Organic Molecules
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- What is an organic molecule?
- Contain carbon and hydrogen atoms. They determine structure and function of living things.
- What is an inorganic molecule?
- Do not contain carbon and hydrogen together; smaller molecules; can play a important role in living things.
- What are the four classes of organic compound in any living thing?
- Carbohydrate, lipids, proteins, nad nucleic acids
- What are the four elements that make up 95% of our body weight?
- Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen
- What is there about carbon that makes organic molecules so diverse and complex?
- Carbon is quite small, with only a total of 6 electrons: two electrons in the first shell and four electrons in the outer shell. Carbon can bond with up to four other atoms. Shares electrons with CHNOPS.
- The carbon chain of an organic molecule is called its?
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Skeleton or backbone
Carbon has the ability to bond to itself makes possible carbon chains and rings which serve as backbone. - What is a functional group?
- Is a specific combination of bonded atoms that always reacts in the same way, regardless of the particular carbon skeleton.
- Polar and Nonpolar molecules are what type of molecules?
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Polar molecules (with +/- charges) are attracted to water molecules and are hydrophilic.
Nonpolar molecules are repelled by water and do not dissolve in water and are hydrophobic. - What type of molecule is hydrocarbon?
- Hydrocarbon is hydrophobic except when it has an attached ionized functional group such as carboxyl acid (--COOH); then it is hydrophilic.
- What are isomers?
- Molecules with identical molecular formula but different arrangement of atoms.
- What are macromolecules?
- Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids because of their large size.
- What are polymers?
- Macromolecule consisting of covalently bonded to monomers; for example, a polypeptide is a polymer of monomer called amino acids. Polymer gets longer as monomers bond to one another.
- What are the four classes of polymers?
- Polysaccharides, triglycerides, polypeptides, nucleic acids
- What are some small organic molecules?
- Monosaccharides, amino acids, fatty acids, etc.) serve as monomers (subunits/building blocks of polymers
- What is the different between organic and inorganic molecules?
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Organic-always covalent
Inorganic-contain + and - ions and ionic bonding - What is the dehydration reaction?
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Condensation
Chemical reaction resulting in a convalent bond with the accompanying loss of water molecule. OH(Hydroxyl group) and H(hydrogen group) are removed. Water is removed (condensation) and bond made (synthesis). - What is hydrolysis reaction?
- Splitting of a compound by the addition of water, with the H+ being incorporated in one fragment and the OH- in the other. Water is used to break the bond holding monomer together. Break down polymers
- What is an enzyme?
- Organic catalyst, usually a protein, that sppeeds a reaction in cells due to its particular shape. They are needed for these reactions.
- What are carbohydrates?
- Energy source in living things.
- What are monosaccharides?
- Are simple sugars containing 3-7 carbon atoms (plus hydrogen and oxygen)
- What is glucose?
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Contain six carbon atoms, is hexose. Has several isomers-Triose
Is commonly found in animals; immediate energy source to cells - What is frutose?
- Is commonly found in fruit
- What is Ribose and deoxyribose?
- Pentose sugars; contribute to backbone of RNA and DNA
- What is a disaccharide?
- Contains two monosaccharides joined by condensation.
- What is Lactose?
- Galactose and glucose; found in milk
- What is Maltose?
- Two glucose molecules; forms in digestive tract of humans during starch digestion
- What is Sucrose?
- Fructose and glucose; transported within plant; table sugar
- What are polysaccharides?
- Chains of glucose molecules or modified glucose molecules. Polymer of monosaccharides.
- What is starch?
- Straight chain of glucose molecules; storage form for plants.
- What is glycogen?
- Branched chain of glucose; storage carbohydrate in animals. How we store food.
- What is cellulose?
- Glucose bonded to form microfibrils; plant cell walls.
- What is Chitin?
- Polymer with amino acid attached to each; primary constituent of crabs, lobsters and insects.
- What are lipids?
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Many insoluble in water because they lack polar groups.
Fat provides insulation and energy source.
Phospholipids form plasma membranes and steroids are important cell messengers - Fats and Oils contain/building blocks?
- Glycerol and fatty acids
- What are fatty acids?
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Long hydrocarbon chain with carboxyl group at one end.
Soluble in water; usually contains 16-18 carbon atoms per molecule.
Saturated fatty acids - no double bonds between carbon atoms.
Unsaturated fatty acids - double bonds found between carbons. - What is glycerol?
- Water-soluble compound with three hydroxyl groups.
- What are triglycerides?
- Glycerol plus three fatty acids joined by condensation synthesis.
- What are fats and oils?
