Unit 3: Biochemistry

Front 1

Organic Molecule

Back 1

compounds containing carbon and hydrogen atoms that are made by or often found in living organisms

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Hydrocarbon

Back 2

organic molecules that contain only hydrogen and carbon atoms

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Isomer

Back 3

molecules that have the same molecular formula, but different structures or arrangements of atoms

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Carbon Ring

Back 4

the structure of molecules formed by a carbon skeleton that joins at either end forming a ring

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Carbon Skeleton

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carbon molecules joined together by covalent bonds that provide a basic structure for adding additional elements and functional groups to organic molecules

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Functional Groups

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specific groups of atoms attached to the carbon skeleton of a molecule that will interact with other molecules in predictable ways or give the molecule unique chemical properties

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Hydroxyl

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-OH, a functional group that is polar, hydrophilic, involved in dehydration and hydrolysis reactions, and found in sugars, starches, nucleic acids, alcohols, and some acids & steroids, ex) ethanol

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Methyl

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-CH3, a functional group that is non-polar, hydrophobic, and found in hydrocarbons and the end of fatty acid chains, ex) methane

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Carboxyl

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COOH, a functional group that is polar, hydrophilic, charged, acidic, involved in peptide bonds, and found in amino acids and fatty acids, ex) carboxylic acids & acetic acid

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Carbonyl

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CO, a functional group that is polar, hydrophilic, found in sugars, some hormones and some vitamins, and includes aldehydes found at the end of molecules, ex) formaldehyde, and ketones found within molecules, ex) acetone

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Amino

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NH2, a functional group that is polar, hydrophilic, basic, involved in peptide bonds, and found in amino acids and nucleic acids, ex) ammonia

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Phosphate

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PO4, a functional group that is polar, hydrophilic, charged, acidic, links nucleotides in nucleic acids, energy carrier group in ATP, and found in nucleic acids and phospholipids that make up the cell membrane

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Sulfhydryl

Back 13

CH2SH, a functional group that is polar, hydrophilic, forms disulfide bonds in proteins, and found in some amino acids and many proteins

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Monomer

Back 14

basic subunit, a small organic molecule, several of which may be bonded together to form a chain a small organic molecule, several of which may be bonded together to form a chain

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Polymer

Back 15

a molecule composed of three or more (perhaps thousands) smaller subunits linked together by the process of dehydration synthesis, subunits may be identical, for example, the glucose monomers of starch, or different, for example, the amino acids of a protein

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Dehydration Synthesis

Back 16

a chemical reaction in which two subunits or molecules are joined together by a covalent bond formed with the removal of a hydrogen from one molecule and a hydroxyl group from the other, forming water; the reverse of hydrolysis.

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Hydrolysis

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a chemical reaction that breaks down a polymer into its subunit parts by breaking the covalent bonds between them as hydrogen is added to the atom on one side of the original bond and a hydroxyl group is added to the atom on the other side; the reverse of dehydration synthesis

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Carbohydrates

Back 18

simple and complex sugars composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen

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Monosaccharide

Back 19

the basic subunit of all carbohydrates, composed of a chain of carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen and hydroxyl groups, often with a molecular formula of a multiple of C1H2O1, includes glucose, fructose, and galactose

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Glucose

Back 20

blood sugar, the most common monosaccharide, required for energy by almost all living organisms; most polysaccharides including cellulose, starch, and glycogen, are made of glucose subunits covalently bonded together.

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Fructose

Back 21

fruit sugar or sweetener, a monosaccharide that is an isomer of glucose

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Disaccharide

Back 22

two monosaccharides bonded together by dehydration synthesis, including maltose, sucrose, and galactose

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Maltose

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beer sugar, a disaccharide composed of two glucose molecules chemically bonded together by dehydration synthesis

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Sucrose

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table sugar, a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose molecule chemically bonded together by dehydration synthesis

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Lactose

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milk sugar, a disaccharide composed of a glucose and galactose molecule chemically bonded together by dehydration synthesis

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Polysaccharide

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a chain of many repeating monosaccharides bonded together by dehydration synthesis, including starch, cellulose, and galactose

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Starch

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a polysaccharide that is used as the food or sugar storage molecules in plants such as potatoes and grains, and that is composed of unbranched chains of alpha glucose molecules with energy stored in the bonds between subunits

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Glycogen

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a polysaccharide that is used as the food or sugar storage molecules in animals and can be found in muscle and liver cells and meat food products; composed of branched chains of glucose molecules

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Cellulose

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a polysaccharide, the most common organic molecule found in nature and a key component in the cell walls of plants that provides rigid support and that cannot be digested by people, composed of straight strings of beta-glucose linked together by hydrogen bonds

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Insulin

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a hormone, secreted by the pancreas, that lowers blood sugar by helping many cells to take up glucose and by stimulating the liver to convert glucose to glycogen

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Proteins

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a polymer made up of different numbers, arrangements, and combinations of amino acids joined by peptide bonds, the most abundant organic molecules found in human cells that may be used for building and repairing tissue, starting or facilitating reactions, allowing movement, defense, signaling, and storage.

