Chapter 5: Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules - Review

Important Vocabulary: Polymer, Dehydration Reaction, Hydrolysis, Carbohydrate, Glycosidic Linkage, Starch, Cellulose, Lipid, Fatty Acid, Ester Linkage, Triacylglycerol, Saturated Fatty Acid, Unsaturated Fatty Acid, Protein, Polypeptide, Amino Acid, Peptide Bond, Nucleic Acid, Nucleotides, Phosphodiester Linkage

Review Questions:

1. What is the dehydration reaction, and how is this reaction responsible for the production of polymers?

2. What is hydrolysis? How is this reaction responsible for the breakdown of polymers?

3. What are carbohydrates?

   1. Describe the function of carbohydrates.

   2. Distinguish between, be able to recognize the structure of, and give examples of monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides.

   3. State the name given to the bond between monosaccharides.

4. What is a lipid?

   1. Describe the function of lipids.

   2. Give examples of lipids, recognize the structure of and describe the function of each: triacylglycerol (triglycerides) (fats/oils), phospholipids, steroids.

   3. State the subunits that make up fats.

5. Describe a triglyceride molecule and state the name given to the bond between the glycerol and a fatty acid.

6. Distinguish between the structure of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.

7. What is a protein?

   1. Give examples of protein functions.

   2. State the monomer subunits that makeup proteins.

   3. Show the structural formula of an amino acid, including the amino group, the carboxyl group, and the R group (Note: You do not need to memorize the amino acid R groups).

   4. Describe the hydrophilic/hydrophobic nature of amino acids. Describe which type of amino acids belongs to each of the following groups: nonpolar, polar, and electrically charged.

   5. State the name given to the bond between amino acids.

8. Distinguish between a polypeptide and a protein.

9. Specifically describe the four levels of protein structure that give proteins their specific shape: primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure.

10. What is a nucleic acid?

    1. State the 2 kinds of nucleic acids.

    2. State the monomer subunits that make up nucleic acids.

    3. Describe and be able to recognize the molecular structure of a nucleotide.

    4. State the name given to the bond between nucleotides.

    5. Explain the function of DNA and RNA.

    6. Nucleotides: The monomer subunits of nucleic acids are nucleotides, which consist of a phosphate group, a sugar molecule (ribose in RNA and deoxyribose in DNA), and a nitrogenous base (adenine, thymine, cytosine, or guanine for DNA; uracil replaces thymine in RNA).

    7. Molecular Structure: A nucleotide is characterized by its three components: a phosphate group attached to the 5' carbon of the sugar, the sugar itself, and a nitrogenous base attached to the 1' carbon of the sugar.

    8. Bonding: The bond between nucleotides is called a phosphodiester bond, which forms between the phosphate group of one nucleotide and the hydroxyl group on the sugar of another nucleotide.

    9. Functions: DNA serves as the genetic blueprint for living organisms, storing and transmitting hereditary information, while RNA plays a critical role in protein synthesis and acts as a messenger between DNA and ribosomes.