Guiding Questions
The Principles of Polymers
- List the four major classes of macromolecules.
- Distinguish between monomers and polymers.
- Draw diagrams to illustrate condensation and hydrolysis reactions.
Carbohydrates Serve as Fuel and Building Material
- Distinguish among monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides.
- Describe the formation of a glycosidic linkage.
- Distinguish between the glycosidic linkages found in starch and cellulose. Explain why the difference is biologically important.
- Describe the role of symbiosis in cellulose digestion.
Lipids Are a Diverse Group of Hydrophobic Molecules
- Describe the building-block molecules, structure, and biological importance of fats, phospholipids, and steroids.
- Identify an ester linkage and describe how it is formed.
- Distinguish between saturated and unsaturated fats.
- Name the principal energy storage molecules of plants and animals.
Proteins Have Many Structures and Many Functions
- Distinguish between a protein and a polypeptide.
- Explain how a peptide bond forms between two amino acids.
- List and describe the four major components of an amino acid. Explain how amino acids may be grouped according to the physical and chemical properties of the R group.
- Explain what determines protein conformation and why it is important.
- Explain how the primary structure of a protein is determined.
- Name two types of secondary protein structure. Explain the role of hydrogen bonds in maintaining secondary structure.
- Explain how weak interactions and disulfide bridges contribute to tertiary protein structure.
- List four conditions under which proteins may be denatured.
Nucleic Acids Store and Transmit Hereditary Information
- List the major components of a nucleotide, and describe how these monomers are linked to form a nucleic acid.
- Distinguish between:
- pyrimidine and purine
- nucleotide and nucleoside
- ribose and deoxyribose
- 5' end and 3' end of a nucleotide
- Briefly describe the three-dimensional structure of DNA.
