CH. 4 & 5 STUDY GUIDE: ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
KEY TERMS
organic chemistry
secondary structure
carbon
dehydration
synthesis(=condensation
reaction)
hydrocarbon
maltose
keratins
isomer
sucrose
pleated sheet
single bond
lactose
tertiary structure
double bond
hydrolysis
quaternary structure
functional group
polysaccharide
denatured proteins
hydroxyl
starch
conjugated proteins
carbonyl
glycogen
nucleic acids
aldehyde
cellulose
DNA
ketone
chitin
parts of a nucleic acid
amino
fatty acid
purines
sulfhydryl
saturated
adenine
carboxyl
unsaturated
guanine
phosphate
phospholipid
pyrimidines
macromolecule
steroid
cytosine
monomer
amino acid
thymine
polymer
peptide bond
uracil
monosaccharide
polypeptide
RNA
glucose
disulfide bond
disaccharide
primary structure
fibrous proteins
alpha helix
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WORD ROOTS
hydro - = water (hydrocarbon: an organic molecule consisting only of carbon and hydrogen(
iso - = equal (isomer: one of several organic compounds with the same molecular formula but
different structures and, therefore, different properties)
enanti - = opposite (enantiomer: molecules that are mirror images of each other)
carb - = coal (carboxyl group: a functional group present in organic acids, consisting of a carbon
atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom)
sulf - = sulfur (sulfhydryl group: a functional group that consists of a sulfur atom bonded to an
atom of hydrogen)
thio - = sulfur (thiol: organic compounds containg sulfhydryl groups)
con - = together (condensation reaction: a reaction in which two molecules become covalently
bonded to each other through the loss of a small molecule, usually water)
di - = two (disaccharide: two monosaccharides joined together)
glyco - = sweet (glycogen: a polysaccharide sugar used to store energy in animals)
hydro - = water; - lyse = break (hydrolysis: breaking chemical bonds by adding water)
macro - = large (macromolecule: a large molecule)
meros - = part (polymer: a chain made from smaller organic molecules)
mono - = single; - sacchar = sugar (monosaccharide: simplest type of sugar)
poly - = many (polysaccharide: many monosaccharides joined together)
tri - = three (triacylglycerol: three fatty acids linked to one glycerol molecule)
QUESTIONS
1. What is the role of carbon in the molecular diversity of life? Why is carbon SO important?
2. Describe the structure of a typical monosaccharide such as glucose. Write out a
condensation reaction between two glucose molecules, and explain hydrolysis.
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3. Fill in the following table on the functional groups:
Functional Group
Molecular Formula
Names &
Characteristics of
Organic Compounds
Containing Functional
Group
-OH
Aldehyde or ketone; polar
group
Carboxyl
-NH2
Thiols; cross-links stabilize
protein structure
Phosphate
4. Explain the difference between a saturated and an unsaturated fatty acid. Explain how
three fatty acids can react with glycerol to make a fat.
5. Diagram a phospholipid molecule and point out the polar and nonpolar ends. Identify the
hydrophobic and hydrophilic ends of this molecule.
6. Identify the alpha-carbon, the carboxyl group, the amino group and the R group of an
amino acid.
7. Differentiate between the various levels of protein structure-primary, secondary, tertiary
and quaternary. Explain why proteins are so sensitive to changes in temperature and pH.
8. Diagram an individual nucleotide, identify the five-carbon (pentose) sugar, the phosphate
group and the nitrogenous base. Indicate with an arrow where the phosphate group of
the next nucleotide would attach to build a polynucleotide. Is it a purine or a pyrimidine?
Is it a DNA or an RNA nucleotide?
9. Identify examples of each of the four main classes of organic molecules and the building
block components of each.
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