Macromolecules Quiz: Test Your Knowledge on Biomolecules

Study Notes

Biomolecules

Biomolecules are numerous substances produced by cells and living organisms, varying in size and structure, and performing a wide range of functions.
The four major types of biomolecules are carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins.

Macromolecules and Polymers

Macromolecules are polymers, which are long molecules made up of many similar or identical building blocks linked together by covalent bonds.
Monomers are small molecules that serve as the repeating units and act as building blocks of a polymer.
Polymer synthesis involves a condensation reaction, where monomers are linked by the loss of a water molecule, requiring energy.
During polymer breakdown, energy is released through hydrolysis, the reverse of the dehydration reaction.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates include both sugars and the polymers of sugars.
Monosaccharides are the simplest carbohydrates, with glucose being an example.
Disaccharides are sugars made up of two monosaccharides joined by a condensation reaction, such as lactose.
Polysaccharides are macromolecules composed of many sugar building blocks, such as cellulose.

Lipids

Lipids are the one class of large biological molecules that do not contain polymers.
All lipids share one main property: they have no affinity for water, known as hydrophobicity.
Fats are composed of glycerol and three fatty acids, bonded by an ester bond.
Saturated fats, like butter, have no double bonds, whereas unsaturated fats, like oil, have one or more double bonds.
Phospholipids, like fats, but with one glycerol and two fatty acids, show ambivalent behavior toward water, with hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups.
Steroids, such as cholesterol, are another type of lipid.

Proteins

Proteins account for more than 50% of the dry mass of most cells and are involved in almost everything an organism does.
Proteins are polymers constructed from one or more amino acids, known as polypeptides.
Each polypeptide is folded and coiled into specific conformations.

Nucleic Acids

There are two types of nucleic acids: Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and Ribonucleic acid (RNA).
DNA is the genetic material that organisms inherit from their parents, containing one long DNA molecule with several genes per chromosome.
When a cell reproduces, its DNA molecules are copied and passed along to the next generation.

Enzymes and Metabolism

Enzymes are substances that act as catalysts in living organisms.
Each step of any metabolic pathway is catalyzed by a specific enzyme.
Metabolism is the sum of catabolic and anabolic reactions.
Catabolic pathways release energy by breaking down complex molecules into simpler compounds, such as cellular respiration.
Anabolic pathways build complex molecules from simpler ones, consuming energy, such as protein synthesis.

Forms of Energy

Energy is the capacity for doing work.
There are different types of energy, including kinetic energy, light energy, heat/thermal energy, potential energy, and chemical energy.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

ATP is an energy-carrying molecule found in cells, containing sugar ribose, adenine, and three phosphate groups.
ATP captures chemical energy from the breakdown of food molecules and releases it to fuel other cellular processes.
ATP can be regenerated by adding phosphate to ADP, with the free energy coming from exergonic catabolism reactions in the cell.

Description

Test your knowledge on the different types of biomolecules and macromolecules found in cells and living organisms. Learn about carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins along with their structures and functions.