Skip to main content
Back

General Biology: Biological Macromolecules

Control buttons has been changed to "navigation" mode.
1/31

Terms in this set (31)

  • What are the four macromolecules important to life?
    Carbohydrates, Lipids, Nucleic acids, Proteins
  • What is the process called when monomers combine to form polymers releasing water?
    Dehydration synthesis
  • What type of bond is formed during dehydration synthesis?
    Covalent bonds
  • What is the process called when polymers are broken down into monomers?
    Hydrolysis
  • What speeds up dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis reactions?
    Enzymes
  • What is the ratio of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in carbohydrates?
    1:2:1
  • Give an example of a pentose monosaccharide and a hexose monosaccharide.
    Ribose (pentose), Glucose (hexose)
  • What is the chemical formula for glucose?
    C6H12O6
  • What are isomers?
    Molecules with the same molecular formula but different structures
  • What is a glycosidic bond?
    A covalent bond formed between two monosaccharides
  • What is the most common disaccharide?
    Sucrose (table sugar)
  • What is a polysaccharide?
    A long chain of monosaccharides
  • What is the animal equivalent of starch?
    Glycogen (highly branched)
  • Where is cellulose found and how do grazing animals digest it?
    In plant cell walls; grazing animals have stomach flora to break it down
  • What carbohydrate is found in insect exoskeletons?
    Chitin
  • What are the two main components of a fat molecule?
    Glycerol and fatty acids
  • What type of bonds do saturated fats contain?
    Only single bonds
  • Which type of fat is liquid at room temperature?
    Unsaturated fats
  • Why are trans fats banned in many products?
    They raise bad cholesterol and increase heart disease risk
  • Where are phospholipids found and why are they amphipathic?
    In cell membranes; they have hydrophilic heads and hydrophobic tails
  • What are steroids and give two examples?
    Hydrophobic lipids with ring structures; examples: testosterone and estradiol
  • What monomers make up proteins?
    Amino acids
  • What bond connects amino acids in proteins?
    Peptide bonds (covalent bonds)
  • Name the four levels of protein structure.
    Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Quaternary
  • What is denaturation in proteins and what causes it?
    Permanent shape change affecting function; caused by temperature, pH, chemicals
  • What monomers make up DNA and RNA?
    Nucleotides
  • What are the three components of a nucleotide?
    Nitrogenous base, pentose sugar, phosphate group
  • What are the purines and pyrimidines in DNA?
    Purines: Adenine, Guanine; Pyrimidines: Cytosine, Thymine
  • What is the shape of the DNA molecule?
    Double helix
  • What is the base pairing rule in DNA?
    A pairs with T; G pairs with C
  • What sugar is found in RNA?
    Ribose