Biochemistry flash cards

Hydrogen Bond

A weak bond formed between two molecules due to the attraction between a proton in one molecule and an electronegative atom in another.

Polar Covalent Bond

A type of chemical bond where a pair of electrons is unequally shared between two atoms.

Cohesion

The property of water that allows molecules to stick together due to hydrogen bonding.

Adhesion

The property of water that allows it to stick to other substances, which is important for processes like capillary action.

Surface Tension

The cohesive force at the surface of water that makes it behave as though it has an elastic membrane.

Hydrophobic

Substances that do not interact with water and tend to be non-polar.

Hydrophilic

Substances that interact well with water due to their polar nature.

Solvent

A substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a solution.

Solute

The substance that is dissolved in a solvent to form a solution.

Aqueous

A solution in which water is the solvent.

Buoyancy

The ability of an object to float in a fluid due to the upward force exerted by the fluid.

Viscosity

A measure of a fluid's resistance to flow.

Thermal Conductivity

The ability of a material to conduct heat.

Specific Heat Capacity

The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius.

Polysaccharides

Large carbohydrate molecules composed of long chains of monosaccharide units linked by glycosidic bonds.

Monosaccharides

The simplest form of carbohydrates, consisting of one sugar unit.

Polymerization

A chemical process that combines small molecules (monomers) to form a larger molecule (polymer).

Hydrolysis Reaction

A reaction that breaks down polymers into monomers by the addition of water.

Condensation Reaction

A reaction that combines two molecules into one, with the loss of a small molecule, usually water.

Saturated Fatty Acid

A type of fatty acid that has no double bonds between carbon atoms; it is saturated with hydrogen.

Triglyceride

A type of lipid formed from one glycerol molecule and three fatty acids; an important energy storage molecule.

Amino Acid

The building blocks of proteins, consisting of an amine group, a carboxyl group, and a side group.

Enzyme

A biological catalyst that accelerates chemical reactions in living organisms.

Active Site

The specific region of an enzyme where substrate molecules bind and undergo a chemical reaction.

Denaturation

The process in which proteins lose their structure due to external stress or factors, resulting in loss of function.

Carbohydrates

Organic compounds consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, commonly serving as energy sources.

Proteins

Large molecules made up of amino acids that perform a variety of functions in the body.

Lipids

Hydrophobic organic molecules, including fats, oils, and hormones, functioning in energy storage and signaling.

Nucleic Acids

Biopolymers, mainly DNA and RNA, that carry genetic information in cells.

Enzyme Kinetics

The study of the rates of enzyme-catalyzed reactions and the factors affecting them.

Metabolism

The set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms, including energy production and biosynthesis.

pH

A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, crucial for enzyme activity and biological processes.

Substrate

The reactant molecule that an enzyme acts upon during a chemical reaction.

Allosteric Regulation

A regulatory mechanism where a molecule binds to a site other than the active site, altering enzyme activity.

Signal Transduction

The process by which a cell responds to external signals through a series of molecular events.