Biochemistry Chapter 1
Terms
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- Active Transport
- The energy requiring movement of molecules across a membrane agains a concentration gradient
- Addition Reaction
- a chemical reaction in which two molecules react to form a third molecule
- Amino Acid
- type of molecule found within a cell used to build protein polymers
- Anabolic Pathway
- a series of biochemic reactions in which large complex molecules are syntehesized from smaller precursors
- Anticodon
- a swequence of 3 ribonucleotides on a tRNA molecule that is complementart to a codon on the mRNA molecule; codon-anticodon binding resuls in the delivery of the correct amino acid to the site or protein synthesis
- Archaea
- one of three domains of living organisms; prokaryotic organisms that have the apearance of bacteria and many molecular properties that are similar to the eukaryotes
- Autotrophs
- an organism that transforms light enery (from the sun) or various chemicals into chemical bond energy
- Bacteria
- one of the three domains of life; single-celled prokaryotes with diverse capacities to exploit their environments
- Biomolecule
- the molecules tht make up living organisms
- Bioremediation
- the use of biological processes to decontaminate toxic waste sites
- Catabolic pathway
- a series of biochemical reactions in which large complex molecules are degraded into smaller, simpler products
- Chemoautotroph
- an autotroph who tranforms evergy from chemicals into chemical bond energy
- Chemoheterotroph
- an organism that uses preformed food molecules as its sole source of energy
- Codon
- a sequence of three nucelotides in mRNA that directs the incorporation of an amino acid during protein sythesis or acts as a start or stop signal
- Electophile
- an electron deficients species such as a hydrogen ion (H+)
- elimination reaction
- a reaction in which a double bond is formed when atoms in a molecule are removed
- energy
- the capacity to do work
- enzyme
- a biomolecule that catalyzes a chemical reaction
- eukarya
- one of the three domains of life; contains single celled and multicellular eukaryotic organisms
- eukaryotic cell
- a living cell that possesses a true nucleus
- extremophile
- an organism that lives under extreme conditions of temperature, pH, pressure or ionic concentration that would easily kill most organisms
- extremozyme
- an enzyme that functions under extreme conditions of temperature, prssure, pH, or ionic concentration
- fatty acid
- a long chain monocarboxylic acid that contains an even number of carbon atoms
- functional group
- a group of atoms that undergo characteristic reactions when attached to a carbon atom in an organic molecule or a biomolecule
- gene
- a DNA sequence that codes for a polypeptide, rRNA, or tRNA
- gene expression
- the mechanisms by which living orgainsms regulate the flow of genetic information
- heterotroph
- an organism that attains energy by degrading preformed food molecules obtained by conumin other organisms
- homeostasis
- the capacit of living organisms to regulate metabolic processes despite variability in their internal and external environments
- hydration
- a type of addition reaction in which water is added to a carbon-carbon double bond
- hydrocarbon
- a olecule that contains only carbon and hydrogen
- hydrolysis
- a chemic reaction that invovles the reaction of a molecule with water; the process by which moleules are broken into their constituents by adding water
- hydrophilic
- molecules that psosess positive or negative charges or contain relatively large numbers of electronegative oxygen or nitrogen atoms; dissolve easily in water
- hydrophobic
- molecules that possess few if any electonegative atoms; do not dissolve in water
- isomerization
- the reversible intercovnersion of isomers
- leaving group
- the group displaced during a nucleophilic substitution reaction
- lipid
- any of a group of biomolcules that are soluble in nonpolar solvens and nsoluble in water
- macromolcule
- a biopolymer formed from the linkage of certain biomolcules via covalent bonds; examples include nucleic acids, proteins, and polysaccharides
- metabolism
- the total of all chemical reactions in an organism
- monosaccharide
- a polyhydroxy aldehyde or ketone with the formula (CH20), where n is at least 3
- mutation
- any change in the nucleotide sequence of a gene
- neurotransmitter
- a molecule released at a nerve terminal that binds to an influences the functionof other nerve cels or muscle cells
- nucleic acid
- a macromolecule composed of nucleotides; DNA and RNA are nucleic acids
- nucleophile
- an electron-rich atom or molecule
- nucleophilc substitution
- a reaction in which a nucleophile substitues for an atom or molecular group
- nucleotide
- a biomolecule coposed oa pentose sugar (ribose or deoxyribos) and a nitrogenous base
- organelle
- a membrane-enclosed structure within a eukaryotic cell
- oxidation-reduction (redox)
- a reaction involving the transfer of one or more electrons from one reactant to another
- oxidize
- the removal of electrons
- oxidizing agent
- a substance that oxidizes (removes electrons from) another substance; the oxidizing agent is itself reduced in the process
- peptide
- an amino acid polymer composed of fewer than 50 amino acid reisues
- peptide bond
- an amide linkage in an amino acid polymer
- photoautotroph
- an organism that possesses a mechanism for transforming solar energy into other forms of energy
- photoheterotroph
- an organism that uses both light and organic biomolecules as energy sources
- polypeptide
- an amino acid polymer with more that 50 amino acid residues
- polysaccharide
- a linear or branched polymer of monosaccharides linked by glycosidic bonds
- prokaryotic cell
- a living cell that lacks a nucleus
- protein
- a macromolecule coposed of one or more polypeptides
- purine
- a nitrogenous base with a 2 ring structure; a component of nucelotides
- pyrimidine
- a nitrogensous base with a single ring stucutes; a component of nucelotides
- reduce
- the transfer of electrons
- reducing agent
- a substance that reducs the oxidation number of another reactant; the reducing agent is itself oxidized in the process
- reductionism
- a complex phenomenon such as life can be eventually understood by analyzing its simplest components
- saturated
- a molecule that contains no carbon-carbon doulbe or triple bonds
- sugar
- the basic unit of carboydrates; a class of biomolecule containing hydrozyl groups and an aldehyde group or a ketone group
- transcrption
- the process in which single-stranded RNA with a abase sequence comlementarty to the temple strand of DNA is synthesized
- transduction
- the transfer of genes between bacteria by bacteriophages
- translation
- protein synthesis; the process by which the genetic message carried by mRNA directs the synthesis of polypeptides with the aid of ribosomes and other cell constitituents
- translocation
- movement of the ribosome along the mRNA during translation
- unsaturated
- a molecule that contains one or more carbon-carbon double or triple bonds
- 5 insights about life
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1) life is complex and dynamic
2. life is organized and self-sustaining
3. life is cellular
4. life is inforation based
5. life adapts and evolves