Nucleic acids and their functions

• What is ATP a monomer of?

  Nucleic acids
• What does ATP stand for?

  Adenosine triphosphate
• What components make up ATP?

  Adenine, ribose, and three phosphate groups
• What happens when energy is required in living organisms regarding ATP?

  The enzyme ATP synthetase hydrolyses the bond between the second and third phosphate groups
• What is produced when ATP is hydrolysed?

  ADP and an inorganic phosphate ion
• How much energy is released when one molecule of ATP is hydrolysed?

  30.5 kJ
• What type of reaction is the hydrolysis of ATP?

  An exergonic reaction
• What is the opposite of hydrolysis in the context of ATP?

  Condensation reaction
• What is phosphorylation?

  The addition of a phosphate group to ADP to form ATP
• How does ATP transfer energy in cells?

  By transferring free energy from energy-rich compounds like glucose
• Why is the uncontrolled release of energy from glucose harmful?

  It would produce temperature increases that could destroy cells
• How do living organisms release energy from glucose?

  Gradually in respiration, producing ATP
• What are the advantages of using ATP as an energy intermediate compared to glucose?

  • Hydrolysis of ATP involves a single reaction
  • Only one enzyme (ATP synthetase) is needed
  • ATP releases energy in large amounts when needed
  • ATP provides a common energy source for various reactions
• What cellular processes does ATP provide energy for?

  Metabolic processes, active transport, movement, nerve transmission, and secretion
• What are metabolic processes in the context of ATP?

  Building large polymers from smaller molecules
• How does ATP facilitate active transport?

  By changing the shape of carrier proteins in membranes
• What role does ATP play in muscle contraction?

  It provides energy for movement
• How does ATP contribute to nerve transmission?

  By actively transporting sodium and potassium ions across the axon membrane
• What is the role of ATP in secretion?

  It aids in the packaging and transport of secretory products into vesicles
• What are nucleic acids made from?

  Nucleotides
• What is a polynucleotide?

  A molecule that contains many nucleotides
• What are the three components of a nucleotide?

  A phosphate group, a pentose sugar, and an organic base
• What are the pentose sugars in RNA and DNA?

  Ribose in RNA and deoxyribose in DNA
• What are the two groups of nitrogenous bases?

  Pyrimidine bases and purine bases
• What are the pyrimidine bases?

  Thymine, cytosine, and uracil
• What are the purine bases?

  Adenine and guanine
• How do pyrimidine and purine bases differ structurally?

  Pyrimidine bases have a single ring structure, while purine bases have a double ring structure
• What is the role of chemical energy in biological processes?

  It makes changes as chemical bonds need to be made or broken for reactions to happen
• What do autotrophic organisms do?

  They synthesize their own food
• What are chemoautotrophic organisms?

  Bacteria and some Archaea that use energy from oxidation of electron donors
• What are photoautotrophic organisms?

  Green plants that use light energy in photosynthesis
• What do heterotrophic organisms derive their chemical energy from?

  Food
• How is ATP described in terms of energy storage?

  ATP is not an energy store, but an energy carrier
• How much ATP does the body make and break daily?

  About 50 kg
• How much ATP does the body actually contain at any given time?

  About 5 g
• What is ATP known as?

  The universal energy currency
• When is ATP synthesized?

  When energy is made available
• When is ATP broken down?

  When it is needed, such as in muscle contractions
• What is the structure of a DNA molecule?

  A DNA molecule is a double helix composed of nucleotides.
• How does DNA replicate?

  DNA replicates by unwinding and using each strand as a template for new strands.