Question 1 What is the relationship between a polymer and a monomer?
A monomer is the basic subunits of carbon based chains and linked together, they create polymers
(the chain is the polymer, the individual parts of the chain are the monomers). Taking a bike pedal
chain as an analogy, the full chain of the pedal system is the polymer, while the individual links
that make up the chain are monomers. A monomer is the subunit of a polymer and the building
blocks of polymers. Polymers are the large carbon based molecules while the monomers are the
smaller molecules.
Question 2 Explain how both nucleic acids and proteins are polymers. Be sure to describe the
monomers that make up the polymers.
Nucleic acids and proteins are both polymers because they are composed of many smaller
subunits- monomers.
Nucleic acids are composed of polymers of monomers called nucleotides. Nucleotides are
composed of sugar, nitrogen-containing-base, and a phosphate group. Thus overall, they are non
polar, when they nucleotides bond with each other, they bond A to T, C to G. The nucleotides bond
with hydrogen bonds and they create an antiparallel orientation of the nucleotides which are
linked as a polymer.
Proteins are also polymers- they are composed of groups of monomers called amino acids. Amino
acids are molecules comprised of hydrogens, nitrogens, carbons, oxygens, and a variable group
which ranges between 20 different possible atoms. Each amino acid is differentiated from one
another by what variable group makes up the molecule, and organisms use these amino acids to
build proteins. Amino acids form peptide bonds which are covalent to attach to each other and
create chains called polypeptides which make up the proteins.
+ what is put in for the variable group of the protein determines the shape of the protein- ionic
atoms substituted in the variable groups can create a 3D wrapped up figure (with the non polar
variable group amino acids in the centre- "cell membrane created")
Question 3 How are carbohydrates and lipids similar? How are they different?
Most carbohydrates are simple sugars- they are molecules composed of carbon, oxygen, and
hydrogen. They can be broken down to be used as an energy source for cells and glucose, one of
the basic simple sugars (carbohydrates) can be linked together to create polysaccharides. There
are three types of polysaccharides- starch, glycogen, and cellulose. Starch and glycogen are
similar; their polymers have a branched structure. Cellulose is different from the other two
polysaccharides; its polymers have a straight structure. Anyhow, all of them- all carbohydrates are
used as energy sources for cells and often make up the cell walls.
Like carbohydrates, lipids also are composed with carbon atoms bonded with oxygen and
hydrogen, and they can be broken down as energy sources for cells. Most times, they are used in
making up cell parts- parts of cells' structures. However, while carbohydrates are found mainly in
fruits and grains, lipids are found in animals. Some lipids such as oils are found in plants.
So to summarize, the difference between carbohydrates and lipids are where they are found and
their main function (carbohydrates- energy source, lipids- cell structure building). However their
similarities aren't that different from the differences; they both can be used as energy sources for
cells and make up cell structures- carbohydrates the cell wall, and lipids the other structures.
Question 4 Explain how the bonding properties of carbon atoms result in the large variety of
carbon-based molecules in living things.
Carbon atoms have 4 valence electrons and thus the can bond with four different atoms at once.
Carbon can form four covalent bonds per atom, and thus they can be used like the connection
train tracks of a train set- they can join many different atoms and join them into one large
molecule. This ability to form many different compounds with different atoms and create large
molecules allows many living things to have a variety of carbon-based molecules in them. (Variety
of abundant building blocks for constructing the organism).
Question 5 Why might fatty acids, amino acids, and nucleic acids increase the hydrogen ion
(H+) concentration of a solution. Explain.
Before anything else, all three of them- the fatty acids, amino acids, and nucleic acids are "ACIDS".
Acids are what increases the H+ concentration in a solution. So all of the will increase the
hydrogen ion concentration of a solution because its function is to do so.
Fatty acids, amino acids, and nucleic acids all are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen- and
few other elements depending on which it is. They have lots of hydrogen bonds and hydrogen
ions that will dissolve in a solution to increase its concentration.
Fatty acids have a long tail with many CH2 bonds- and because it has so many H2s, it will increase
the H+ concentration of a solution when dissolved (most likely not in water because fatty acids
don't have a charge to dissolve itself in water).
Amino acids are bonded with each others through peptide bonds which are covalent bonds. The
covalent bonds will attract itself to opposite charges once dropped in water or any other polar
substance, and through the breaking down of the amino acids, the hydrogen ions that used to
make up the molecule structure will break apart and be released into the solution, increasing the
concentration of H+.
Nucleic acids are made of nucleotides which are bonded with multiple hydrogen bonds. So, just like
the other ones, once dropped in a substance, it will dissolve and the hydrogens that were making
up the hydrogen bonds will be released to increase the H+ concentration.