Bio Chem Unit *Disclaimer: Some things, such as arrangement in molecules of functional groups need to be drawn out which is impossible on quizlet, so you need to study that too.

Describe the Sulfhydryl group:

The Sulfhydrol is -SH. They are called thiols and they form bridges that help stabilize intricate structures of protiens. It can't be ionized.

Most animals ________ derive nutrition from fiber, however...

cannot... however some animals have microorganisms in their digestive tract that break down cellulose.

What are the six functions of lipids?

1) Long term energy storage 2) Protection against heat loss (insulation) 3) Protection against physical shock 4) Protection against water loss (especially in molds and bacteria) 5) Chemical messengers (hormones) 6) Major component of cell membranes (phospholipids)

What are the eight functions of proteins?

1) Structural (hair, nails, spider silk, bird feathers, connective tissue) 2) Storage (source of amino acids for developing organisms) 3) Contractile- movement muscles, flagella 4) Catalytic- enzymes (cellular reactions) 5) Regulatory- hormones (insulin) 6) Transport- iron in blood (hemoglobin) 7) Receptor- on surface of cell- receives signal 8) Defensive- antibodies

Typical protein has _______________ amino acids. The largest know has _______________.

200-300, 34,000

Humans have __________________ chromosomes in the nucleus of each cell.

46... stretched out, that's over 6 ft long!

Proteins make up ___% or more of dry mass of most cells.

50%

_______% to _______% of our cells are water

70-90

In DNA, ___ & ___ and ___ & ___ form hydrogen bonds together and are always horizontal.

A & T C & G

What are the nitrogen bases in DNA?

A (adenine), T (thymine), C (cytosine), and G (guanine)

What are the nitrogen bases in RNA?

A (adenine), Uracil (U), C (cytosine), and G (guanine)

What is mechanism?

A belief that came after scientists could synthesize organic compounds from inorganic molecules; a belief that all natural phenomena are governed by chemical/physical law. Ex: Hermann Kolbe synthesized acetic acid.

What is a peptide bond?

A bond created through dehydration synthesis between a carboxyl and an amino group in amino acids.

What is a dipeptide?

A dipeptide is two amino acids bonded together. The adjacent carboxyl and amino groups bond together through dehydration synthesis.

What is the difference between a fat and an oil?

A fat is saturated, solid at room temperature, in animal fats, lard, butter, bacon fat, and some plant "oils" such as palm and coconut oil. Oils are unsaturated, liquid at room temperature, plant and fish oils, corn oil, cod liver oil, olive oil, vegetable oil, flax seed, peanut oil.

What is a polypeptide?

A polypeptide is a chain of many amino acids joined by peptide bonds. Polypeptides have a repeating backbone of nitrogen, carbon, carbon.

What is an amino acid?

Amino acids are the monomers of proteins. They have an amine group (which is basic and positive) and a carboxyl group (which is acidic and negative). Finally there is an R group where 20 different things can go, and it determines the behavior of the amino acid. Amino acids are hydrophilic.

What is an organic compound? Give some examples of common organic compounds:

An organic compound is a carbon based compound such as carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids.

Describe Carbohydrates:

Carbohydrates are made up of simple sugars: carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in the ratio CH2O. They are energy containing molecules and some provide structure. They range from small to large sugar molecules. There is an OH attached to every carbon but one. The basic building block is called a monosaccharide. It will be either a monosaccharide, disaccharide, or polysaccharide.

Lipids are made up of...

Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen arranged in long hydrocarbon chains or rings.

What are the six major elements of life?

Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous, and sulfur

Describe cellulose:

Cellulose is found in plant cell walls and is the most abundant organic compound on earth. It is composed of glucose sub-units but it cannot be digested by animals. It is found in wood, cotton, paper and more.

Describe Cholesterol:

Cholesterol is found in animals, it is synthesized in the liver, it strengthens cell membranes and helps them maintain their flexibility, fluidity, and permeability. Cholesterol is an important precursor for all other steroids. Too much cholesterol can cause heart disease.

What are chromosomes?

Chromosomes are made of chromatin (DNA and protein). The DNA is coiled tightly to fit into the nucleus of the cells and it is wrapped around histone proteins to prevent it from getting tangled.

What is DNA?

DNA is Deoxyribonucleic acid. It resides in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells or in the cytoplasm of prokaryotic cells. It is the genetic code that contains info that programs cell activities.

How are the fatty acids linked to the glycerol in triglycerides?

Dehydration synthesis! (3 water molecules are lost during the process of creating a triglyceride)

What is dehydration synthesis?

Dehydration synthesis, aka condensation reaction, combines two monomers by taking a hydrogen from one and a hydrogen and oxygen from the other. This forms a ____________ bond between the two monomers and produces water as by-product.

What are triglycerides?

Fats and oils

How are triglycerides composed?

Fats and oils have a glycerol backbone- which is an alcohol with hydroxyl groups and then three fatty acids are attached to the glycerol.

What are the five types of lipids?

