Macromolecules Concept Questions

1. Explain the relationship between monomers and polymers, using polysaccharides as an example.

2. Why can’t cellulose be used by humans as an energy source? Explain.

3. Why is fibre (i.e., cellulose) considered to be an important part of a healthy diet?

4. How does the structure of an unsaturated fatty acid differ from the structure of a saturated fatty acid? Give an example of a food that contains each.

5. Explain why some fatty acids are solid at room temperature while others are liquid.

6. When you consume more food than you need for energy, the excess is stored in the form of lipids. Why are lipids particularly useful for this purpose?

7. What property do all lipids share? How does this make them ideal for building cell membranes?

8. Saturated is to single bond as _______ is to double bond.

9. What effect does hydrogenation have on fatty acids?

10. Lipids have a variety of functions in cells. Describe them.

11. Why is a protein called a polypeptide? Why is a polypeptide not a protein?

12. Explain how the 3-dimensional shape of proteins is formed.

13. Use a diagram to show how a peptide bond is formed between two amino acids.

14. Discuss a couple of the interactions that can occur between the R groups of an amino acid sequence.

15. Some features of amino acids are common while others are not. Explain

16. How does having different R groups make amino acids ideal building blocks for proteins?

17. Why are some amino acids soluble in water while others are not?

18. Name three functions of proteins in a living organism.

19. Which of these things is not like the others?

a) fiber (b) sugar (c) starch (d) cellulose (e) fat

20. Which elements are found in proteins but in neither carbohydrates nor lipids. Which element is found in nucleic acids but in neither carbohydrates nor proteins?

21. Name the basic building blocks for each of the following molecules:

a) Protein _____ (b) Triglyceride _____ (c) Carbohydrate _____ (d) Nucleic acids _____

22. Proteins are to amino acids as polysaccharides are to .

23. You connect a molecule of ribose, a phosphate, and a molecule of cytosine. What have you made? Why can you not say you’ve made a nucleic acid?