Polymers and Monomers
What is a polymer made of?
Many similar or identical monomers connected by covalent bonds.
Polymers are made of monomers joined by what type of bond?
Covalent bonds.
What is the simplest type of carbohydrate?
Monosaccharide.
What polysaccharide do plants use for energy storage?
Starch.
What is the main job of starch in plants?
Energy storage.
True or False: Proteins are made of monomers.
True, amino acids.
What reaction builds polymers from monomers and what exactly happens during this reaction?
Dehydration reaction, water is removed.
Which two functional groups are found in monosaccharides?
Carbonyl and hydroxyl.
What is the unbranched form of starch?
Amylose.
What is the main job of cellulose in plants?
To give strength and structure to cell walls.
Name three classes of macromolecules that are polymers.
Carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids.
What reaction breaks polymers into monomers and what exactly happens during this reaction?
Hydrolysis, water is added.
What common monosaccharide is known as “blood sugar”?
Glucose.
What polysaccharide is the animal equivalent of starch?
Glycogen.
What polysaccharide do animals store in their liver and muscles for energy?
Glycogen.
What type of biological molecule speeds up the making/breaking of polymers?
Enzymes
Which process requires energy: dehydration or hydrolysis?
Dehydration.
What type of bond joins two monosaccharides to form a disaccharide?
Glycosidic bond.
Which polysaccharide cannot be digested by humans but provides structural support in plants?
Cellulose.
What type of bonding between parallel cellulose chains gives strength to plant cell walls?
Hydrogen bonding.
Which class of macromolecules is NOT made of repeating monomers?
Lipids.
Which process releases energy: dehydration or hydrolysis?
Hydrolysis.
Name the three main disaccharides.
Maltose, sucrose, lactose
Which polysaccharide contains nitrogen and is found in insect exoskeletons and fungal cell walls?
Chitin.
What is the structural difference between the α (alpha) and β (beta) forms of glucose?
α-glucose forms helical structures (like starch), while β-glucose forms straight structures (like cellulose).