Carbohydrates and Lipids

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and concepts related to carbohydrates and lipids as discussed in the lecture.

Monosaccharides

The simplest carbohydrates, serving as major fuel for cells and raw material for building molecules.

Disaccharides

Formed when a dehydration reaction joins two monosaccharides; example includes sucrose.

Polysaccharides

Polymers composed of many sugar building blocks, serving storage or structural roles.

Hydrolysis

A chemical reaction that disassembles polymers to monomers, essentially the reverse of a dehydration reaction.

Condensation Reaction

A reaction where two monomers bond together through the loss of a water molecule.

Lipids

Not true polymers, they are hydrophobic molecules that include fats, phospholipids, and steroids.

Triglycerides

Composed of one glycerol and three fatty acids, used for energy storage in organisms.

Saturated Fatty Acids

Fatty acids with the maximum number of hydrogen atoms possible and no double bonds.

Unsaturated Fatty Acids

Fatty acids that have one or more double bonds, liquid at room temperature.

Phospholipids

Molecules that have a hydrophilic head and two hydrophobic tails, forming bilayers in cell membranes.

Steroids

Lipids characterized by a carbon skeleton that includes four fused rings; cholesterol is a key example.

Glycosidic Linkage

The covalent bond formed between two monosaccharides during a dehydration reaction.

Chitin

A structural polysaccharide found in the exoskeleton of arthropods and the cell walls of many fungi.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids that protect against heart disease, the first C=C bond is at position 3 in the fatty acid chain.

Trans Fats

Artificially hydrogenated unsaturated fats that can contribute to cardiovascular disease.