Which types of molecules are considered hydrophilic?
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Sugars, DNA, RNA, and most proteins.
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Which types of molecules are considered hydrophilic?
Sugars, DNA, RNA, and most proteins.
What type of bonds hold water molecules together?
Hydrogen bonds.
What allows macromolecules to select specific molecules for binding inside a cell?
The close multi-point contacts required for strong binding provide great specificity.
Which four elements make up 96.5% of an organism's weight?
Carbon (C), hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O).
What is the pH of pure water?
7.0, which is considered neutral.
What are some functions of sugars and fatty acids in cells besides being building blocks?
They are also energy sources.
What happens to acetic acid at pH 7?
Nearly all of the acetic acid is present as acetate ion.
What are ribosomes composed of?
A complex of about 90 macromolecules, including protein and RNA molecules.
What types of molecules dissolve readily in water?
Molecules that contain polar bonds and can form hydrogen bonds with water, such as alcohols.
Why are hydrocarbons considered hydrophobic?
Because all of the H atoms are covalently linked to C atoms by largely nonpolar bonds, preventing effective hydrogen bonding.
Why is cell chemistry considered complex?
Even the simplest cell has vastly more complicated chemistry than any other known chemical system.
How does water affect the strength of electrostatic attractions and hydrogen bonds inside the cell?
Water forms competing interactions with the involved molecules, greatly weakening the strength of these bonds.
What role do noncovalent interactions play in biological catalysis?
They allow proteins to function as enzymes.
What are macromolecules in cells typically constructed from?
Polymers constructed from small organic building blocks.
Why do covalent bonds resist being pulled apart by thermal motions within a cell?
Because they are typically 100 times stronger than the thermal energies within a cell.
What are macromolecules and why are they important?
Macromolecules are enormous polymeric molecules that enable cells and organisms to grow, reproduce, and perform other life functions.
What role do proteins play in cells?
Proteins perform thousands of distinct functions, including acting as enzymes, building structural components, serving as signaling devices, and acting as molecular motors.
Why is sodium hydroxide (NaOH) considered a strong base?
Because it dissociates readily in aqueous solution to form Na+ ions and OH- ions.
What causes water to exist as a large hydrogen-bonded network?
The slight positive charge associated with the hydrogen atom is electrically attracted to the slight negative charge of the oxygen atom.
Why must the concentration of H3O+ inside a cell be closely regulated?
Because the proton of a hydronium ion can be passed readily to many types of molecules in cells, altering their character.
What determines the conformation of protein molecules and many RNAs?
Their particular folding into a stable three-dimensional shape.
How many different kinds of small organic molecules have been detected in Escherichia coli?
Nearly 4000 different kinds.
What percentage of a cell's weight is water?
70%.
What are the four major families of small organic molecules in cells?
Sugars, fatty acids, nucleotides, and amino acids.
What happens when a molecule with a highly polar covalent bond dissolves in water?
The hydrogen atom can dissociate and associate with the oxygen atom of a water molecule, forming a hydronium ion (H3O+).
How do enzymes contribute to polymer formation?
Enzymes facilitate the stepwise polymerization of monomers into a long chain by performing the same reaction repeatedly.
How are strong acids different from weak acids?
Strong acids easily lose their protons, while weak acids hold on to their protons more tightly.
What constitutes most of the dry mass of a cell?
Macromolecules produced as linear polymers of amino acids (proteins) or nucleotides (DNA and RNA).
How are small molecules linked to form macromolecules?
Through covalent bonds.
What term describes molecules that interact favorably with water?
Hydrophilic, meaning water-loving.
What are the four types of noncovalent attractions that help bring molecules together in cells?
Hydrogen bonds, electrostatic attractions (ionic bonds), van der Waals attractions, and the hydrophobic force.
How can noncovalent attractions create a strong force between two molecules?
The energies of noncovalent attractions can sum to create a strong force between two separate molecules.
How does the strength of binding between molecules depend on noncovalent bonds?
The strength of binding depends on the number of noncovalent bonds formed.
What role do weak bases play in living cells?
Weak bases have a weak tendency to reversibly accept a proton from water, helping to maintain pH balance.
What are the four types of noncovalent interactions important in biological molecules?
Hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds, van der Waals interactions, and hydrophobic interactions.
Why is carbon unique among elements in forming large molecules?
Carbon can form four covalent bonds with other atoms and can join to other carbon atoms through stable covalent C–C bonds to form chains and rings.
What is the role of ribosomes in cells?
Ribosomes are central to the machinery that the cell uses to make proteins.
How are noncovalent bonds important for biological functions?
They allow molecules to recognize each other and reversibly associate.
Why is water a liquid at room temperature?
Because hydrogen bonds link water molecules together, giving it a high boiling point and high surface tension.
What are substances that release protons when they dissolve in water called?
Acids.
What is the significance of the periodic table elements highlighted in red, blue, green, and yellow?