Fats, oils, waxes, phospholipids, and steroid hormones

What are functional groups?

Functional groups are the parts of molecules involved in chemical reactions. They are the chemically reactive groups of atoms within an organic molecule. They make hydrocarbon skeletons hydrophilic and give organic molecules distinctive chemical properties.

Inorganic molecules:

Generally do not contain carbon, are usually smaller and less complex than organic molecules, usually dissolve in water or react with water to release ions. Some examples are water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide.

What functional group do glucose, fructose, and galactose all contain? What does this functional group allow these molecules to do?

Glucose, fructose and galactose all contain the hydroxyl functional group, which allows them to dissolve in water.

Describe glycogen:

Glycogen is essentially the animal version of starch but more highly branched, it is stored in the muscle and liver of animals, and it is depleted in one day. It can be digested by animals.

Describe Hexose sugars:

Hexose sugars are monosaccharides and the best known simplest sugars. They all have C6H12O6 as a chemical formula but different arrangement, making them isomers. The three most well known hexose sugars are glucose, galactose and fructose.

_____________________ between phosphate groups in nucleotides is important energy transport

High energy bonds

What are hydrocarbons?

Hydrocarbons are molecules containing only hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbon chains are hydrophobic and non-polar. Fats are a hydrocarbon backbone with three strings of fatty acids.

What is hydrolysis?

Hydrolysis is the opposite of dehydration synthesis. Hydrolysis breaks apart polymers back into monomers by adding water. This is how the body digests the polymers, first adding water and returning the polymers to monomers.

Describe the hydroxyl group:

Hydroxyl is -OH. The hydroxyl group is made up of what we call alcohols, it is polar, it attracts water molecules, it increases the solubility of molecules, and it is found in alcohols and sugars. It can not ionize. Some examples are methanol, ethanol, and glycerol (and glucose has many hydroxyl groups.

What is cyclic amp?

Important in cell signaling and response to hormones

Describe chitin:

It is an amino sugar-polymer of glucose with an amino acid attached to each. It makes up the cell walls of fungi and the exoskeletons of arthropods. It is leathery but hardens when encrusted by calcium carbonate. It is like the animal version of cellulose.

What is a protein?

It is two or more different polypeptide chains folded together. It has a specific 3D shape determined by the R groups and the shape of the protein determines its function.

What are polymers?

Large organic molecules made up of many monomers attached by dehydration synthesis (and they contain cellulose). Polymers are also known as macromolecules. Some examples are carbohydrates, proteins and nucleic acids. *Lipids are not polymers but they are synthesized and degraded in the same process as other macromolecules.

What are fatty acids?

Long, hydrocarbon skeletons (hydrophobic) with and acid end (hydrophilic)

What are coenzymes?

Many coenzymes are nucleotides or their derivations (vitamins).

All organic compounds are carbon based, but are all carbon based things organic?

No, graphite and diamonds aren't organic!

What are phospholipids?

Phospholipids have glyceral backbone, with a phosphate group, and two fatty acid chains. Phopholipids are polar, and one side loves water (phosphate part) and one side hates water (fatty acid part).

What are Phytosterols?

Phytosterols are plant sterols found in plant membranes.

What are polysaccharides?

Polysaccharides are composed of many (a few hundred to a few thousand) sugar units (monosaccharides). They are varied in structure and function.

What are the four levels of protein structure?

Primary: 1 chain of amino acids Secondary: hydrogen bonding of amide groups forming alpha helices and beta pleated sheets Tertiary: forms between R groups- stabilized by hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds, and disulfide bridges Quaternary: composed of 2 or more different polypeptides in a globular shape (it is formed in aqueous environments such as enzymes and hemoglobin)

What is RNA?

RNA is ribonucleic acid. RNA is a traveling genetic messenger and it moves from the nucleus to ribosomes in the cytoplasm of cells.

What is saturated vs unsaturated?

Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds (and have therefore the maximum number of possible carbons), are solid at room temperature, and are bad for you. Unsaturated fatty acids have double bonds (which create kinks) (and which have lost some hydrogen atoms), are liquid at room temperature do to the kinks, and are better for you.

What are monomers?

Small "building blocks" or repeating subunits.

What are algosaccharides?

Small chains of a few monosaccharides

What is the difference between soluble fiber and insoluble fiber?

Soluble fiber is good fiber that helps your body digest, where as insoluble fiber just passes through and softens stools.

Describe starch:

Starch is a storage polysaccharide consisting of thousands of glucose subunits. They are plant energy storage molecules. Starch is in potatoes, grains, corn, rice, grasses and more. It can be digested by animals.

What are steroids and their characteristics?

Steroids are lipids with a carbon skeleton with four fused rings. They are non-polar and different steroids vary in the functional groups attached to the rings.

Describe the amino group:

The amino group is -NH2. They are called amines and are a base because they pick up protons from surrounding solutions. It can ionize. An example is urea.

