Chemical Reactions and Carbon Compounds

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Questions and Answers

What is the name of the process where two monomers combine to form a larger molecule, releasing a water molecule?

Condensation reaction

What is the general formula for a monosaccharide?

(CH₂O)n

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of water's unique properties?

High surface tension

Excellent solvent

High heat capacity

Low cohesiveness (correct)

What is the substance that an enzyme acts upon called?

Substrate Signup and view all the answers

ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is considered the energy currency of cells.

True Signup and view all the answers

Name the type of bond that holds two amino acids together in a protein.

Peptide bond Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a class of organic compounds essential to living organisms?

Vitamins Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the process that involves the breaking apart of a large molecule by the addition of water?

Hydrolysis Signup and view all the answers

What type of lipid is composed of a glycerol molecule attached to three fatty acids?

Triglyceride Signup and view all the answers

Name the two main types of nucleic acids found in living organisms.

DNA and RNA Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the function of an enzyme?

To speed up chemical reactions Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the part of an enzyme molecule where the substrate binds?

Active site Signup and view all the answers

The pH scale measures the concentration of hydroxide ions in a solution.

False Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is TRUE regarding saturated and unsaturated fatty acids?

Unsaturated fatty acids are typically liquid at room temperature. Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the process that involves a loss of electrons from a molecule?

Oxidation Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the class of organic molecules that are made mostly of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a 1:2:1 ratio?

Carbohydrates Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Chemical Reactions and Energy

Living organisms undergo thousands of chemical reactions, crucial to life processes.
These reactions involve the rearrangement of atoms and bonds.
Chemical reactions are often complex and multi-step sequences.
Chemical reactions involve reactants (starting materials) transforming into products (resulting materials).
The number of each atom type remains the same during a chemical reaction.

Carbon Compounds

Organic compounds contain carbon atoms covalently bonded to other carbon atoms and other elements (like hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen).
Carbon's capacity to bond with itself creates a large variety of organic compounds.
Carbon forms four covalent bonds.
Carbon can form chains, branched chains, or rings.
Carbon bonding creates diverse organic compound structures.

Carbon Bonding

Each line in structural diagrams represents a covalent bond (where two atoms share a pair of electrons).
Single bonds are where two atoms share a pair of electrons.
Carbon can share two or three pairs of electrons in double or triple bonds (respectively).
Double bonds are shown with two parallel lines and triple bonds show with three parallel lines.

Water

Water is a polar molecule, meaning it has an uneven distribution of electrical charge.
It has a positive and a negative side.
Its polarity makes water very effective at dissolving other polar substances (like sugars and some proteins ) and ionic compounds (like NaCl).
Water molecules attract each other through hydrogen bonds.

Hydrogen Bonding

Hydrogen bonding is the attraction between two water molecules.
Water has strong cohesive properties (attraction to itself).
Water also exhibits adhesion (attraction to other substances ).
Water's hydrogen bonds enable capillarity ( the movement of water against gravity in narrow tubes).
Water has high specific heat capacity, maintaining temperature stability within organisms.

Enzymes

Enzymes are organic catalysts, crucial for chemical reactions.
Most enzymes are proteins.
Enzymes reduce activation energy by lowering the energy needed to initiate reactions.
Enzyme action depends on a specific fit between the enzyme (lock) and its substrate (key), to perform their function.
Enzyme shape changes slightly to grip and adjust reacting molecules (substrate), reducing the activation energy needed for reaction.
Enzymes speed up chemical reactions but are not used up in the process.

Redox Reacions

Redox reactions are electron transfer reactions between atoms.
Reactions involving electron transfer are vital to life.
Oxidation is the loss of electrons.
Reduction is the gain of electrons.
Oxidation and reduction always happen together in redox reactions.
Redox reactions transfer energy and drive many important cellular functions.

Activation Energy

Activation energy is the initial energy needed for a chemical reaction to begin.
Reactions require some activation energy even when they release energy ultimately or take in energy.
Catalysts, like enzymes lower the activation energy.
The shape fit of an enzyme to substrate affects the activation energy.

pH

The pH scale measures the concentration of hydronium ions (H₃O⁺) and hydroxide ions (OH⁻) in a solution, ranging from 0-14.
A pH of 7 is neutral. Values below 7 are acidic; values above 7 are basic.
Living organisms maintain specific pH ranges within their systems.
Buffers are chemical substances that neutralize small amounts of added acid or base, to maintain a stable pH.

Energy Transfer

Energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) powers many life processes.
Reactions that release energy are called exergonic.
Reactions that absorb energy are called endergonic.
ATP stores energy in high-energy phosphate bonds.
Release of energy from ATP (breaking phosphate bonds) is used to drive many necessary reactions.

Molecules of Life

The four major classes of organic molecules essential to life include carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
Carbohydrates consist of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms in a ratio of about 1:2:1.
Monosaccharides are simple sugars (one sugar).
Disaccharides are two linked monosaccharides.
Polysaccharides are many linked monosaccharides.
Lipids are large nonpolar organic molecules.
Lipids primarily consist of carbon and hydrogen atoms.
Fats, oils, and waxes are examples of lipids.
Fatty acids are unbranched carbon chains with carboxyl and hydrocarbon ends.
Fatty acids may be saturated or unsaturated.
Proteins are macromolecules (large polymers) constructed from amino acids.
Amino acid monomers link in condensation reactions forming peptide bonds and polypeptides, potentially forming larger proteins.
Proteins' structure and shape enable their diverse functions.
Proteins have an overall shape (3D structure).

Organic Compound Types & Polymers

Monomers link through condensation reactions to form polymers.
Hydrolysis reactions break polymers into monomers by adding water.
Functional groups are clusters of atoms that influence properties and reactions of compounds.
Hydroxyl (-OH) is an important functional group. Alcohols contain hydroxyl groups.

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Description

This quiz explores the fundamentals of chemical reactions and the significance of carbon compounds in organic chemistry. It covers the basic principles governing chemical transformations and the unique bonding properties of carbon that lead to a diverse range of organic structures. Test your understanding of atomic rearrangements and covalent bonding!