Biology Vocabulary Quiz

Vocabulary

• Lipid: A fatty substance
• Nucleic acid: A biological molecule
• Amino acid: A building block of proteins
• Polysaccharide: A complex carbohydrate
• Peptidoglycan: A polymer
• Lactose: A disaccharide
• Fructose: A monosaccharide
• Starch: A polysaccharide
• Plasma membrane: The outer boundary of a cell
• Channel protein: A protein that allows passage of materials
• Membrane permeability: How easily things pass through a membrane
• Enzyme: A protein catalyst
• Activation energy: The energy needed to start a reaction
• Carbohydrate: A class of organic compounds (sugars, starches)
• Protein: A chain of amino acids
• Nucleotide: A monomer of nucleic acid
• Phosphodiester bond: A bond in nucleic acids
• Peptide bond: A bond in proteins
• Monosaccharide: A simple sugar
• Glycosidic bond: A bond between simple sugars
• Monomer: A single unit
• Glycan: A carbohydrate chain
• Maltose: A disaccharide
• Galactose: A monosaccharide
• Hydrophobic: Repels water
• Selectively permeable: Only allows certain substances through
• Carrier protein: Translocates materials across membranes
• Membrane fluidity: The ability of the cell membrane to change shape
• Endergonic reaction: A reaction that absorbs energy
• Active site: The region on an enzyme where reaction occurs
• Substrate: Reactant in an enzyme-catalyzed reaction
• Sucrose: A disaccharide
• Glucose: A monosaccharide
• Cellulose: A polysaccharide
• Hydrophilic: Attracts water
• Membrane proteins: Proteins within cell membranes
• Phospholipid: A major component of cell membranes
• Cholesterol: A lipid component of cell membranes
• Exergonic reaction: A reaction that releases energy

General Concepts

• Activation Energy: The energy required to initiate a chemical reaction.
• Enzyme Function: Enzymes are proteins that speed up chemical reactions without being consumed. They are not carbohydrates, lipids, or nucleotides.
• Active Site: The region of an enzyme where the substrate binds.
• Substrate Specificity: Enzymes have high specificity, meaning they bind to very specific substrates.
• Enzyme Function Effects:
  • Temperature: Affects the rate of enzyme activity. Too high or low can denature the enzyme.
  • pH: Affects the rate of enzyme activity. Optimal pH is necessary for activity.

Polymers

• Monomer: A single unit that forms a larger molecule
• Polymer: A large molecule made of repeating monomers
• Polymer Formation: Monomers are joined together via dehydration synthesis reaction.
• Polymer Breakdown: Polymers are broken down into monomers via hydrolysis.
• Examples: Starch, glycogen, cellulose are polymers of glucose.
• Starch and Glycogen: Energy storage carbohydrates that differ in the bonding and branching of glucose units
• Cellulose: A structural polysaccharide in plants, humans cannot digest cellulose due to not having the needed enzymes to break them down

Carbohydrates - Glucose Isomers

• Alpha-glucose and beta-glucose: Glucose molecules that differ in the orientation of their hydroxyl groups around the 1-carbon atom. These differences dictate how the molecules assemble into larger structures.
• Alpha and Beta Nomenclature: Refers to the spatial orientation of the hydroxyl group on the first carbon of the sugar unit. This difference affects the formation of polysaccharide linkages and the resultant structure.
• (1→4) linkages: Numbers in parentheses give the carbon atoms participating in the bonds that connect two monosaccharides to form a disaccharide or polysaccharide.

Lipids

• Triglycerides: Formed by linking three fatty acids to a glycerol molecule.
• Saturated Fatty Acids: Contain only single bonds between carbon atoms; typically solid at room temperature.
• Unsaturated Fatty Acids: Contain one or more double bonds; typically liquid at room temperature. These changes impact the overall shape and the packing ability of these molecules.
• Fatty Acid Linkage to Glycerol: The fatty acids are attached to the glycerol molecule through ester linkages.

DNA

• DNA Nucleotide: Composed of a deoxyribose sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.
• DNA Structure: Double helix formed by two strands of nucleotides held together via hydrogen bonds between the nitrogenous bases
• Hydrogen Bonds & Covalent Bonds: Hydrogen bonds connect the nitrogenous bases, and covalent bonds link the sugar and phosphates to form the backbone of each strand. These connections are key to maintaining the stability and structure of the DNA molecule.
• Types of Bases: Purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (cytosine and thymine).
• Major DNA Types: Double Helix

Other

• Macromolecules: Polysaccharides, Proteins, Lipids, Nucleic Acids
• Table: (The requested table, with its contents, needs a better specification) A table listing each macromolecule type and its subunit should be provided here. A complete table for all macromolecules types is likely needed.