Biology Chapter on Water and Polysaccharides

A weak attraction formed between a slightly positive hydrogen atom of one molecule and a slightly negative atom, such as oxygen or nitrogen, of another molecule.

The ability of water molecules to stick to each other due to hydrogen bonding. This helps water move in plants and allows surface tension.

The ability of water molecules to stick to other surfaces due to hydrogen bonding. This helps water move up narrow tubes and allows water to cling to surfaces.

The property of water that allows it to dissolve many substances, like salts and sugars. It's due to the polar nature of water molecules.

The unequal sharing of electrons in a water molecule creates a slightly positive end (hydrogen) and a slightly negative end (oxygen), making it a dipole.

Water has a high surface tension because of the strong hydrogen bonds between molecules, forming a film on its surface. This allows small insects to walk on water.

Since water has a high heat capacity, it takes a lot of energy to raise its temperature. This helps stabilize temperatures within organisms and the environment.

Water molecules can absorb a lot of heat energy before changing states (liquid to gas). This helps moderate temperature changes and makes water a good coolant.

A highly branched polysaccharide used for energy storage in animals and fungi.

Large molecules made of repeating sugar monomers, used for energy storage in plants and animals.

A storage polysaccharide found in plants, stored in granules within plastids.

The branched structure of starch provides many terminal glucose molecules for quick energy release during cellular respiration.

The helical structure of amylose in starch allows for compact storage, maximizing energy storage in a small space.

Amylose is a type of polysaccharide found in starch. It forms a helix-shaped structure due to 1,4 glycosidic bonds between α-glucose molecules. This helical shape allows for efficient storage.

Amylopectin, another polysaccharide in starch, has a branched structure. It contains 1,4 glycosidic bonds for the main chain and 1,6 glycosidic bonds for branching. These branches provide many terminal glucose molecules for easy access.

Starch is a storage polysaccharide used by plants. It's made up of two types of polysaccharides: amylose and amylopectin. Starch is insoluble, which prevents it from causing osmotic problems in the cell. It's also compact, allowing for efficient storage.

Glycogen, the storage polysaccharide in animals, is highly branched and not coiled like amylose. It's even more branched than amylopectin, making it even more efficient at storing and releasing glucose quickly. This is essential for active animals.

Glycogen is a branched polysaccharide used by animals for glucose storage. It is very compact and has many branches filled with glucose molecules. The branches allow for rapid release of energy for active creatures.

The branches in glycogen allow for the quick release of glucose molecules. These molecules can be easily hydrolyzed for cellular respiration or added to increase storage. This quick access to glucose is vital for active animal cells.

Both amylopectin and glycogen are branched polysaccharides that are used for glucose storage. However, glycogen is more branched than amylopectin, making it even faster at releasing glucose for energy.

Both amylose and amylopectin are polysaccharides found in starch. They differ in their structure: amylose is a helix, while amylopectin is branched. These differences influence their storage and release properties.

A blue solution used to test for reducing sugars. It contains copper(II) sulfate ions, which react with reducing sugars to form a precipitate of copper(I) oxide.

Sugars that can donate electrons, causing the reduction of another molecule, and are themselves oxidized in the process.

A substance that forms as a solid in a liquid solution, settling to the bottom.

A test that determines the presence or absence of a substance but not its specific amount.

A test that determines the relative amount of a substance, but not its precise concentration.

The process where a substance gains electrons.

The process where a substance loses electrons.

A color change used to indicate the presence and relative concentration of reducing sugars in a Benedict's test.

A device that measures the amount of light absorbed by a colored solution, providing a quantitative measure of the solution's concentration.

A calibration curve is a graph that plots the absorbance of different known concentrations of a substance against their corresponding concentrations. It allows us to determine the concentration of an unknown sample by comparing its absorbance to the curve.

A colorimeter needs to be calibrated before measuring samples to establish a reference point where 0 absorbance means no light is absorbed. This ensures accurate readings.

The color used in the colorimeter filter is chosen to be complementary to the color of the solution being tested. This ensures maximum absorption of light by the solution.

A colorimeter uses specific wavelengths of light to measure the absorbance of a solution. Different wavelengths correspond to different colors of light.

Benedict's reagent changes color in the presence of reducing sugars, turning orange/green to brick red. This color change allows for measuring the concentration of reducing sugars using a colorimeter.

A cuvette is a small, transparent container that holds the sample being analyzed in a colorimeter. It allows the light beam to pass through the sample.

By measuring the absorbance of an unknown sample and comparing it to the calibration curve, we can determine the concentration of the substance in the sample.

A technique used to determine the concentration of a substance in a solution by measuring its absorbance or transmission of light.

A standard curve is a graph that shows the relationship between the concentration of a substance and its absorbance or transmission of light. It is used to determine the concentration of an unknown sample by comparing its absorbance or transmission to the standard curve.

A strong covalent bond formed between two monosaccharides when a water molecule is released.

A chemical reaction in which two molecules combine to form a larger molecule with the release of a water molecule.

The opposite of condensation reaction. It involves the breaking of a bond between two molecules by adding a water molecule.

Disaccharides are formed when two monosaccharides are joined by a glycosidic bond. They are soluble in water and are often used as a source of energy.

The type of glycosidic bond formed depends on the location of the hydroxyl (OH) groups on the monosaccharides involved. For example, a 1,4 glycosidic bond is formed when the OH groups are on carbon 1 of one monosaccharide and carbon 4 of the other.