Describe the carboxyl group:

The carboxyl group is -COOH (With a C double-bonded to O). They are referred to as carboxylic acids or organic acids, it has acidic properties because it donates free protons to aqueous solutions. It can ionize. Some examples are vinegar (Acetic acid), formic acid (in ant bites) and lactic acid.

What is vitalism?

The early 19th century belief in a life force outside of the jurisdiction of chemical/physical laws. It was believed that only living organisms could produce organic compounds because chemists could not yet artificially synthesize organic compounds.

Describe the Methyl group:

The methyl group is -CH3. It can't be ionized. This group aids in modification of heavy metals, regulates gene expression, regulates protein function, regulates RNA metabolism, and turns genes on and off.

Describe the phosphate group:

The phosphate group is -PH2O4 (in a special order). They are called organic phosphates and they transfer cellular energy between organic molecules. It can be ionized. An example is a phospholipid in DNA called Adenosine triphosphate.

Describe the carbonyl group:

There is always a C=O, but there are two different types: Aldehydes- where C=O is at the end of the carbon skeleton so there is an R on one side and a H on the other side of the double bond. Formaldehyde (tobacco smoke) is an example of an aldehyde. Ketone- the other carbonyl group, where the double bond is in the middle of the carbon skeleton, in which case there is an R on each side of the double bond. Acetone, which is in nail polish remover, is an example of a Ketone. Neither Aldehydes nor Ketones can be ionized.

What are the important functions of monosaccharides?

They are a major energy source for biological work, the carbon skeleton provides raw materials for the synthesis of other organic molecules (amino acids, fatty acids), and pentose sugars (C5H10O5) contribute to the backbones of DNA and RNA.

Describe monosaccharides:

They are one sugar unit or simple sugars with a carbon backbone of 3 to 7 carbon atoms.

What are synthetic anabolic steroids?

They are steroids of varying levels of testosterone. They help build more muscle in a short period time, but they pose serious health risks.

Why is too much cholesterol bad?

Too much cholesterol causes a build-up of plaque in the arteries, which puts you at greater risk for heart disease.

What are "hydrogenated vegetable oils"?

Trans fats

What are trans fats?

Trans fats are artificially saturated fats. They are very bad for you because they are difficult to digest and increase bad cholesterol.

What is a peptide?

Two or more amino acids bonded together

What are disaccharides?

Two sugar units or double sugar joined by the condensation reaction (C12H22O11).

What are waxes and their characteristics?

Waxes are a lipid that is non-polar, solid at room temperature, has a high melting point, is waterproof, and inhibits water loss. A wax is a long chain of fatty acid bonded to a long chain of alcohol (a hydroxyl and carboxyl covalent bond)

Cholesteral is the __________________ from which your body produces other steroids.

base steroid

All life is made of up chemical compounds that contain __________.

carbon. The backbone of all organic molecules is covalently bonded carbon.

Due to the fact that half of phopholipids love water and half of the phospholipid hates water, phospholipids are a major macromolecule in ____________________. They are arranged like _____________________________________________________.

cell membranes, the heads (phosphate part) create the two borders and the tails (fatty acid portion) face together in the inside.

What are structural polysaccharides?

cellulose and chitin

A monosaccharide may be drawn as a ___________ structure or _________ structure.

chain, ring. The shape of the molecule determines the properties of the molecules and how the molecules interact with one another.

A protein's function is determined by its ____________________.

conformation (emergent properties)

Organic molecules:

contain carbon and hydrogen, are usually larger and more complex than inorganic molecules, and dissolve in water or organic liquids.

Lipids store the most _____________!

energy

Proteins are Greek for ___________________.

first place

What types of foods contain trans fats?

fried foods, baked goods, shortenings, margarine, frozen waffles, frozen potatoes, candies, a lot of fast foods, etc.

Which monosaccharide is commonly found in fruit?

fructose

Which sugar is commonly found in the bloodstream of animals?

glucose

What is sucrose?

glucose + fructose (and is transported within plants)

What is lactose?

glucose + galactose (found in milk)

What is maltose?

glucose + glucose (formed in the digestive tract of humans during starch digestion and found in liquor and beer as malt sugar.

Are lipids hydrophilic or hydrophobic?

hydrophobic

Lipids are soluble in ________________ solvents.

hydrophobic

What is Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)?

main energy currency in all living things

DNA and RNA are __________ acids.

nucleic

Nucleic acids are made of of monomers called ______________.

nucleotides

Sugars end in _______.

ose

Nucleotides have one, two or three __________________________.

phosphate groups (mono, di, tri-phospates)

What are the 3 parts of nucleotides?

phosphate groups, pentose sugars, and nitrogen bases

Fatty acids can be _______________ or _________________.

saturated or unsaturated

What are the two types of storage polysaccharides?

starch and glycogen

Testosterone (male sex hormone) and Estradiol (female sex hormone) are both ___________ with same fused four ring structure but different _____________________________ attached to the rings result in different functions.

steriods, functional groups

Humans have ______________ of different proteins.

tens of thousands

Properties of organic molecules depend on:

the arrangement of the carbon skeleton and the molecular attachments aka functional groups to that carbon skeleton.