Biochemistry!

Organic Molecules

Contain carbon and hydrogen bonds.

Carbon

The chemical backbone of the macromolecules found in your body.

The Major Biological Elements

Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur.

Four Major Categories of Organic Molecules

Carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, proteins.

Macromolecules

Large molecules formed by the joining of small molecules.

Monomer

A small molecular unit that is the building block of a larger molecule.

Polymer

A long chain of small molecular units connected together.

Dehydration Synthesis

The process used to build polymers.

Hydrolysis

The process used to break down a polymer.

Carbohydrates

Organic compounds made up of sugar.

Monosaccharides

Simple sugars containing just one sugar unit, ex. glucose, fructose, and galactose.

Disaccharides

Consists of two sugar molecules connected together.

Polysaccharides

Long polymer chains made up of simple sugar monomers.

Starch

Sugar storage molecules for plants.

Glycogen

Sugar storage molecules for animals, found in the muscles and liver.

Cellulose

A structural building material for plant cell walls.

Chitin

A structural building material for animal exoskeletons.

Lipids

Hydrophobic compounds, that don't dissolve in water.

Fat

Consists of one glycerol, and three fatty acid tails.

Saturated Fat

A fat in which all three fatty acid chains contain the max number of hydrogen atoms.

Unsaturated Fat

Contains less than the max number of hydrogen atoms in one or more of its fatty acid chains.

Trans Fat

An unsaturated fatty acid which has the hydrogen atoms of the carbon double bonds on opposite sides of the double bond.

Phospholipids

Has a hydrophilic head group (made of phosphate and glycerol) and two hydrophobic tails (made of fatty acids).

Steroids

A category of lipid molecules in which the carbon skeleton forms four fused rings, hydrophobic.

Cholesterol

An essential molecule found in the membranes that surround the cells, a precursor to bile, vitamin D, and steroid hormones.

LDL

Transport cholesterol from the liver to tissues that incorporate it into cell membranes.

HDL

Carries old cholesterol that has been discarded by cells back to the liver for recycling or excretion.

Nucleic Acids

Store and transmit genetic information, includes genes which are instructions for building proteins.

Proteins

Functional polymers composed of amino acids.

Enzymatic Proteins

Speed up chemical reactions.

Transport Proteins

Transport substances in and out of the cell

Structural Proteins

Keratin and collagen.

Hormonal Proteins

Coordinate cell activities.

Receptor Proteins

Receive messages from other cells.

Motor and Contractile Proteins

Movement

Metabolism

The combination of chemical reactions through which an organism builds up or breaks down molecules.

Anabolism

Builds up molecules.

Catabolism

Breaks down molecules.

Chemical Reactions

Breaking of old and formation of new chemical bonds that result in new substances.

Activation Energy

Start-up energy for a reaction to occur and allows the reaction to occur faster than if enzymes weren't present.

Enyzymes

Increase the rate of reaction and speed up both anabolic and catabolic chemical reactions.

Substrate

The specific reactant acted upon by an enzyme.

Active Site

The substrate fits into a particular site, where the reaction takes place.

pH

Describes how acidic or basic a solution is.