Biochemistry: Key Concepts in Organic and Inorganic Molecules

Inorganic

Not containing carbon

Intermolecular bonds

Forces that hold molecules together to form compounds

Electronegativity

Measures how strongly an atom attracts electrons to itself

Ionic Bond

Between a metal and a nonmetal, complete transfer, creates ions

Covalent Bond

Between two nonmetals that share electrons

• Polar Covalent

Uneven distribution of electrons and charges, differences in electronegativity

• Nonpolar Covalent

Even distribution of electrons and charges, even electronegativity

Hydrogen Bond

Attraction between a positively charged atom of one molecule to a negatively charged atom of another

Cohesion

Water's ability to form hydrogen bonds with other water molecules (water "sticks" to water)

Adhesion

Water's ability to form hydrogen bonds with other charged substances (water "sticks" to stuff)

Surface Tension

Cohesive bonds of the top layer of a body of water create a strong surface (Allows insects to walk on water, droplets to form)

Capillary Action

Water utilizes cohesion and adhesion to move up a tube against gravity (roots of tree moving water to leaves)

Universal Solvent

Water's polarity (have both positive and negative charges) allow it to dissolve many things (everything except nonpolar substances)

Specific Heat

The amount of energy it takes to raise the temperature of a substance (water has a high specific heat → oceans are warmer at the end of summer than the beginning)

Organic

Containing carbon

Monomer

"building block" of biomolecule

Polymer

Multiple monomers bound together

Dehydration synthesis

Monomers bound together by removal of water

Hydrolysis

Polymers broken apart by adding water

Biomolecule

Carbohydrates, Proteins, Lipids, Nucleic Acids

Monosaccharide

monomer of carbohydrates

• Glucose, Fructose, Galactose

Disaccharide

Two monosaccharides bound together, polymer of carbohydrates

• Maltose, Sucrose, Lactose

Polysaccharide

More than two monosaccharides bound together, polymer of carbohydrates

• Glucose, Cellulose, Chitin, Glycogen

Glycosidic Bond

Bond between monomers of carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrate

carb made up of monosaccharides and disaccharides, easy to digest

Complex carbohydrate

carb made up of polysaccharides, hard to digest

Glycerol

part of lipid

Fatty Acid Tail

part of lipid

Saturated

Lipid whose fatty acid tail contains only single bonds (straight)

Unsaturated

Lipid whose fatty acid tail contains a double or triple bond(s) (bent)

Cis

Hydrogens on same side

Trans

Hydrogens on alternating sides

Phospholipid

Type of lipid that makes up cell membranes

Amphipathic

having both polar and nonpolar parts

Hydrophilic

interacts with water (polar)

Hydrophobic

does not interact with water (nonpolar)

Adipose tissue

lipid based tissue (fatty tissue, lines organs for protection and temperature regulation)

Steroid

Lipid based signaling molecule (hormone)

Amino acid

monomer of proteins

Polypeptide

polymer of proteins

Peptide bond

bond between two monomers of proteins

Enzyme

organic catalyst made of protein

Primary structure

order of amino acids

Secondary structure

nearby R groups interacting to make alpha-helix's

Tertiary structure

far away R groups interacting to fold chain into 3D structure

Quaternary structure

Multiple polypeptides interacting

Nucleotide

monomer of nucleic acids, made of phosphate group, pentose sugar, and nitrogenous base

Nitrogenous base

part of nucleotide, helps code for proteins

Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, Guanine, Uracil

DNA

polymer of nucleic acids, double stranded

RNA

Polymer of nucleic acids, single stranded

mRNA

Messenger RNA

tRNA

Transfer RNA

rRNA

Ribosomal RNA

Phosphodiester Bond

Bond between two monomers of nucleic acids

Denaturation

Unfolding or loss of structure of protein resulting in a loss of function

Catalyst

something that speeds up a reaction

Collision theory

As temperature and surface area increase, particles move quicker, more collisions happen, resulting in faster reactions

Functional group

group of atoms commonly found together with properties that determine the properties of the molecule they are apart of

Hydroxyl

Polar functional group

Methyl

nonpolar functional group

Carbonyl

polar functional group

Carboxyl

Charged and acidic functional group

Amino

Charged and basic functional group

Phosphate

Charged and acidic functional group

Sulfhydryl

Polar functional group

Cell theory

all living things are made of cells, cells are the basic unit of life, all cells come from existing cells

Mitosis

Eukaryotic cell division process, slower

Meiosis

eukaryotic cell division process, slower

Binary Fission

prokaryotic cell division process, faster

Nucleoid Region

where DNA is found in prokaryotic cells

Chromatin

Uncondensed DNA

Chromosome

Condensed DNA, takes this form during cell division

Organelle

"Little organ", specialized structures with specialized functions that help the cell run

Cytoplasm

Jelly like substance that hold organelles in place

Nucleus

Contains and protects DNA, has membrane with pores

Nucleolus

inside the nucleus, makes rRNA

Lysosomes

filled with enzymes that break down waste

Vacuoles

storage for cells

Central vacuole

massive storage center for plant cells, changes pressure/rigidity of the cell

Cytoskeleton

made of thread-like fibers, gives cells structure and ability to move

Centrioles/Centrisomes

Used during cell division to pull apart chromosomes

Cilia

Hair like structures on outside of cell that help move fluid across cell surface, animals only

Flagella

"tail" like structure of cell that helps move the cell, animals only

Peroxisome

Breaks down lipids, detoxification

Ribosomes

made of rRNA, made of 2 parts, makes proteins

Endoplasmic reticulum

next to nucleus, two parts

• Rough endoplasmic reticulum

had ribosomes, make proteins

• Smooth endoplasmic reticulum

no ribosomes, makes lipids

Golgi Apparatus

Receives proteins in vesicles and sends them where they need to go

Chloroplasts

Double membrane, thylakoid, grana, and stroma do photosynthesis, produces glucose (food) for plants

Mitochondria

Double membrane, inner membrane and matrix do cellular respiration, produces energy for the cell in the form of ATP

Cell Wall

made of cellulose in plants, made of chitin in fungi, protects and gives structure

Cell/Plasma Membrane (Phospholipid Bilayer)

made of phospholipids with embedded proteins, decides what goes in and out of the cell, scientists use the "fluid mosaic model"

Passive Transport

Cellular transport that does not require energy (ATP), moves with/down concentration gradient

Transport Protein/Protein Channel

Protein embedded in phospholipid bilayer to aid in cellular transport

Active Transport

Cellular Transport that requires energy (ATP), moves against the concentration gradient

Primary Active Transport

Directly uses ATP

Secondary Active Transport

Indirectly uses ATP. Usually utilizes membrane potential created by primary active transport

Simple Diffusion

Molecules move directly through phospholipid bilayer from high to low concentration. Small and nonpolar molecules are able.

Facilitated Diffusion

Molecules move through protein channels (sometimes called ion channels) to move through the membrane from high to low concentration. Used for larger or charged molecules.