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Fats - triglycerides containing saturated fatty acids
Oils - triglycerides with unsaturated fatty acids - What is a Saturated fatty acid?
- Have no double bonds between carbon atoms.
- What is a unsaturated fatty acid?
- Have double bonds in the carbon chain wherever the number of hydrogens is less than two per carbon atom.
- What are waxes?
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Long-chain fatty acid bonded to long-chain alcohol.
Solid at room temperature; have high melting point and are waterproof and resist degradation.
Form protective covering tht retards water loss in plants, maintain animal skin and fur. - What are phospholipids?
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Like triglycerides except one fatty acid is replaced by a phosphate group.
Phosphate group is polar head; hydrocarbon chains form nonpolar tails.
Phospholipids arrange themselves in double layer in water--polar heads face outward toward water and nonpolar tails face inward.
Allows them to form interface or separation between two solutions. - What are steriods?
- Four fused carbon rings and vary according to attached functional groups.
- What is cholesterol?
- Part of animal cell’s membrane and precursor of other steroids, including aldosterone and sex hormones. Testosterone is male sex hormone.
- What are the functions of proteins?
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– Support - keratin (hair and nails), collagen (supports many organs)
– Enzymes - speed chemical reactions
– Transport - channel and carrier proteins in plasma membrane and hemoglobin in rbc
– Defense - antibodies that prevent infection
– Hormones
– Motion - myosin and actin in muscle - What is the building blocks of proteins?
- Amino acids
- What are amino acids?
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Contain an acidic group (--COOH), amino group (--NH2), and an R group attached to a carbon atom.
R groups range from single hydrogen to. complicated ring compounds
Twenty different amino acids found in cells. - What are peptides?
- Two or more amino acids joined together by covalent bonding.
- Waht is a peptide bond?
- Type of covalent bond that joins amino acids. Polarity of peptide bond permits hydrogen bonding between parts of polypeptide.
- What are polypeptides?
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Chains of many amino acids joined by peptid bonds.
Protein may contain more than one polypeptide chain; can have large numbers of amino acids - What does the shape of the protein do?
- Determines the function in the cells and body of an organism.
- What is the primary structure?
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Sequence of amino acids joined by peptide bonds
⬢ First protein sequence determined was insulin by Frederick Sanger
⬢ Since amino acids differ by R groups, proteins differ by particular sequence of the R groups. - What is the secondary structure?
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(alpha) helix discovered by Linus Pauling and Robert Corey
Hydrogen bonding occurs between the C=O of one amino acid and the N--H of another.
Hydrogen bonding between every fourth amino acid holds spiral shape of an " helix.
" helices covalently bonded by disulfide linkages between two cysteine amino acids. - B sheet is what?
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Pleated B sheet polypeptides turn back on themselves; hydrogen bonding occurs between extended lengths.
B keratin includes keratin of feathers, hooves, claws, beaks, scales, and horns; silk is also protein with B sheet structure. - What is the tertiary structure?
- proteins of secondary structure are folded; 3-D shape
- What is the Quaternary Structure?
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Two or more polypeptides combine
Hemoglobin is globular protein with a quaternary structure of 4 polypeptides
Most enzymes have quaternary structure - What is the denaturation or proteins?
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Change the shape.
Both temperature and pH can change polypeptide shape - once protein loses its normal shape, it cannot perform its usual function.
Sequence of amino acids determines the protein’s final shape. - What is a nucleic acid?
- Are polymers of nucleotides with very specific functions in cells.
- What is the function of DNA?
- (deoxyribonucleic acid) - stores genetic code for its own replication and for sequence of amino acids in proteins
- What is the function of RNA?
- single-stranded nucleic acid that translates the genetic doe of DNA into the amino acid sequence of proteins
- What is a nucleotide?
- may act as coenzymes; ATP (used to supply energy); and as building blocks for nucleic acids
- What are the building blocks of nucleic acids?
- Nucleotides composed of phosphate, pentose sugar, and nitrogen-containing base (A,G,C,T, or U)
- What are differences between RNA and DNA?
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Nucleotides of DNA contain deoxyribose sugar; RNA contains ribose sugar.
In RNA, base uracil occurs instead of base thymine.
DNA is double-stranded with complementary base pairing forming double helix; RNA is single-stranded. - What is ATP?
- A nucleotide in which adenosine is composed of adenine and ribose.
- What does ATP do?
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– Three phosphates are attached to five-carbon portion of molecule
– High-energy molecule because last two unstable phosphate bonds are easily broken producing energy and forming ADP
– Supplies energy for synthetic reactions