1.1 - Introduction to Biological Molecules

• ionic bonding

  ions with opposite charges attract one another
• hydrogen bonding

  electrons in a molecule spend more time in one place so region becomes negatively charged (polarised) which attracts positive region of another molecule
• covalent bonding

  atoms share a pair of electrons in their outer shell; makes a molecule
• ways atoms combine with each other

  ionic bonding; covalent bonding; hydrogen bonding
• monomers

  smaller units from which polymers are made

  individual molecules
• polymers

  molecules made from a large number of monomers joined together in long chains
• polymerisation

  process by which polymers are formed
• monomers and the polymers they form

  monosaccharide -> disaccharide -> polysaccharide

  amino acids -> peptide -> polypeptide

  mononucleotide -> polynucleotide
• hydrolysis reaction

  a reaction that breaks a chemical bond between 2 molecules and involves the use of water

  e.g.: splitting polymers into monomers
• condensation reaction

  a reaction that joins 2 molecules together with the formation of a chemical bond and the elimination of a molecule of water

  e.g.: monomers into polymers
• metabolism

  all chemical processes that take place in living organisms
• moles

  unit used to measure amount of a substance

  one mole = mass in grams of element equal to its Ar

  one mole contains 6.022 x 10^23
• molar solution

  a solution that contains one mole of solute in each litre of solution