Macromolecules and Carbohydrates Lecture Review

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to macromolecules, dehydration synthesis, hydrolysis, enzymes, and a detailed review of carbohydrates, their structure, types, and functions based on the lecture notes.

Macromolecules

Large biological molecules, hundreds to thousands of atoms big, including carbohydrates, nucleic acids, lipids, and proteins.

Monomer

The small individual piece or single chunk that can be strung together to form a larger macromolecule; mono means one.

Polymer

A large molecule formed by stringing together many monomers using dehydration synthesis; poly means many.

Dehydration Synthesis

A process where monomers are linked together to build a larger molecule by removing a water molecule (hydrogen and hydroxyl group).

Hydrolysis

A process where larger molecules are broken down into smaller monomers by adding and breaking a water molecule (into hydrogen and hydroxyl), reversing dehydration synthesis.

Enzyme

A type of protein that acts as a catalyst in the body, speeding up biochemical reactions like dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis.

Catalyst

A general term for an item that speeds up reactions, reducing the activation energy needed to get a process started.

Carbohydrate

A macromolecule literally meaning 'carbon and water,' whose primary purpose in the body is quick energy; contains carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.

Glyco-

A prefix indicating a sugar molecule.

Saccharide

A word indicating a sugar molecule.

-ose

A suffix commonly used in the names of sugars, such as glucose, galactose, and fructose.

Glucose

The most famous sugar, easily broken down by mitochondria to make ATP energy.

Monosaccharide

A simple sugar, which is the monomer of a carbohydrate, having a 1:2:1 ratio of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (CnH2nOn).

Disaccharide

A molecule formed by two monosaccharides linked together, such as sucrose, maltose, and lactose.

Sucrose

Common table sugar, a disaccharide made of one glucose molecule and one fructose molecule.

Maltose

A disaccharide composed of two glucose molecules.

Lactose

Milk sugar, a disaccharide made of one glucose molecule and one galactose molecule.

Polysaccharide

A complex carbohydrate made of many simple sugars (monomers) linked together, generally using glucose; includes cellulose, starch, chitin, and glycogen.

Cellulose

A structural polysaccharide found in plants, forming the rigid cell walls that allow plants to grow upright.

Starch

A storage polysaccharide found in plants (e.g., potatoes), representing stored sugar.

Chitin

A structural polysaccharide found in animals (e.g., exoskeletons of insects and crabs) and also in the cell walls of fungus.

Glycogen

A storage polysaccharide found in animals (including humans), where excess sugar can be stored in the liver.

Hydroxyl Group

A functional group (-OH) frequently seen in carbohydrates, used often for dehydration synthesis.

Carbonyl Group

A functional group (C=O) found in carbohydrates.

Carboxyl Group

A functional group consisting of a carbon atom double-bonded to one oxygen and single-bonded to a hydroxyl group, all on the same carbon.