3.1.1 - Monomers & Polymers

Thursday 7th September ‘23

Key Words

  • Carbohydrates- function in respiration, structure of cell membrane and cell wall

  • Lipids- function in respiration, bilayer in membranes, hormone creation

  • Proteins - enzymes and hormones

  • Nucleic acids - for DNA and RNA so code for amino acids

  • Monomers - small molecules that can be linked to form larger molecules

  • Polymers - Large molecuels formed when repeating monomers are joined together by covalent bonds through polymerisation

  • Condensation reaction - 2 molecules joining together and eliminating a water molecule (composed of a hydroxyl and hydrogen)

  • Hydrolysis reaction - opposite of a condensation reaction

Monomers, Polymers & Type of Covalent Bond

Carbohydrates - Monosaccharides - Polysaccharides (glycogen, cellulose, starch) - Glycosidic bond

Lipids - Glycerol & fatty acids - Triglycerides & phospholipids - Ester bond

Proteins - Amino acids - Polypeptides - Peptide bond

Nucleic acids - Nucleotides - Polynucleotides (DNA & RNA) - Phosphodiester bond

Food tests

  • Starch | Iodine | Orange → navy

  • Lipids | Ethanol & water | Colourless → milky

  • Glucose | Benedict’s solution | Blue → brick red | Heat in water bath

  • Protein | Biuret (dilute copper (ii) sulfate and sodium hydroxide) | Blue → lilac | Detects peptide bonds

  • Quantitative: states how much present // Qualitative: indicates if a substance is present or not