Naturally Occurring Polymers

• What are naturally occurring polymers?

  Polymers that exist naturally in the environment and aren't man-made
• What are the smaller molecules that make up polymers called?

  Monomers
• What are the three types of naturally occurring polymers discussed in the video?

  • Polypeptides (made of amino acids)
  • DNA (made of nucleotides)
  • Carbohydrates (made of sugars)
• How do polypeptides form from amino acids?

  By linking together lots of amino acids in a long chain
• What happens when a polypeptide folds or combines with other polypeptides?

  It becomes a protein
• What roles do different proteins play in the body?

  They catalyze chemical reactions and provide structure and strength to tissues
• What are the two important functional groups in an amino acid?

  The carboxyl group and the amino group
• What is the central atom in an amino acid structure?

  The central carbon
• What is the significance of the R group in amino acids?

  It changes depending on which amino acid it is, making each amino acid unique
• Why are amino acids called amino acids?

  Because they contain an amino group and a carboxylic acid group
• What type of reaction allows adjacent amino acids to join together?

  Condensation reactions
• What do we call the bond formed between amino acids?

  Peptide bond
• What is the general equation for forming a peptide bond?

  Amino acid + Amino acid → Repeat unit + H₂O
• What are the monomers that make up DNA called?

  • Nucleotides
• What are the four types of bases found in nucleotides?

  T, A, G, and C
• How do different combinations of nucleotides affect genetic coding?

  They create different codes called genes
• How is DNA structured to maintain its integrity?

  It is made of two polymer chains linked together in a double helix
• What are carbohydrates made of?

  • Carbon
  • Oxygen
  • Hydrogen
• What are the polymers derived from carbohydrates called?

  Polysaccharides