Term | Definition |
Organic Compounds | Compounds made primarily of carbon atoms. |
Functional Groups | Clusters of atoms that influence the characteristics of the molecules they compose and the chemical reactions the molecules undergo. |
Monomers | What many carbon compounds are made up of. |
Polymer | A molecule that consists of repeated, linked units. |
Macromolecules | Large polymers. |
Condensation Reaction | When monomers link together to form polymers through a chemical reaction. |
Hydrolysis | A reaction where water is used to break down a polymer. |
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) | A compound used to store large amounts of energy in their structure. |
Carbohydrates | Organic compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a ratio of about one carbon atom to two hydrogen atoms to one oxygen atom. |
Monosaccharide | A monomer of carbohydrate's. A simple sugar. |
Disaccharide | Two monosaccharides or double the sugar. |
Polysaccharide | A complex molecule composed of three or more monosaccharides. |
Proteins | Organic compounds composed mainly of carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen. |
Amino Acids | The long chains that make up proteins. |
Peptide Bond | A condensation reaction with two amino acids to form a covalent bond. |
Enzymes | RNA or protein molecules that act as biological catalysts. Essential to the function of any cell. |
Substrate | The reactant that is being catalyzed. |
Active Site | The place where the enzyme and the substrate meet. |
Lipids | Large, nonpolar organic molecules. |
Fatty Acids | Unbranched carbon chains that make up most lipids. |
Phospholoids | Have two rather than three fatty acids attached to a molecule of glycerol. |
Wax | A type of structural lipid consisting of a long fatty acid chain joined to a long alcohol chain. |
Steroids | The molecules in this substance are composed of four fused carbon rings with various functional groups attached to them. |
Nucleic Acids | Very large and complex organic molecules that store and transfer important information into the cell. |
Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) | Contains information and determines characteristics of of an organism and directs cell activities. |
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) | Stores and transfers information from DNA that is essential for the manufacturing of proteins. |
Nucleotide | The thousands of linked monomers that make up DNA and RNA molecules |