Water Properties
What do we mean when we say that water is a universal solvent?
Water’s polarity allows it to dissolve many ionic and polar substances, earning it this nickname, even though it cannot dissolve everything.
Carbohydrates contain these three elements, often in a 1:2:1 ratio in simple sugars.
What are carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen?
Proteins contain these four main elements.
What are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen?
What is a triglyceride?
A lipid made of one glycerol molecule and three fatty acid chains, this lipid provides long-term energy storage, insulation, and cushioning around organs.
Nucleic acids contain these five elements, including one found in their phosphate groups.
What are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus?
What is a hydrogen bond?
Attraction forces between the partially positive hydrogen of one water molecule and the partially negative oxygen of another.
Glucose is one of these single sugar units, which serve as the monomers of larger carbohydrates.
What is a monosaccharide?
What is the monomer for a protein called?
What is an amino acid?
What is a phospholipid?
A lipid molecule that consists of a phosphate-containing head attached to two fatty acid chains is referred to as the tail.
What are the functions of nucleic acids?
Nucleic acids store, transmit, and help express genetic information.
What is cohesion?
Water property in which water molecules attract one another and help maintain a continuous column of water as it moves up a plant (example).
Many monosaccharides joined together form this type of carbohydrate polymer, with examples including starch, glycogen, and cellulose.
What is a polysaccharide?
Amino acids join through dehydration reactions to form these covalent bonds, producing a polypeptide chain.
What are peptide bonds?
A phospholipid has a hydrophilic (“water-loving”) head and hydrophobic (“water-fearing”) tails, making it this type of molecule.
What is an amphipathic molecule?
What are DNA and RNA?
They are polymer nucleic acid molecules.
What is high specific heat capacity?
Water absorbs considerable heat with only a small temperature increase because much of that energy disrupts hydrogen bonds. This thermal property helps stabilize aquatic environments.
A dehydration reaction joins two monosaccharides by forming this type of covalent linkage.
What is a glycosidic linkage?
A change in a protein’s amino acid sequence can alter its shape and ability to bind other molecules. What biological principle does this demonstrate?
A protein’s structure determines its function.
What are saturated fatty acids? Do they make Oils or Fats?
These fatty acid chains lack carbon–carbon double bonds, allowing them to pack tightly together. Fats rich in them tend to be solid at room temperature.
What are the full names of DNA and RNA?
RNA = Ribose Nucleic Acid
What is a polar molecule?
Water has partial positive charges near its hydrogen atoms and a partial negative charge near its oxygen atom due to the uneven sharing of electrons within the covalent bond between the O and the H. This is due to the electronegativity of the Oxygen atom.
What is the difference between the polysaccharides glycogen and cellulose? Explain why humans obtain more energy from eating foods rich in glycogen vs. those rich in cellulose.
Glycogen’s highly branched structure provides many ends for rapid glucose release. In contrast, this plant polysaccharide has straight, unbranched chains that pack into strong fibers for cell wall support.
What is the structure of an amino acid?
These monomers contain a central, or alpha carbon, attached to an amino group, to a carboxyl group, to a lone H atom, and to a variable R group (side chain), which determines the identity of the amino acid. There are 20 different types.
What are unsaturated fatty acids? Do they make Oils or Fats?
Oils tend to be liquid at room temperature because these fatty acid chains contain C to C double bonds that create kinks, prevent tight packing, and increase fluidity.
What is a nucleotide? Describe its structure.
A monomer of nucleic acids, made of a pentose sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.