monomers, carbs, all lipids

Flashcards testing vocabulary and definitions of chemical reactions, energy types, enzymes, inorganic and organic biomolecules, and basic cell structures based on lecture notes.

Monomer

A single subunit that can be combined with others to build larger structures.

Polymer

A large structure consisting of many monomers linked together.

Monosaccharide

The simple sugar monomer of carbohydrates, typically composed of 3 to 7 carbon atoms.

Isomer

Compounds that have the same molecular formula but a different arrangement of their atoms.

Disaccharide

A carbohydrate compound formed via dehydration synthesis joining two monosaccharides together by a polar covalent bond.

Polysaccharide

A complex carbohydrate polymer composed of long, branching chains of monosaccharides joined by covalent bonds.

Fatty acid

A basic lipid monomer consisting of a hydrocarbon chain bonded to a carboxylic acid group ($-\text{COOH}$).

Triglyceride

A neutral fat polymer formed by linking three fatty acids to a glycerol molecule via dehydration synthesis.

Saturated fat

A triglyceride containing fatty acid chains with no double bonds between carbon atoms, allowing the straight chains to pack tightly as a solid at room temperature.

Unsaturated fat

A triglyceride containing one or more double bonds in its fatty acid chains, causing kinks that prevent tight packing and forming a liquid at room temperature.

Phospholipid

An amphiphilic lipid containing a glycerol attached to two nonpolar fatty acid tails and a polar phosphate group.

Amphiphilic

Describing a molecule that contains both polar (hydrophilic) and nonpolar (hydrophobic) regions.

Steroid

A nonpolar lipid class sharing a four-ring hydrocarbon structure called the steroid nucleus.