Carbohydrates
What reaction breaks a polymer apart into its monomers by adding a water molecule?
Hydrolysis
What general term describes the hydrophobic family that includes fats, steroids, and phospholipids?
Lipids
What are the two types of nucleic acids found in cells?
DNA and RNA
What variable component gives each amino acid its identity?
The R-group (side chain)
What reaction joins two monomers together by removing a water molecule
Dehydration synthesis
What molecular formula do glucose, fructose and galactose all share?
C6H12O6
What lipid, made of glycerol + three fatty acids, stores long-term energy?
Triglycerides
What three components make up every nucleotide?
Nitrogenous base, five-carbon sugar, phosphate group
What bond links amino acids together via a dehydration reaction?
Peptide bond
What functional group — an oxygen bonded to a hydrogen — is common in sugars and makes molecules more polar?
The hydroxyl group (-OH)
What disaccharide made up of glucose + fructose called?
What structural feature of a fatty acid's carbon chain determines saturated vs. unsaturated?
Presence or absence of double bonds. C=C
What two groups are nitrogenous bases sorted into based on ring number?
Purines and pyrimidines
What level of protein structure is just the linear amino acid sequence?
Primary structure
What functional group, found in amino acids, contains nitrogen and gives molecules basic (as opposed to acidic) chemical properties?
The amino group (-NH2)
What branched polysaccharide is the main short term energy storage molecule in animals?
Glycogen
What lipid has a polar phosphate head and two nonpolar tails, forming cell membranes?
What bond links nucleotides together within a single strand?
Phosphodiester bond
What process, caused by heat, pH, or chemicals, makes a protein lose its shape?
Denaturation
What term describes a distinct, independently-folding region of a protein that contributes a specific function, and is often shared across different proteins?
A domain
What type of bond joins monosaccharides together in di- and polysaccharides?
Glycosidic bond
What class of lipids (cholesterol, many hormones) is built from four fused carbon rings?
Steroid
What proteins does DNA wrap around to form chromatin?
What helper proteins assist others in folding into their correct 3D shape?
Chaperone proteins
What term describes a small, recognizable structural pattern within a protein — like a helix-turn-helix — that's simpler than a full domain?
A motif