Chapter 3 (The Molecules Of Cells)

Front 1

What is an organic compound?

Back 1

carbon-based molecules

Front 2

What are hydrocarbon?

Back 2

compounds composed of only carbon and hydrogen

Front 3

What is carbon skeleton?

Back 3

chain of carbon atoms in an organism's molecule

Front 4

What are isomers?

Back 4

- compound with the same formula, but different structural arrangements
- result from different arrangements of the 4 partners bonded to a carbon atom

Front 5

What are functional groups?

Back 5

specific configuration of atoms commonly attached tot he carbon skeletons of organic molecules and involved in chemical reactions

Front 6

What is hydrophillic?

Back 6

- water loving
- pertaining to polar or charged molecules that are water soluble

Front 7

What is a hydroxyl group?

Back 7

consists of a hydrogen atom bonded to an oxygen atom, which in turn is bonded to the carbon skeleton

Front 8

What are carbonyl groups?

Back 8

carbon atom is linked by a double bond to an oxygen atom.

Front 9

What is carboxyl group?

Back 9

- carbon double bonded to an oxygen atom and also bonded to a hydroxyl group.
- acts as an acid by contributing an H+ to a solution and thus becoming ionized.

Front 10

What is an amino group?

Back 10

- nitrogen bonded to 2 hydrogen and the carbon skeleton
- acts as a base by picking up an H+ from a solution

Front 11

What is a phosphate group?

Back 11

- phosphorous atom bonded to 4 oxygen atoms
- usually ionized and attached tot he carbon skeleton by 1 of its oxygen atoms

Front 12

What is a methyl group?

Back 12

- carbon bonded to 3 hydrogen
- affects the expression of genes

Front 13

What are the chemical groups that don't contain carbon?

Back 13

hydroxyl and aminos and phosphate groups

Front 14

What are macromolecules?

Back 14

giant molecule formed by the joining of smaller molecules, usually by a dehydration reaction; protein, carbohydrate, or nucleic acid

Front 15

What are polymers?

Back 15

large molecule consisting of many identical or similar building blocks strung together.

Front 16

What are monomers?

Back 16

building blocks of polymers

Front 17

What is a dehydration reaction?

Back 17

- cells link together to form polymers
- removes a molecule of water

Front 18

What is hydrolysis?

Back 18

- chemical reaction that breaks bonds between molecules by the addition of water
- process by which polymers are broken down and an essential part of digestion

Front 19

What are enzymes?

Back 19

specialized macromolecules that speed up chemical reaction in cells

Front 20

What is a carbohydrate?

Back 20

class of molecules ranging from small sugar molecules dissolved in soft drinks to large polysaccharides such as starch molecules in pasta and potatoes

Front 21

What are monosaccharides?

Back 21

- carbohydrate monomers
- simplest carbohydrate
- simple sugar with a molecular formula that is generally some multiple of CH2O
- monomers of disaccharides and polysaccharides

Front 22

What is a disaccharide?

Back 22

sugar molecule consisting of 2 monosaccharides linked by a dehydration reaction.

Front 23

What are polysaccharides?

Back 23

- macromolecules
- carbohydrate polymer of many monosaccharides linked by dehyrdration reaction.

Front 24

What is starch?

Back 24

- storage polysaccharide in plants
- polymer of glucose

Front 25

What is glycogen?

Back 25

- extensively branched glucose storage polysaccharide found in liver and muscle cells
- animal equivalent of starch

Front 26

What is cellulose?

Back 26

- most abundant organic compound on Earth
- structural polysaccharide of plant walls composed of glucose monomers
- cellulose molecules are linked into cable-like fibrils

Front 27

What is chitin?

Back 27

structural polysaccharide found in many fungal cell walls and in the exoskeletons of arthropods

Front 28

What does hydrophobic mean?

Back 28

- water fearing
- pertaining to nonpolar colecules that don't dissolve in H2O

Front 29

What is unsaturated fatty acid?

Back 29

- fatty acid that has 1 or more double bonds between carbons in the hydrocarbons tail and thus lacks the max number of hydrogen atoms
- unsaturated fats and fatty acids don't solidify at room temperature

Front 30

What are saturated fatty acids?

Back 30

- fatty acid in which all carbons in the hydrocarbon tail are connected by single bonds and the max number of hydrogen atoms are attached to the carbon skeleton
- solidify at room temperature

Front 31

What are fats?

Back 31

- lipid composed of 3 fatty acids linked to 1 glycerol molecule; a triglyceride.
- most function as energy-storage molecules

Front 32

What are trans fats?

