Bio 101: Elements & Compounds
This element is found in proteins and nucleic acids, but you won't find it in standard carbohydrates or lipids.
What is Nitrogen (or Sulfur)?
This chemical reaction breaks apart complex carbohydrates into simple sugars by adding water molecules.
What is Hydrolysis?
While carbohydrates provide quick, immediate energy, lipids are responsible for this primary energy role.
What is Long-Term Energy Storage?
Enzymes speed up chemical reactions in cells by lowering this specific barrier.
What is Activation Energy?
Plant material contains tough cellulose that requires extra fermentation space, explaining why these animals have much larger digestive tracts than carnivores.
What are Herbivores?
If a mystery compound has the formula C18H32O2, its extremely high carbon-to-oxygen ratio means it belongs to this macromolecule class.
What are Lipids?
Individual amino acids link together to form this specific type of polymer.
What is a Polypeptide (or Protein)?
Enzymes, antibodies, and cellular transporters are grouped together because they are all built from folded chains of these.
What are Amino Acids (or Proteins)?
Extreme heat or drastic pH shifts cause an enzyme to unfold and lose function, a process known by this term.
What is Denaturation?
Starting from the small intestine, this is the correct order food travels through the lower digestive tract.
What is Small Intestine to the Cecum through the Large Intestine?
A molecule made of a nitrogenous base, a 5-carbon sugar, and three phosphate groups (like ATP) belongs to this macromolecule category.
What are Nucleic Acids?
When two monosaccharides join via dehydration synthesis, this essential molecule is released as a byproduct alongside the new disaccharide.
What is Water H2O?
Cholesterol, triglycerides, and plant waxes all belong to this group of hydrophobic macromolecules.
What are Lipids?
This specific region on an enzyme's surface is where substrate molecules bind.
What is the Active Site?
Regardless of whether an animal is an herbivore, carnivore, or omnivore, this organ makes up the vast majority of total digestive tract length.
What is the Small Intestine?
R-CH(NH2)COOH is the general chemical formula for the building blocks of this macromolecule.
What are Proteins?
DNA and RNA are long polymer chains built from these specific monomer units.
What are Nucleotides?
An athlete "carbo-loading" on pasta before a marathon is trying to stock up on this macromolecule for fast energy.
What are Carbohydrates?
True or False: An enzyme is permanently altered or consumed during a single chemical reaction.
What is False? (Enzymes remain unchanged and reusable)
While herbivores rely primarily on carbohydrates, a strict carnivore relies on these two macromolecules for their main dietary energy.
What are Proteins and Fats (Lipids)?
These two elements are present in nucleic acids and phospholipids, but missing from simple carbohydrates.
What are Phosphorus and Nitrogen?
A single repeating unit versus a long chain of bonded units describes the structural difference between these two terms.
What are Monomers and Polymers?
DNA and RNA belong to this group whose main job is storing and transmitting genetic instructions.
What are Nucleic Acids?
On a reaction graph, you can spot an enzyme-assisted reaction because its curve peak is lower than the reaction without one, representing a lower amount of this.
What is Activation Energy?
This specialized pouch in an herbivore's digestive system contains microbes to break down cellulose in plant cell walls.
What is the Cecum?