General Biochemistry I Lecture Notes

These flashcards cover key concepts and vocabulary from the General Biochemistry I lecture notes.

Molecular mechanisms of cell adhesion

Processes by which cells interact and attach to neighboring cells or extracellular matrix.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy

A technique used to observe the local magnetic fields around atomic nuclei, often applied in biochemistry to determine molecular structures.

Conservation of Mass

A principle stating that mass cannot be created or destroyed in a closed system.

Laws of Thermodynamics

Fundamental principles describing energy conservation, including the concepts of energy transfer and entropy.

Condensation reactions

Chemical processes where two smaller molecules combine to form a larger molecule, releasing a water molecule.

Hydrolysis

A chemical reaction in which a water molecule is added to break a bond in a larger molecule.

Complementarity

The relationship between the shapes and properties of molecules that allows them to interact specifically, essential for molecular replication.

Biomolecules

Organic molecules that are involved in the maintenance and metabolic processes of living organisms, such as proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids.

H2O

Water, a vital solvent for all biochemical reactions and essential for life.

Functional groups

Specific groups of atoms within molecules that have characteristic properties and dictate the behavior of those molecules in reactions.