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General Biology: Chemistry of Life

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  • Why is water considered a polar molecule?
    Water has polarity because of polar covalent bonds between hydrogen and oxygen atoms, leading to partial positive and negative charges.
  • How does water's polarity affect biological molecules?
    Water's polarity enables hydrogen bonding between and within biological molecules, influencing their structure and function.
  • What property of water helps maintain homeostatic body temperature?
    Water has a high specific heat capacity, allowing it to absorb and release heat slowly, stabilizing body temperature.
  • How does water's high heat of vaporization benefit living organisms?
    It allows evaporative cooling, helping organisms maintain body temperature by losing heat through water evaporation.
  • What causes cohesion, adhesion, and surface tension in water?
    Hydrogen bonds between adjacent polar water molecules cause cohesion, adhesion, and surface tension.
  • Which elements are most prevalent in biological macromolecules?
    Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are the most common elements in carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.
  • What roles do sulfur, phosphorus, and nitrogen play in biological molecules?
    Sulfur is in proteins; phosphorus is in phospholipids and nucleic acids; nitrogen is in nucleic acids.
  • What is hydrolysis in biological macromolecules?
    Hydrolysis breaks covalent bonds between monomers by adding water, splitting polymers into smaller units.
  • What is dehydration synthesis (condensation reaction)?
    It joins two monomers by removing a water molecule, forming a covalent bond and building polymers.
  • What are monosaccharides and polysaccharides?
    Monosaccharides are simple sugar monomers; polysaccharides are complex carbohydrates made of many monosaccharides.
  • Name three examples of polysaccharides.
    Cellulose, starch, and glycogen are common polysaccharides.
  • What distinguishes saturated from unsaturated fatty acids?
    Saturated fatty acids have only single carbon bonds; unsaturated fatty acids have one or more double bonds causing kinks.
  • How does the degree of unsaturation affect lipid properties?
    More double bonds increase unsaturation, making lipids more liquid at room temperature.
  • List four functions or types of lipids in living organisms.
    Fats store energy and provide insulation; steroids act as hormones; cholesterol stabilizes membranes; phospholipids form membranes.
  • What type of bond links amino acids in proteins?
    Peptide bonds form covalent links between the carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amine group of another.
  • What are the components of an amino acid?
    A central carbon bonded to a hydrogen, carboxyl group, amine group, and a variable R group.
  • How are amino acid R groups categorized?
    R groups are hydrophobic/nonpolar, hydrophilic/polar, or ionic, affecting protein structure and function.
  • What determines the primary structure of a protein?
    The specific sequence of amino acids in the polypeptide chain.
  • What forms the secondary structure of proteins?
    Local folding via hydrogen bonds creates alpha-helices and beta-pleated sheets.
  • What interactions stabilize the tertiary structure of proteins?
    Hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interactions, ionic interactions, and disulfide bridges shape the 3D structure.
  • What is the quaternary structure of a protein?
    The arrangement and interaction of multiple polypeptide chains forming a functional protein complex.