Red elements constitute 99% of the atoms in the human body, blue elements represent about 0.9%, green elements are required in trace amounts, and the necessity of yellow elements is unclear.
What are buffers and what is their role in cells?
Buffers are weak acids and bases that can release or take up protons near pH 7, keeping the cell environment relatively constant.
What happens if the noncovalent bonds maintaining a molecule's stable conformation are disrupted?
The molecule becomes a flexible chain and loses its biological activity.
What is the basis of life according to modern understanding?
Life depends on chemical reactions in aqueous solutions and is based overwhelmingly on carbon compounds.
What are monomers?
Small organic molecules that can be covalently linked into long chains to form polymers.
What fraction of the cell mass do the four families of small organic molecules and their macromolecules account for?
A large fraction of the cell mass.
What is the relationship between kilojoules and kilocalories?
One kilojoule (kJ) is equal to 0.239 kilocalories (kcal).
What is the significance of the amino (NH2) group in biological molecules?
The amino group is a weak base that can generate OH- by taking a proton from water.
What percentage of a bacterial cell's weight is composed of macromolecules?
Macromolecules dominate the cell's weight.
What are the subunits of proteins, nucleic acids, and polysaccharides?
Proteins are made of amino acids, nucleic acids are made of nucleotides, and polysaccharides are made of sugars.
What type of bonds link elements together to form molecules?
Covalent bonds.
What happens when two nonpolar surfaces come together in water?
Bringing any two nonpolar surfaces together reduces their contact with water.
What is a hydrogen bond in terms of polar interaction?
It is a special form of polar interaction where an electropositive hydrogen atom is shared by two electronegative atoms.
What is a condensation reaction?
A reaction in which one molecule of water is lost with each subunit added to a growing polymer chain.
What are the most abundant carbon-containing molecules in a living cell by weight?
Macromolecules.
What is the product of the concentrations of OH- and H3O+ ions in water?
The product of [OH-] × [H3O+] is always 10^-14 (moles/liter)^2.
What are the major inorganic ions found in cells?
Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, and Cl-.
What roles do small organic molecules play in cells?
They can act as monomer subunits for macromolecules, energy sources, and have various other roles.
What was the historical belief about the distinctive properties of animals?
Animals were believed to contain a Vital Force or 'animus' responsible for their distinctive properties.
When are electrostatic attractions strongest?
When the atoms involved are fully charged or ionized.
What are emergent properties in cell chemistry?
Emergent properties are complex characteristics that arise from interlinked networks of chemical reactions in cells.
Which family of small organic molecules will be the subject of Chapter 3?
Amino acids and the proteins they form.
How do noncovalent interactions contribute to the formation of larger structures in cells?
They allow macromolecules to assemble into intricate machines with multiple moving parts.
What are the main categories of small molecules in living organisms?
Sugars, fatty acids, amino acids, and nucleotides.
What are the three families of macromolecules?
Polysaccharides, proteins, and nucleic acids.
What are hydrophobic molecules?
Molecules that are uncharged, form few or no hydrogen bonds, and do not dissolve in water.
Why are hydrophobic forces important in protein folding?
Hydrophobic forces are central to the proper folding of protein molecules.
What is a base in chemical terms?
A base is any molecule capable of accepting a proton from a water molecule.
What is the hydrophobic force?
A force caused by the pushing of nonpolar surfaces out of the hydrogen-bonded water network.
Why is the sequence of monomers in a polymer chain important?
The precise order of subunits is critical to the function of the polymer and is not assembled at random.
How do noncovalent bonds affect the shape of macromolecules?
Noncovalent bonds constrain the shapes of macromolecules by forming between different parts of the same molecule, leading to a highly preferred conformation.
What are organic molecules?
Organic molecules are carbon compounds made by cells, in contrast to inorganic molecules like water.
What is organic chemistry?
The study of carbon compounds.
What causes van der Waals attractions?
Fluctuations in the distribution of electrons in every atom, generating a transient attraction when atoms are in close proximity.
How is bond strength measured?
By the amount of energy that must be supplied to break it, expressed in kilojoules per mole (kJ/mole) or kilocalories per mole (kcal/mole).
What percentage of the human body's weight is made up by the four main elements?
96.5%.
What are living organisms composed of?
A distinctive and restricted set of small carbon-based molecules.
What is the difference between condensation and hydrolysis reactions?
Condensation reactions form polymers by losing water and are energetically unfavorable, while hydrolysis reactions break down polymers by adding water and are energetically favorable.
What are the four major families of small organic molecules in cells?
The four major families are proteins, nucleic acids, large polysaccharides, and small organic molecules.
What is the strength of noncovalent chemical bonds compared to covalent bonds?
Noncovalent chemical bonds have less than 1/20 the strength of a covalent bond.
What are some common chemical groups found in organic molecules?
Common chemical groups include methyl (–CH3), hydroxyl (–OH), carboxyl (–COOH), carbonyl (–C=O), phosphate (–PO3^2-), sulfhydryl (–SH), and amino (–NH2) groups.