Guided Reading Chapter 3 1 When it comes to molecules in our cells carbon is really THE ATOM of all atoms or as your book puts it Carbon takes center stage Most of the molecules in our cells consist of carbon skeletons with other chemical groups or elements branching from them a What exactly is the difference between an atom and a molecule Briefly compare and contrast atoms and molecules b Draw two different carbon based molecules below think carbon skeleton with chemical groups Do they differ structurally If so would you predict that the structural differences you noted alter their function within the cell Why 2 Fill in the blank There are many different molecules in a single cell Several of these can be used as building blocks to construct a much larger molecule called a These long chains are built of smaller subunits known as but can also come together to form gigantic molecules called in our cells 3 Our cells contains many different kinds of polymers DNA is a polymer What are the monomers of DNA Protein is a polymer what are the monomers of proteins 4 Thousands of different polymers are made from a limited number of monomers Given that DNA is comprised of just 4 different monomers and that proteins are composed of just 20 different monomers how can the diversity of polymers be so great 5 Carbohydrates or sugar molecules are very important to living organisms because they provide fuel for cellular work a How does a molecule of glucose provide fuel to a cell Hint use the words bonds and energy b Given your answer to part a rank the following carbohydrates from the smallest to the largest source of energy disaccharide monosaccharide polysaccharide 6 Lipids are another major class of molecules in our cells a Are lipids hydrophilic Why or why not THINK structure Yes because they stay together b Fats are large lipids Differentiate between saturated and unsaturated fats describe how these differences in structure relate to differences in function Specifically how does fat structure relate to health c Phospholipids and steroids are also lipids Where are they primarily found in cells We will learn more about them later but your book briefly highlights the importance of these lipids in the cell For now give one example of a role for phospholipids and steroids 7 Proteins are the molecular machines of the cell These polymers fold into MANY MANY different structures How is primary structure related to tertiary structure 8 DNA is the fourth and final major class of molecules in the cell In fact DNA contains the information needed to build a protein Define the intermediate polymer that connects the genetic information in DNA to proteins
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