Front 32

Amino Acid

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the subunit of proteins, composed of a central carbon atom bonded to an amino group, a carboxyl group, a hydrogen atom, and a variable group of atoms, R, that changes between one amino acid and another

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Peptide Bond

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the covalent bond between the nitrogen of the amino group of one amino acid and the carbon of the carboxyl group of a second amino acid, joining the two amino acids together in a peptide or protein

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Polypeptide

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a chain of amino acids joined by peptide bonds, the primary structure of a protein

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Denature

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the process where a change in the environment such as temperature or acidity disrupts the secondary and/or tertiary structure of a protein while leaving its amino acid sequence intact, often causing proteins to no longer be able to perform their biological functions

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Primary Structure

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the amino acid sequence of a protein

Front 37

Secondary Structure

Back 37

the repeated, regular folding of a protein chain, held together by hydrogen bonds; for example, a helix or pleated sheets

Front 38

Tertiary Structure

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the complex three-dimensional structure of a single peptide chain; held in place by disulfide bonds between cysteine amino acids

Front 39

Quaternary Structure

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the complex three-dimensional structure of a protein consisting of more than one peptide chain.

Front 40

Alpha Helix

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a common coiled structure of proteins, characterized by a single, spiral chain of amino acids stabilized by hydrogen bonds

Front 41

Beta-Pleated Sheets

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a structure that occurs in many proteins and consists of two or more parallel adjacent polypeptide chains arranged in such a way that hydrogen bonds can form between the chains, arranged in a zigzag pattern that forms a straight chain

Front 42

Lipids

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organic molecules with large nonpolar regions composed of carbon and hydrogen, which make lipids hydrophobic and insoluble in water; often composed of glycerol and fatty acid monomers, including oils, fats, waxes, phospholipids, and steroids

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Hydrophobic

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molecules that do not dissolve in water or form hydrogen bonds with water; nonpolar

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Hydrophilic

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molecules that dissolve readily in water, or to molecules that form hydrogen bonds with water; polar

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Fat

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a lipid composed of three saturated fatty acids covalently bonded to glycerol; fats are solid at room temperature

Front 46

Glycerol

Back 46

a three-carbon alcohol to which fatty acids are covalently bonded to make fats and oils

Front 47

Fatty acid

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an organic molecule composed of a long chain of carbon atoms, with a carboxylic acid (COOH) group at one end; may be saturated or unsaturated

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Unsaturated

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a fatty acid with fewer than the maximum number of hydrogen atoms bonded to its carbon backbone and therefore has one or more double bonds in its carbon backbone making it bent and liquid at room temperature, found in vegetable fats

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Saturated

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a fatty acid with the maximum number of hydrogen atoms bonded to its carbon backbone and therefore containing only single bonds in its carbon backbone making it straight, easily packed together, and solid at room temperature, unhealthy, found in animal fats and butter

Front 50

Phospholipids

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a lipid consisting of glycerol bonded to two fatty acids and one charged, hydrophilic phosphate group, a double layer of phospholipids is a component of all cellular membranes

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Waxes

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a lipid composed of fatty acids covalently bonded to long-chain alcohols, used in plants to protect leaves against dehydration or water loss from evaporation

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Steroids

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a lipid consisting of four fused carbon rings, with various functional groups attached

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Anabolic steroids

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synthetic or man-made substances that mimic testosterone, often abused by athletes to improve performance and build muscles, but may cause irreversible health problems, including aggressive behavior, baldness in men, voice deepening and facial hair in women, infertility, stunted growth, heart disease, liver damage, and cancer

Front 54

Enzyme

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a specialized protein that acts as a catalyst that speeds up the rate of specific biological reactions by bonding specific substrates to the active site on the enzyme, lowering the activation energy needed for the reaction to take place and releasing the final product; enzymes are unchanged in the reaction and may be recycled to bind to more substrates

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Nucleic Acid

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an organic molecule composed of nucleotide subunits, including adenosine triphosphate (ATP), ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

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Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)

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a molecule composed of ribose nucleotides composed of a phosphate group, the sugar ribose, and one of the bases adenine, cytosine, guanine, or uracil, that translates the information in DNA into proteins

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Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

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a molecule composed of deoxyribose nucleotides composed of a phosphate group, the sugar deoxyribose, and one of the bases adenine, cytosine, guanine, or thyamine, and that contains the genetic information of all living cells

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Ribose

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a sugar found in RNA that contains a hydroxyl group on the second carbon

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Deoxyribose

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a sugar found in DNA that contains hydrogen groups only on the second carbon

Front 60

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)

Back 60

a molecule composed of the sugar ribose, the base adenine, and three phosphate groups; the major energy carrier in cells; the last two phosphate groups are attached by "high-energy" bonds