Chemistry of Life

What is a characteristic of inorganic compounds?

They do not contain hydrogen bonded to carbon.

What are the properties of water as a solvent?

Versatile solvent for compounds and polar molecules, making it a solvent for hydrophilic substances.

How does water exhibit cohesive and adhesive properties?

Water adheres to charged surfaces, functioning as a transport system.

What is the significance of water's high specific heat capacity?

H-bonds must be overcome to change state, allowing water to resist temperature changes.

What happens to water during evaporation?

Water cools surfaces as it evaporates due to its high heat of vaporization.

Why is ice less dense than water?

Ice provides insulation because it is less dense than water.

What type of bond is formed between monosaccharides?

Monosaccharides are joined through dehydration synthesis.

What are examples of disaccharides?

Maltose (glucose + glucose), sucrose (glucose + fructose), lactose (glucose + galactose).

What bond stores energy in disaccharides?

Glycosidic bond.

What are the main types of polysaccharides?

Starch, glycogen, cellulose, and chitin.

What is the function of starch in plants?

It serves as energy storage in long branched chains.

What is the role of glycogen in animals?

It acts as short-term energy storage, consisting of short chains with many branches.

What are the characteristics of cellulose?

Insoluble carbohydrate that forms cell walls, consists of long chains linked by H-bonds.

What distinguishes chitin from other polysaccharides?

Chitin has a nitrogen functional group instead of a hydroxyl group and is found in exoskeletons.

What are the two main types of nucleic acids?

DNA and RNA.

What are purines and pyrimidines in nucleic acids?

Purines include adenine (A) and guanine (G); pyrimidines include thymine (T) and cytosine (C).

What are the two classifications of proteins?

Fibrous (structural) and globular (functional).

What are the levels of protein organization?

Primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure.

What is the primary structure of a protein?

It is the polypeptide chain.

What characterizes secondary protein structure?

It includes alpha helices and beta sheets.

What interactions are involved in tertiary protein structure?

Hydrophilic/hydrophobic interactions and bonds between R groups.

What is the quaternary structure of proteins?

The arrangement of multiple polypeptide chains into a single functional unit.

What are the main components of lipids?

Lipids consist of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen with tightly packed monomers.

What are the primary functions of fats, oils, and waxes?

Long-term energy storage and insulation around major organs.

What is a fatty acid?

A hydrocarbon chain ending in a carboxylic acid group (-COOH).

What is formed during the creation of triglycerides?

Triglycerides are formed from 3 fatty acids and 1 glycerol through ester linkage.

What distinguishes saturated fats?

Saturated fats have strong attractions, are closely packed, and have a high melting point, typically being solid at room temperature.

What are characteristics of unsaturated fats?

They have a low melting point and less attraction between chains, usually of plant origin.

What is the structure of phospholipids?

Phospholipids have a polar head consisting of a phosphate group and are hydrophilic.

What are waxes made of?

Waxes consist of saturated fatty acids covalently bonded to long chain alcohols and are hydrophobic.

What defines steroids?

Steroids are lipids with a backbone of four fused carbon rings.