Bio-1406: Chapter 4

What is organic chemistry?

Study of carbon-containing compounds.

What are carbon’s common bonding partners?

Hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen.

What are the 4 major biomolecules?

Carbohydrates
Lipids
Nucleic acids
Protein

Why can estradiol and testosterone act so different?

They have different attachment functional groups.

What is ATP?

Cell energy-transfer molecule.

What does ATP stand for?

Adenosine Triphosphate.

What is ATP made of?

Adenosine + 3 phosphate groups

List functional groups

Hydroxyl: -OH
Carbonyl: >C=O
Carboxyl: -COOH
Amino: -NH₂
Sulfhydryl: -SH
Phosphate: -OPO²₃^-
Methyl: -CH₃

What is ATP?

Cellular energy-transfer molecule

What is ATP made of?

Adenosine + 3 phosphate groups

What is a biomolecule?

Large organic molecule in living things.

Another name for a biomolecule

Macromolecule.

What is a monomer?

A small building-block molecule

What is a polymer?

A large molecule of repeating monomers.

How are monomers and polymers related?

Monomers join to form polymers.

Which biomolecule is not a true polymer?

Lipids.

What is the monomer of carbohydrates?

Monosaccharide.

What is a monosaccharide?

Simple sugar.

What is the common carbohydrate atom ratio?

1 carbon: 2 hydrogen: 1 oxygen

Three monosaccharide examples

Glucose, galactose, fructose.

What are isomers?

Same formula; different structures.

What is a disaccharide?

Two linked monosaccharides.

3 disaccharide examples

Lactose, maltose, sucrose

What is a polysaccharide?

Many linked monosaccharides.

Polysaccharide examples

Starch, glycogen, cellulose, chitit.

Main carbohydrate function

Quick cell energy.

What stores glucose in animals?

Glycogen.

Where is glycogen stored?

Liver and muscles.

What makes plant cell walls?

Cellulose.

What is a carbohydrate role?

Cell regeneration.

What are lipids mainly used for?

Long-term energy storage.

Lipid examples

Fat, oils, waxes, steroids, phospholipids.

What are lipids building blocks for?

Glycerol and fatty acids.

Triglyceride molecular formula

Glycerol + 3 fatty acids

Glycerol molecular formula

3 carbon + 3 -OH groups.

Fatty acid molecular formula

Hydrocarbon chain + 1 -COOH group

What does a phospholipid help form?

Cell membrains.

Why are lipids hydrophobic?

Their hydrocarbon regions are nonpolar.

What do waxes do in plants?

Prevents water loss.

What are saturated fatty acids?

Fatty acid with only single bonds.

Why are saturated fats solid at room temp?

Straight chains pack tightly.

What are UNsaturated fatty acids?

Fatty acid with one or more double bonds.

Why are UNsaturated fats liquid at room temp?

Double-bond kinks prevent tight packing.

Monounsaturated definition

One double bond.

Polyunsaturated definition

More than one double bond.

What are essential fatty acids?

Fatty acids required from the diet.

Essential fatty acid examples

Omega-3, omega-6

What is cholesterol’s main cell role?

Helps form animal cell membranes.

Cholesterol is a precursor to what?

Steroid hormones and bile salts.

Cholesterol formula

C₂₇H₄₆O

What is the monomer of proteins?

Amino acid.

What are proteins used for?

Structure, transport, enzymes, regulation

What do enzymes do?

Speed up chemical reactions by decreasing cost.

What does hemoglobin transport?

Oxygen and carbon dioxide.

What is the monomer of nucleic acid?

Nucleotide.

Nucleic acid examples

DNA and RNA.

Main functions of nucleic acid?

Store and transport genetic info.

What do DNA and RNA direct?

Protein synthesis.

What is protein synthesis?

Making a protein from genetic instruction.

What molecule contains the instructions for proteins?

DNA.

What molecule carries DNA’s instructions to a ribosome?

mRNA.

What does mRNA stand for?

messenger RNA.

Where is DNA kept in eukaryotic cell?

Nucleus.

Where are proteins assembled?

Ribosomes.

What is transcription?

Copying DNA instructions into mRNA.

Where does transcription take place?

Nucleus.

What is translation?

Building a protein from mRNA instructions.

Where does translation occur?

Ribosome.

What is condon?

A 3-base mRNA “word“.

What does each condon specify?

An amino acid to stop signal.

What does tRNA do?

Bring amino acid to ribosome.

What does tRNA stand for?

transfer RNA

What is antiodon?

A3-base tRNA sequence matching mRNA condon.

What happens to amino acids at the ribosome?

They link into a chain.

What is a polypeptide?

A chain of amino acids.

When does a polypeptide become a working protein?

After it folds into its shape.

Why does protein shape matter?

Shape determines function.