Monomers and Polymers

What is the chemical formula for glucose?

C6H12O6

What do proteases do?

Breaks down proteins

What does the prefix 'mono' mean?

'one', 'alone', 'single'

Name 5 things plants and animals need glucose for.

Respiration (both)

Stored as lipids (both)

Combined with nitrates to synthesise proteins (both)

Storage as glycogen (animals)

Storage as starch (plants)

How do plants get glucose?

Photosynthesis

Name 2 types of chemical bonds.

Covalent and ionic

Which carbohydrate is found in plant cell walls?

Cellulose

Name 5 uses of protein in the human body.

Growth and repair

Enzymes

Blood clotting

Antibodies

How do animals get glucose?

Digestion of food molecules

What are amino acids?

A monomer which makes up proteins.

Has a central carbon atom which is bonded to: a carboxylic acid group, an amino group, a hydrogen atom and a R group.

What is a condensation reaction?

Chemical process in which two molecules combine to form a more complex one with the elimination of a simple substance, usually water.

Many biological polymers (e.g. polysaccharides, polypeptides) are formed by condensation.

What is a covalent bond and where does it occur?

Type of chemical bond in which two atoms share a pair of electrons.

Happens between two or more non-metals.

What is a ionic bond and where does it occur?

Type of chemical bond due to opposite charges from electrostatic attraction.

Happens between a non-metal and metal.

What is hydrogen bonding?

Electrons are unevenly distributed, causing a molar molecule.

A weak electrostatic attraction is formed between negative and positive regions.

What is hydrolysis?

The breaking down of large molecules into smaller ones by the addition of water molecules.

What is a monomer?

One of many small molecules that combine together to form a polymer.

Monomers are the smaller units from which larger molecules are made.

What is a monosaccharide?

A single sugar e.g. glucose.

The monomers of long chain carbohydrate polymers.

What is a nucleotide?

A compound consisting of an organic base and ribose sugar linked to a phosphate group.

Nucleotides form monomers of nucleic acids such as DNA.

What is a organic molecule?

Molecules containing carbon that can be found in living things; four classes are carbohydrates, proteins (chain of amino acids), lipids, and nucleic acids.

What molecules do all life contain?

Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

What are the four groups of organic molecules?

Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids.

What is the carbohydrates group?

Respiratory substrate which provide energy for cells, also used for structure in cell membranes and cell walls in plants.

What is the lipids group?

Can be used as respiratory substrates which provide energy for cells, form a bilayer in cell membranes and make up some hormones.

What is the proteins group?

Main component of many cellular structures, form enzymes and chemical messengers.

What is the nucleic acids group?

Form polymers (DNA and RNA) which make up the genetic material of organisms.

Code for the sequence of amino acids which make up all proteins.

What similarities give support for the theory that all animals and plants share a common ancestor?

All organisms use the same nucleic acids as genetic material, use the same 20 amino acids to build proteins and use lipids and carbohydrates as energy stores and to make up their cell membranes and walls.

What are polymers?

Polymers are molecules made from lots of repeating units (monomers) joined together.

Give three examples of monomers.

Monosaccharides, amino acids and nucleotides

What process do monomers go through to create polymers?

Polymerisation

What is a hydrolysis reaction?

A hydrolysis reaction breaks the covalent bond between two monomers and involves the use of a water molecule, (literally the water molecule is split to form an OH and a H group - "hydro" = water, "lysis" = to split

Give examples of monomers, covalent bond type, polymer made, and polymer examples in the carbohydrates group.

Monosaccharides e.g. glucose, fructose, galactose

Glycosidic bond

Polysaccharides

Glycogen (animals only), cellulose (plants only), starch (plants only)

Give examples of monomers, covalent bond type, polymer made, and polymer examples in the proteins group.

Amino acids

Peptide bond

Polypeptide

Enzymes, antibodies, channel proteins, haemoglobin

Give examples of monomers, covalent bond type, polymer made, and polymer examples in the nucleic acids group.

Nucleotides

Phosphodiester bond

Polynucleotide

DNA, RNA

Which molecule forms part of the plasma membrane?

Phospholipids

Which biological molecules are required to make proteins?

Nucleic acids, especially DNA and RNA

Which two biological molecules are the main respiratory substrates?

Carbohydrates (specifically glucose) and lipids (fats)

Why is it known as a condensation reaction?

A molecule of water is produced/released

Give one example of a biologically important polymer other than starch or protein.

Cellulose

Which ones (starch, cellulose and glycogen) are found in plant cell?

Starch and cellulose

Which ones (starch, cellulose and glycogen) contain glycosidic bonds?

All three

Why is DNA a polymer?

DNA is a large molecule and is made of many smaller repeating units (nucleotides) joined together in a long chain.

What are the two glucose isomers?

Alpha-glucose and Beta-glucose

What happens when two alpha-glucose molecules joined together?

They form a disaccharide called maltose and release a molecule of water through a condensation reaction.

An oxygen atom bridges the two glucose units together, forming an alpha - 1,4 (carbon) glycosidic bond