AP Bio Vocab Quiz

Amine

A chemical group consisting of a nitrogen atom bonded to two hydrogen atoms; can act as a base in solution, accepting a hydrogen ion and acquiring a charge of 1+.

Carboxyl

A chemical group present in organic acids and consisting of a single carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom and also bonded to a hydroxyl group.

Cohesion

The linking together of linke molecules, often by hydrogen bonds.

Covalent Bond

A type of strong chemical bond in which two atoms share one or more pairs of valence electrons.

Dehydration Reaction

A chemical reaction in which two molecules become covalently bonded to each other with the removal of a water molecule.

DNA

A nucleic acid molecule, usually a double-stranded helix, in which each polynucleotide strand consists of nucleotide monomers with a deoxyribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine; capable of being replicated and determining the inherited structure of a cell's proteins.

Functional Groups

A specific configuration of atoms commonly attached to the carbon skeletons of organic molecules and involved in chemical reactions.

Glycogen

An extensively branched glucose storage polysaccharide found in the liver and muscle of animals; the animal equivalent of starch.

Hydrolysis

A chemical reaction that breaks bonds between two molecules by the addition of water; functions in disassembly of polymers to monomers.

Hydroxyl

A chemical group consisting of an oxygen atom joined to a hydrogen atom. Molecules possessing this group are soluble in water and are called alcohols.

Macromolecule

A giant molecule formed by the joining of smaller molecules. Polysaccharides, proteins, and nucleic acids are macromolecules.

Monomer

The subunit that serves as the building block of a polymer.

Nitrogenous Base

Fundamental building block of nucleotides

Peptide Bond

The bond between the carboxyl group on one amino acid and the amino group on another, formed by a dehydration reaction.

Polarity

A lack of symmetry; structural differences in opposite ends of an organism or structure. Often associated with nuclear charges.

Polymerization

Chemical process where small molecules join together to create larger molecules

Primary Structure

The level of protein structure referring to the specific linear sequence of amino acids.

Purine

One or two types of nitrogenous bases found in nucleotides, characterized by a six-membered ring fused to a five-membered ring. Adenine and Guanine are purines

Pyrimidine

One of two types of nitrogenous bases found in nucleotides, characterized by a six-membered ring. Cytosine, Thymine, and Uracil are pyrimidines

Quaternary Structure

The particular shape of a complex, aggregate protein, defined by the characteristic three-dimensional arrangement of its constituent subunits, each a polypeptide.

RNA

A type of nucleic acid consisting of a polynucleotide made up of nucleotide monomers with a ribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine, cytosine, guanine, and uracil; usually single-stranded; functions in protein synthesis, in gene regulation, and as the genome of some viruses

Saturated Fatty Acid

A fatty acid in which all carbons in the hydrocarbon tail are connected by single bonds, thus maximizing the number of hydrogen atoms that are attached to the carbon skeleton.

Secondary Structure

Regions of repetitive coiling or folding of the polypeptide backbone of a protein due to hydrogen bonding between constituents of the backbone (not the side chain).

Tertiary Structure

The overall shape of amino acid side chains, including hydrophobic interactions, ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, and disulfide bridges.

Unsaturated Fatty Acid

A fatty acid that has one or more double bonds between carbons in the hydrocarbon tail. Such bonding reduces the number of hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon skeleton.