University of Colorado Boulder Biochem Final (BCHM
4611) | Questions with 100% Verified Answers | Latest
Update
Question:
Prokaryotes vs Eukaryotes
Answer:
Prokaryotes:
-Unicellular
-often have cell wall
-Nucleoid rather than nucleus
Eukaryotes:
-Often multicellular
-Nucleus/organized DNA
-Membrane bound organelles
Question:
Describe which domain each kingdom belongs to
Answer:
-Bacteria and Archaea are prokaryotes
-Plants, Animals, Fungi, and Protists are Eukaryotes
Question:
What are the 4 biological monomers and their polymers (and their linkages)
Answer:
-Amino Acid: Proteins (linked via peptide bond)
-Nucleotides: nucleic acid (phosphodiester bond)
-Monosaccharides: Polysaccharides (glycosidic bond)
-Lipids: no real polymer but they can form aggregates (aggregates form from
hydrophobic interactions)
Question:
What are the parts of an amino acid?
Answer:
-An alpha carbon
-A hydrogen
-A carboxylate group
-An amino group
-A side chain
Question:
Describe what distinguishes the chemical formulas of each monosaccharide from each other?
,Answer:
1. Amino acids/proteins: contain nitrogen, at least 2 oxygen, several H and C. Only one
that may contain sulfur
2. Monosaccharides: Typically have a 1:1 ratio of C:O
3. Nucleic Acids: Will contain phosphorus, and several N and O
4. Lipids: Predominantly carbon, may have some O or N.
Question:
Describe the structure of nucleic acids
Answer:
1. 1-3 phosphate groups
2. A sugar base (ribose or deoxyribose)
3. Nitrogenous base
Question:
Polypeptide vs protein vs residue
Answer:
1. A residue is a single amino acid within a chain of connected amino acids
2. A polypeptide is a group of connected amino acids
3. A protein is a folded and fully functional polypeptide
Question:
Describe the major and minor roles of each biological polymer
Answer:
Proteins: Major- Metabolic reactions, structure; Minor- Energy Polysaccharides: Major-energy,
structure; Minor-Information Nucleic acids: Major-Information, Minor- metabolic reactions, structure
Lipids: Major- structure, energy; Minor- information
Question:
Open vs Closed System
Answer:
-Open: Can exchange matter and energy
-Closed: Cannot exchange matter with surroundings, can exchange energy
-Isolated: Does not exchange anything with surroundings
Question:
What is Gibbs Free Energy
Answer:
The energy in a reaction available to do work
,Question:
What is enthalpy
Answer:
The total heat of a system
Question:
What is entropy
Answer:
The randomness of a system
Question:
Endergonic vs Exergonic
Answer:
-Endergonic: Gibbs free energy is positive, non-spontaneous, the reverse reaction is
favored
-Exergonic: Gibbs free energy is negative, reaction is spontaneous, forward reaction is
favored
Question:
Exothermic vs Endothermic
Answer:
-Exothermic: heat is released
-Endothermic: heat is absorbed
Question:
Oxidation vs Reduction
Answer:
Oxidation: Loss of elections, gaining oxygen, losing hydrogen, gaining double bond Reduction:
Gaining elections, loss of oxygen, gain of hydrogen, loss of double bonds
Question:
Catabolism vs Anabolism. How are the two connected?
Answer:
Catabolism is the breaking down of larger molecules via oxidation, usually spontaneous Anabolism
is the building up of larger molecules via reduction
-The energy from catabolic reactions can be conserved and used to power anabolic
reactions
Question:
Describe a water molecule
, Answer:
Composed of an oxygen and two hydrogen's. It has a bent tetrahedral geometry. The bonds
between hydrogen and oxygen are polar covalent and it is able to form hydrogen bonds with other
molecules that have a hydrogen bound to an O,N, or F. The polarity of this molecule allows it to act
as a good solvent for polar and ionic substances.
Question:
Describe (in order of strength from smallest to largest) different chemical forces
Answer:
1. Van der Waals forces- includes London-dispersion forces (electrostatic attraction
between nonpolar molecules that occurs due to the instantaneous and random aggregation of
electrons) , Dipole-Induced-Dipole (when a polar molecule induced a dipole in a non-polar molecule
and then they undergo electrostatic attraction), and dipole-dipole (electrostatic attraction that
occurs between two polar molecules with a permanent dipole, the electropositive end of one
molecule will attract the electronegative end of the other)
2. Hydrogen Bonds: When a highly electropositive hydrogen atom (attached to an O, N,
or F) attracts one of those highly electronegative atom on another molecule (which is also
connected to an H)
3. Ionic Bonds: When a highly electronegative atom takes electrons from a highly
electropositive atom, creating a electrostatic attraction
4. Covalent Bonds: When two atoms share electrons (nonpolar= the electrons are shared
equally between the atoms; polar=the electrons are shared unequally between the atoms)
Question:
What is an amphipathic molecule?
Answer:
A molecule that is both hydrophobic and hydrophilic. For example, a fatty acid is hydrophobic at it's
nonpolar tails and hydrophilic at it's polar head
Question:
Describe Bronsted Lowry-Acids and Bases. What are conjugate acids and bases?
Answer:
Acids: Something that donate a hydrogen atom Base: Something that accepts a hydrogen atom A
conjugate acid is the original base that has now accepted a hydrogen atom and can donate it to the
conjugate base (the original acid without it's proton, now ready to accept)
Question:
What is the hydrophobic effect
Answer:
The idea that hydrophobic substances are attracted to other hydrophobic substances and repel
hydrophilic substances. This occurs because the entropy of the water molecules/solvent molecules
binding to each other is greater than if the hydrophobic molecules were interrupting those
interactions.
