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Molecules of Life
3.2 Vocab
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Carbohydrate | Any organic compound that is made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and that provides nutrients to the cells of living things. |
Monosaccharide | A simple sugar that is the basic subunit, or monomer, of a carbohydrate |
Disaccharide | A sugar formed from two monosaccharide's |
Polysaccharide | One of the carbohydrates made up of long chains of simple sugars; polysaccharides include starch, cellulose, and glycogen |
Protein | An organic compound that is made of one or more chains of amino acids and that is a principal component of all cells |
Amino Acid | An organic molecule that contains a carboxyl and an amino group and that makes up proteins; a protein monomer |
Peptide Bond | The chemical bond that forms between the carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amino group of another amino acid |
Polypeptide | A long chain of several amino acids |
Enzyme | A type of protein or RNA molecule that speeds up metabolic reactions in plant and animals without being permanently changed or destroyed |
Substrate | A part, substance, or element that lies beneath and supports another part, substance, or element; the reactant in reactions catalyzed by enzymes |
Active Site | The site on an enzyme that attaches to a substrate |
Lipid | A large, nonpolar organic molecule, including fats and steroids; lipids store energy and make up cell membranes |
Fatty Acid | An organic acid that is contained in lipids, such as fats or oils |
Triglyceride | A lipid made of three fatty acid molecules and one glycerol molecule |
Phospholipid | A lipid that contains phosphorus and that is a structural component in cell membranes |
Wax | A type of structural lipid consisting of a long fatty-acid chain that is joined to a long alcohol chain |
Steroid | A type of lipid that consists of four carbon rings to which various functional groups are attached and that usually has a physiological action |
Nucleic Acid | An organic compound, either RNA or DNA, whose molecules are made up of one or two chains of nucleotides and carry genetic information |
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) | The material that contains the information that determines inherited characteristics |
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) | An organelle that contains most of the RNA in the cell and that is responsible for ribosome function |
Nucleotide | In a nucleic-acid chain, a subunit that consists of a sugar, a phosphate and a nitrogenous base |