Back 32

unsaturated fat, formed artificially during hydrogenation of vegetable oils, which is linked to health risks

Front 33

What are phospholipids?

Back 33

- lipid made up of glycerol joined to 2 fatty acids and phosphate group, giving to the molecule 2 nonpolar hydrophobic tails and a polar hydrophillic head
- form bilayers that function as biological membrane

Front 34

What are steroids?

Back 34

- lipids in which the carbon skeleton contains 4 fused rings with various chemical groups attached
EX: cholesterol, testosterone, and estrogen

Front 35

What is cholesterol?

Back 35

steroid that is an important component of animal cell membranes and that act as a precursor molecule for the synthesis of other steroid, such as hormones

Front 36

What are anabolic steroids?

Back 36

synthetic variant of the male hormone, testosterone, that mimics some of its effects.

Front 37

What is protein?

Back 37

functional biological molecule consisting of 1 or more polypeptides folded into a specific 3D structure.

Front 38

What are amino acids?

Back 38

- organic molecules containing a carboxyl group and an amino acids group
- serves as the monomers of proteins

Front 39

What is a peptide bond?

Back 39

- covalent bond between 2 amino acid units in a polypeptide
- formed by a dehydration reaction

Front 40

What is a polypeptide?

Back 40

polymer of amino acids linked by peptide bonds

Front 41

in both cases, the monomers are joined by a dehydration reaction

Back 41

In what ways is the production of dipeptide similar to the production of a disaccharide?

Front 42

What is denaturation?

Back 42

- process in which a protein unravels, losing its specific structure and hence function
- can be caused by change in pH or salt concentration or by high temperature
- refers to the separation of the 2 strands of the DNA double helix, caused by similar factors

Front 43

Why does denatured protein no longer function normally?

Back 43

the function of each protein is a consequence of its specific shape which is lost when a protein denatures.

Front 44

What is a primary structure?

Back 44

- 1st level of protein structure
- specific sequence of amino acids making up a polypeptide chain

Front 45

What is a secondary structure?

Back 45

- 2nd level of protein structure
- regular local patterns of coils or folds of a polypeptide chain.

Front 46

What is a tertiary structure?

Back 46

- 3rd level of protein structure
- overall 3D shape of a polypeptide due to interactions of the R groups of the amino acids making up the chain

Front 47

What is a quaternary structure?

Back 47

-4th level of protein structure
- shape resulting from the association of 2 or more polypeptide subunits.

Front 48

What is a gene?

Back 48

- discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA
= or RNA in some cases
- most of the genes of a Eukaryote are located in its chromosonal DNA
= few are carried by the DNA of mitochondria and
chloroplasts

Front 49

What is DNA?

Back 49

- double strand helical nucleic acid molecule consisting of nucleotide monomers with deoxyribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine, cytosme, guanine, and thymine
- capable of replicating
- organisms genetic material

Front 50

What are nucleic acids?

Back 50

- polymer consisting of many nucleotide monomers
- serves as a blueprint for proteins, for all cellular structures and activities
- 2 types; DNA and RNA

Front 51

What is ribonucleic acid?

Back 51

- type of nucleic acid consisting of nucleotide monomers with a ribose sugar and the nitrogeneous bases adenine, cystosine, guanine, and uracil
- usually single stranded
- functions in protein synthesis, gene regulation, and as the genome of some viruses

Front 52

hereditary material of DNA contains the instructions for the structure of polypeptides. RNA is the intermediary that conveys those functions to the protein-making machinery that assembles amino acids in designated order

Back 52

How are the 2 types of nucleic acids functionally related?

Front 53

What are nucleotides?

Back 53

building block of nucleic acids, consisting of a 5-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and 1 or more phosphate groups

Front 54

What are double helix?

Back 54

- form of native DNA
- referring to its 2 adjacent polynucleotide strands interwound into a spiral shape

Front 55

- complementary base pairing makes possible the precise replication of DNA, ensuring that genetic info is faithfully transmitted every time a cell divides
- ensures that RNA molecules carry accurate instructions for the synthesis of proteins.

Back 55

What roles do complementary base pairing pairing play in the functioning of nucleic acids?

Front 56

- lactose, milk, sugar is a carbohydrate that is hydrolyzed by the enzyme lactase, a protein
- ability to make this enzyme and the regulation of when it is made is coded for in DNA, a nucleic acid.

Back 56

How does lactose intolerance involve three of the four major classes of biological macromolecules?