Chemistry of Life

Four most common elements found in living organisms

Where are they found?

Where are inorganic substances found?

Give the roles in prokaryotes, plants and animals for sulphur, calcium, phosphorus, iron and sodium

Draw and label the diagram of the structure and bonding of water molecules

Discuss the polarity of water

Outline the thermal properties of water

Outline the solvent properties of water

Outline the cohesive properties of water

What is cohesion?

Why are thermal properties important to organisms?

Why are solvent properties important to organisms?

What do organic compounds include?

Draw glucose and ribose

List three examples each of monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides

State one function of glucose, lactose and glycogen in animals and of fructose, sucrose and cellulose in plants

Outline the role of condensation and hydrolysis in the relationship between monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides

Draw a A Condensation Reaction between Two Monosaccharides

What are lipids?

Draw the General Structure of fatty acids Saturated (no double bonds) Unsaturated (double bonds)

Outline the role of condensation and hydrolysis in the relationship between fatty acids, glycerol and triglycerides

Draw formation of a tricglyceride

State three functions of lipids

similarities in use of carbohydrates and lipids in energy storage

contrast in use of carbohydrates and lipids in energy storage

Draw amino acid

Outline the role of condensation and hydrolysis in the relationship between amino acids and polypeptides

Draw formation of a dipeptide

Outline DNA nucleotide structure in terms of a sugar (deoxyribose), base and phosphate

State the names of the four bases in DNA and their types

Outline how the DNA nucleotides are linked together by covalent bonds into a single strand

Explain how a DNA double helix is formed using complementary base pairing and hydrogen bonds

Draw diagram of complementary base pairing

Draw and label a simple diagram of the molecular structure of DNA

What does DNA helicase do?

What does DNA polymerase do?

Explain the significance of complementary base pairing in the conservation of the base sequence of DNA

What does it mean by: DNA replication is semi-conservative

Compare the structure of DNA and RNA

Outline DNA transcription

Three main types of RNA are predominantly made:

Describe the genetic code in terms of codons comprised of triplets of bases

The genetic code has the following features:

Explain the process of translation, leading to polypeptide formation

Explain the relationship between one gene and one polypeptide

There are two exceptions to the 'one gene - one polypeptide' rule:

Define enzyme and active site

Explain enzyme-substrate specificity

Describe lock and key model

Explain the effects of temperature

Explain the effects of pH

Explain the effects of substrate concentration

Define denaturation

Explain the use of lactase in the production of lactose-free milk

The generation of lactose-free milk can be used in a number of ways:

Define cell respiration

What happens in cell respiration?

plain that, during anaerobic cell respiration, pyruvate can be converted in the cytoplasm into lactate, or ethanol and carbon dioxide, with no further yield of ATP

The conversion of pyruvate occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell and the products are:

Explain that, during aerobic cell respiration, pyuvate can be broken down in the mitochondrion into carbon dioxide and water with a large yield of ATP

What is photosynthesis?

State that light from the Sun is composed of a range of wavelengths (colours)

The colours of the visible spectrum are (from longer to shorter wavelength):

State that chlorophyll is the main photosynthetic pigment

Outline the difference in absorption of red, green and blue light by chlorophyll

State that light energy is used to produce ATP, and to split water molecules (photolysis) to form oxygen and hydrogen

State that ATP and hydrogen (derived from the photolysis of water) are used to fix carbon molecules to make organic molecules

How can rate of photosynthesis be measured

Explain the first method of the previous flashcard

second method

Third method

Outline the effect of temperature

Effect of Light Intensity

Effect of CO2 conc