Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life - Flashcards

A set of practice flashcards covering the key concepts from Concept 4.1 to 4.3: organic chemistry, carbon bonding and skeletons, isomers, functional groups, and ATP energy relationships.

What is organic chemistry?

The study of carbon-containing compounds; organic compounds are carbon-based, and their chemistry is called organic chemistry.

Why is carbon central to life?

Because carbon can form four covalent bonds, allowing carbon skeletons to branch in many directions and support enormous molecular diversity.

What determines the properties of a carbon-containing molecule?

The arrangement of its carbon skeleton and the attached chemical groups (functional groups).

What are hydrocarbons?

Molecules consisting only of carbon and hydrogen; they are hydrophobic and store a lot of energy, and are major components of petroleum.

How can carbon skeletons vary?

In length, branching, presence and location of double bonds, and rings.

Name the three types of isomers discussed.

Structural isomers, cis-trans (geometric) isomers, and enantiomers.

What are enantiomers?

Molecules that are non-superimposable mirror images and often have different biological activities.

What are the seven important functional groups in biology?

Hydroxyl (-OH), carbonyl (C=O), carboxyl (-COOH), amino (-NH2), sulfhydryl (-SH), phosphate (-OPO3^2-), and methyl (-CH3).

What is a functional group?

A reactive group attached to a carbon skeleton that participates in chemical reactions or affects molecular shape and function.

How do functional groups relate to solubility and reactivity?

Hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxyl, amino, and phosphate groups are often hydrophilic and reactive; sulfhydryl is reactive; methyl is nonreactive and often serves as a tag.

What happens to ATP when it reacts with water?

ATP hydrolyzes to ADP and inorganic phosphate, releasing energy that cells can use.

What is the carbon dioxide (CO2) distinction in biology?

CO2 is often considered inorganic despite containing carbon; it provides carbon for organic molecules via photosynthesis.

What is the valence of carbon and what does it enable?

Carbon has a valence of 4, enabling four covalent bonds and a vast diversity of molecular structures.

What is Avogadro's number and its meaning?

6.02 x 10^23 particles per mole; it defines the quantity of entities in one mole and is used to relate moles to molecules.

Which amino acids were detected in Miller's 1958 H2S experiment (as analyzed in 2011)?

Glycine, serine, methionine, and alanine.

What does a molar ratio relative to glycine mean in the Miller data?

Amounts of other amino acids are expressed as the number of moles per mole of glycine (set as 1.0) in the experiment.