Biological molecules

• all carbs, proteins, and fats contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
• additionally, protein contains nitrogen
• carbs and fat are for energy, but fat provides energy for a longer duration
• the three main types of carbohydrates are monosaccharides (simple sugars), disaccharides (double sugar), polysaccharides (complex sugars)
• protein is used to build muscle tissue
• protein is used for repair and growth
• fats are made up of 1 glycerol molecule and 3 fatty acids
• protein is made from amino acids
• carbs are made of glucose -> maltose -> become more complex carbs ie. starch in plants and glycogen in animals
• catalysts are substances that speed up a chemical reaction without being used or altered
• enzymes are proteins that are biological catalysts
• the test for starch is iodine. when iodine is in the presence of starch it turns black.
• the test for fats is ethanol. in a solution of water, ethanol, and fats the fat will rise up to the top and form a layer if present
• the original colour of biuret solution is blue
• a substrate is the substance an enzyme acts upon
• enzymes have two types of reactions, breakdown and build up
• what happens with enzymes is that the enzyme binds to the substrate at the active site creating enzyme-substrate coplexes which then produces the product
• amylase turns starch into maltose/glucose
• protease turns protein into amino acids
• catalase breaks down hydrogen peroxide into hydrogen and oxygen
• the reason why catalase is important is to combat the natural build up of hydrogen peroxide in your body which at high levels is toxic to living cells
• lipase turns fats into fatty acids and glycerol
• a test tube with hydrogen peroxide and a boiled liver will not produce bubbling, but one with a fresh liver will as the catalase enzyme has not become denatured
• enzymes have an optimum temperature and become denatured above it, meaning the active site has changed and therefore it is permanently deactivated
• enzymes have a working range for pH as well as an optimum pH reflecting it's usual operating location