Biology Unit 2 Test Flash Cards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts related to organic compounds, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids based on lecture notes.

Organic Compounds

Carbon-containing compounds that are the chemical building blocks of life.

Carbon

An atom unparalleled in its ability to form large and complex molecules, forming the backbone of most organic molecules.

Dehydration Synthesis

A process used by cells to build polymers by removing water.

Hydrolysis

A process used by cells to break down polymers into monomers by adding water.

Carbohydrates

Molecules that range from small sugar molecules to large polysaccharides, serving as a cell’s fuel and building material.

Monosaccharide

A simple sugar, which is the monomer of carbohydrates (e.g., glucose, fructose).

Polysaccharide

A complex carbohydrate composed of hundreds to thousands of monosaccharides, serving as storage molecules or structural compounds.

Starch

A polysaccharide made from glucose monomers linked in a single straight chain, serving as sugar stockpiles for plants.

Glycogen

A polysaccharide made from glucose monomers linked in a highly branched structure, used for sugar storage in animal cells (liver & muscle).

Cellulose

A structural polysaccharide made from glucose monomers linked in hydrogen-bonded multiple chains, protecting and stiffening plant cells.

Chitin

A structural polysaccharide found in arthropod exoskeletons and fungal cell walls.

Lipids

A diverse group of hydrophobic molecules with various functions, not considered huge macromolecules or polymers built from similar monomers.

Hydrophobic

Water-fearing; a property of lipids preventing them from being soluble in water.

Triglycerides

The major form of fat storage in the body, composed of a glycerol and three fatty acids.

Phospholipids

Major components of cell membranes, structurally similar to fats but with only two fatty acids attached to a glycerol.

Saturated Fats

Fats where all carbon atoms are fully surrounded by hydrogen atoms; typically solid at room temperature (e.g., butter).

Unsaturated Fats

Fats containing one or more double bonds between carbon atoms; typically liquid at room temperature (e.g., plant oils).

Hydrophilic

Water-loving; describes the polar phosphate head of a phospholipid which interacts with water.

Proteins

Macromolecules essential to the structures and functions of life, involved in almost all cell activities.

Amino Acids

The monomers of proteins, of which there are 20 different types, linked together by peptide bonds.

Peptide Bond

A covalent bond that links amino acids together to form polypeptides.

Polypeptide

A chain of at least 100 amino acids linked covalently via peptide bonds, which eventually folds into a protein.

R Group

A component of an amino acid that is unique to each type and gives it different properties.

Denaturation

The process where a protein unravels and loses its functional shape due to changes in its surrounding environment, such as extreme temperature or pH.

Nucleic Acids

Information-rich polymers of nucleotides (DNA and RNA) that play crucial roles in housing and managing genetic information.

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid)

A type of nucleic acid composed of nucleotides organized into genes, coding for specific traits and providing instructions for building proteins.

RNA (Ribonucleic acid)

A type of nucleic acid that works closely with DNA and ribosomes to help assemble polypeptides.

Nucleotides

The monomers that make up nucleic acids, consisting of a sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.