total point value and breakdown for the BIO183 course?

Total = $800$ points: Class Participation ($100$ pts), Laboratory Grade ($200$ pts), Midterm Exams ($200$ pts total across 3 exams), Review Quizzes ($150$ pts), and Final Exam ($150$ pts).

What is the topic distribution and point weighting for the BIO183 Final Exam?

The Final Exam is worth $150$ points ($30\%$ of final grade total) and consists of $40\%$ cumulative content and $60\%$ Unit 4 content.

How many hours of study outside of class per week are expected for BIO183?

$6\text{--}8$ hours per week.