Untitled Quiz

Organic Compounds

• Organic compounds are built from carbon atoms covalently bonded to other atoms.
• They are prevalent in living organisms and their products.
• Organic compounds exhibit vast structural diversity, ranging from simple molecules (methane) to complex biomolecules (proteins, DNA).

Carbon

• Carbon is crucial to all life.
• It exists naturally in three forms: amorphous carbon (used in inks, paints, etc.), graphite (lubricant, pencil lead), and diamond (jewelry, industrial tools).
• Carbon atoms form single, double, and triple bonds with other atoms, creating diverse organic compounds.
• Longer carbon chains tend to form liquids or solids, while shorter chains (especially hydrocarbons) are often gases.

Biological Molecules (Macromolecules)

• Also known as macromolecules or organic molecules, using carbon as a backbone.
• Four main types: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Carbohydrates

• Composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
• Efficient energy source for organisms.
• Cells both break them down (catabolism) for energy and build them up (anabolism) for storage.
• Building blocks are simple sugars (monosaccharides).
• Monosaccharide units are linked by glycosidic bonds to form larger carbohydrates (disaccharides, polysaccharides).

Microbiology

• The study of microorganisms (microbes).
• Considers both living and non-living organisms.
• Microbes are ubiquitous, found everywhere in the environment.
• Microbes are either pathogens (disease-causing) or non-pathogens.
• Pathogens cause infectious diseases (transmitted between hosts) and microbial intoxications (toxins produced by microbes).
• Microbes are either acellular (lack cellular components) or cellular (possess cells).
• Many microbes are essential for oxygen production and decomposition.
• Saprophytes are organisms living on dead or decaying organic matter. They contribute to soil fertility.

Microscopes

• Optical instruments used to observe tiny objects.
• Electron microscopes cannot observe living organisms due to specimen processing.
• Transmission and scanning electron microscopes provide 2D images.
• Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) allows observation of living cells with high magnification and resolution, producing 3D images.

Fundamental Chemistry of Microbiology

• Chemistry is essential in understanding cellular processes and infectious diseases.
• Understanding the chemistry of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids is key to understanding cell function.
• Infectious disease processes (pathogen attachment, toxin release, immune response) involve chemical reactions.

Levels of Organization

• The human body exhibits multiple levels of structural organization.

Macromolecules

• Cells are composed of macromolecules (DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates).
• Macromolecules are made from smaller building blocks (monosaccharides, fatty acids, amino acids,nucleotides).
• Building blocks are assembled from even smaller molecules (water, carbon dioxide, etc.).

Carbohydrate Types

• Three major types: monosaccharides (simple sugars), disaccharides (two monosaccharides), and polysaccharides (many monosaccharides).

Lipids

• Essential components of almost all living cells.
• Functions include energy storage, insulation, and cell membrane formation.
• Insoluble in water, soluble in organic solvents.
• Building blocks: fatty acids and glycerol.
• Fatty acids are either saturated (only single bonds between carbons) or unsaturated (one or more double bonds).
• Lipid types include waxes, fats and oils (triglycerides), phospholipids, steroids, and prostaglandins.

Proteins

• Essential chemicals in living cells.
• Functions include catalysis (enzymes), structural support, transport, and signaling.
• Composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sometimes sulfur.
• Building blocks: amino acids.
• Amino acids are linked by peptide bonds.
• Protein functions: enzymes, structural proteins, transport proteins, storage proteins, hormones, defense proteins, motor proteins.

Nucleic Acids

• Genetic material of organisms.
• Store and transmit genetic information.
• Building blocks: nucleotides (nitrogenous base, pentose sugar, phosphate).
• Nucleotides are linked by hydrogen bonds.
• Two main types: DNA and RNA.

Metabolism

• The sum of all chemical reactions within an organism.
• Involves catabolism (breaking down molecules for energy) and anabolism (synthesizing molecules for building and repair).
• Chemical reactions involve the formation or breaking of chemical bonds.
• Catabolism breaks down complex molecules; Anabolism builds complex molecules.

Energy Molecule

• ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) is the major energy molecule in cells.
• It stores energy by adding a phosphate group and releases energy by removing a phosphate group.