Water
This type of bond forms between the oxygen of one water molecule and the hydrogen of another.
What is a hydrogen bond?
The monomers that make up carbohydrates are called this.
What are monosaccharides?
The monomers of proteins are called this.
What are amino acids?
The monomer of nucleic acids is called this.
What is a nucleotide?
Lipids are mostly made of these two elements.
What are carbon and hydrogen?
This property allows water to move up a plant's xylem against gravity.
What is capillary action (or cohesion and adhesion)?
A disaccharide like sucrose is formed through this type of reaction.
What is a dehydration synthesis reaction?
This type of bond connects amino acids in a protein chain.
What is a peptide bond?
These two types of nucleic acids store and transfer genetic information.
What are DNA and RNA?
This lipid molecule is the main component of cell membranes.
What is a phospholipid?
This property explains why coastal climates experience milder temperatures.
What is water’s high specific heat?
During digestion, this reaction breaks down polysaccharides into monosaccharides.
What is hydrolysis?
The three-dimensional folding of a protein represents this level of structure.
What is the tertiary structure?
This part of the nucleotide contains nitrogen and pairs with its complement in DNA.
What is the nitrogenous base?
This lipid stores long-term energy and consists of three fatty acids and one glycerol.
What is a triglyceride?
Ice floats on liquid water due to this unique property of water molecules.
What is lower density of ice due to hydrogen bonding?
A scientist adds a digestive enzyme to a solution of sucrose and observes glucose and fructose being released. What specific type of reaction occurred?
What is a hydrolysis reaction?
A protein loses its shape and function during this process, often due to heat or pH changes.
What is denaturation?
Explain in detail why Adenine cannot bind to either Guanine or Cytosine.
A is a purine, so it must bind to a pyrimidine due to size constraints (Guanine is too small), and it has space for only 2 hydrogen bonds (Cytosine requires 3)
At lower temperatures, cholesterol plays a key role in maintaining membrane fluidity. Explain how cholesterol does this and why it's important for cell function.
What is cholesterol’s ability to prevent phospholipid tails from packing too closely together, maintaining membrane flexibility and allowing proper protein and molecule movement?
During a long-distance race, a runner's body maintains a relatively stable internal temperature despite rising external temperatures and increased metabolic heat. Explain which property of water contributes to this homeostatic regulation and how it works at the molecular level.
What is high specific heat; water absorbs large amounts of heat with minimal temperature change due to hydrogen bonding, which resists changes in molecular motion.
his structural carbohydrate is found in the cell walls of plants.
What is cellulose?
A mutation causes a single amino acid substitution in the primary structure of a protein. Explain how this change can potentially alter the protein’s overall function, even if only one amino acid is affected.
What is a change in the primary structure that can alter folding due to new R-group interactions, affecting the protein’s shape and function—possibly leading to loss or change of activity?
What does "antiparallel" mean in reference to DNA?
One side of the DNA strand runs in a 5' to 3' direction, while the other side is reversed (3' to 5')
Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids affect membrane structure differently. Compare their impact on membrane fluidity and explain the structural basis for this difference.
What is that saturated fatty acids pack tightly, reducing fluidity, while unsaturated fatty acids have kinks from double bonds that prevent tight packing, increasing fluidity?