4611) | Questions with 100% Verified Answers | Latest
Update
Question:
Prokaryotes vs Eukaryotes
Answer:
Prokaryotes:
-Unicellular
-often have cell wall
-Nucleoid rather than nucleus
Eukaryotes:
-Often multicellular
-Nucleus/organized DNA
-Membrane bound organelles
Question:
Describe which domain each kingdom belongs to
Answer:
-Bacteria and Archaea are prokaryotes
-Plants, Animals, Fungi, and Protists are Eukaryotes
Question:
What are the 4 biological monomers and their polymers (and their linkages)
Answer:
-Amino Acid: Proteins (linked via peptide bond)
-Nucleotides: nucleic acid (phosphodiester bond)
-Monosaccharides: Polysaccharides (glycosidic bond)
-Lipids: no real polymer but they can form aggregates (aggregates form from
hydrophobic interactions)
Question:
What are the parts of an amino acid?
Answer:
-An alpha carbon
-A hydrogen
-A carboxylate group
-An amino group
-A side chain
Question:
Describe what distinguishes the chemical formulas of each monosaccharide from each other?
,Answer:
1. Amino acids/proteins: contain nitrogen, at least 2 oxygen, several H and C. Only one
that may contain sulfur
2. Monosaccharides: Typically have a 1:1 ratio of C:O
3. Nucleic Acids: Will contain phosphorus, and several N and O
4. Lipids: Predominantly carbon, may have some O or N.
Question:
Describe the structure of nucleic acids
Answer:
1. 1-3 phosphate groups
2. A sugar base (ribose or deoxyribose)
3. Nitrogenous base
Question:
Polypeptide vs protein vs residue
Answer:
1. A residue is a single amino acid within a chain of connected amino acids
2. A polypeptide is a group of connected amino acids
3. A protein is a folded and fully functional polypeptide
Question:
Describe the major and minor roles of each biological polymer
Answer:
Proteins: Major- Metabolic reactions, structure; Minor- Energy Polysaccharides: Major-energy,
structure; Minor-Information Nucleic acids: Major-Information, Minor- metabolic reactions, structure
Lipids: Major- structure, energy; Minor- information
Question:
Open vs Closed System
Answer:
-Open: Can exchange matter and energy
-Closed: Cannot exchange matter with surroundings, can exchange energy
-Isolated: Does not exchange anything with surroundings
Question:
What is Gibbs Free Energy
Answer:
The energy in a reaction available to do work
,Question:
What is enthalpy
Answer:
The total heat of a system
Question:
What is entropy
Answer:
The randomness of a system
Question:
Endergonic vs Exergonic
Answer:
-Endergonic: Gibbs free energy is positive, non-spontaneous, the reverse reaction is
favored
-Exergonic: Gibbs free energy is negative, reaction is spontaneous, forward reaction is
favored
Question:
Exothermic vs Endothermic
Answer:
-Exothermic: heat is released
-Endothermic: heat is absorbed
Question:
Oxidation vs Reduction
Answer:
Oxidation: Loss of elections, gaining oxygen, losing hydrogen, gaining double bond Reduction:
Gaining elections, loss of oxygen, gain of hydrogen, loss of double bonds
Question:
Catabolism vs Anabolism. How are the two connected?
Answer:
Catabolism is the breaking down of larger molecules via oxidation, usually spontaneous Anabolism
is the building up of larger molecules via reduction
-The energy from catabolic reactions can be conserved and used to power anabolic
reactions
Question:
Describe a water molecule
, Answer:
Composed of an oxygen and two hydrogen's. It has a bent tetrahedral geometry. The bonds
between hydrogen and oxygen are polar covalent and it is able to form hydrogen bonds with other
molecules that have a hydrogen bound to an O,N, or F. The polarity of this molecule allows it to act
as a good solvent for polar and ionic substances.
Question:
Describe (in order of strength from smallest to largest) different chemical forces
Answer:
1. Van der Waals forces- includes London-dispersion forces (electrostatic attraction
between nonpolar molecules that occurs due to the instantaneous and random aggregation of
electrons) , Dipole-Induced-Dipole (when a polar molecule induced a dipole in a non-polar molecule
and then they undergo electrostatic attraction), and dipole-dipole (electrostatic attraction that
occurs between two polar molecules with a permanent dipole, the electropositive end of one
molecule will attract the electronegative end of the other)
2. Hydrogen Bonds: When a highly electropositive hydrogen atom (attached to an O, N,
or F) attracts one of those highly electronegative atom on another molecule (which is also
connected to an H)
3. Ionic Bonds: When a highly electronegative atom takes electrons from a highly
electropositive atom, creating a electrostatic attraction
4. Covalent Bonds: When two atoms share electrons (nonpolar= the electrons are shared
equally between the atoms; polar=the electrons are shared unequally between the atoms)
Question:
What is an amphipathic molecule?
Answer:
A molecule that is both hydrophobic and hydrophilic. For example, a fatty acid is hydrophobic at it's
nonpolar tails and hydrophilic at it's polar head
Question:
Describe Bronsted Lowry-Acids and Bases. What are conjugate acids and bases?
Answer:
Acids: Something that donate a hydrogen atom Base: Something that accepts a hydrogen atom A
conjugate acid is the original base that has now accepted a hydrogen atom and can donate it to the
conjugate base (the original acid without it's proton, now ready to accept)
Question:
What is the hydrophobic effect
Answer:
The idea that hydrophobic substances are attracted to other hydrophobic substances and repel
hydrophilic substances. This occurs because the entropy of the water molecules/solvent molecules
binding to each other is greater than if the hydrophobic molecules were interrupting those
interactions.
