BIOL1007 Study Guide - Final Guide: Catenation, Atomic Radius, Biopolymer
15 May 2018
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Main points for Module 1 Biol1997
Information transfer
Biopolymer: a polymeric substance occurring in living organisms (e.g. protein, cellulose or
DNA)
Synthesis
• anabolic (build/assemble)
• occurs in one direction
Why is life carbon based?
• Catenation: can join with itself to form long chains
• Forms strong bonds with itself (strong than w oxygen, not the case with Si)
• Bonds resistant to oxidation in polymer (not the case with Si)
• Life not Si based (even though it forms 4 bonds) because it has larger atomic radius
(=weaker covalent bond)
Unique properties of carbon
• Relatively inert/kinetically stable to hydrolysis/oxidation
o Reaction under kinetic rather than thermodynamic control
o Rate of reaction is slow due to high activation energy
o Thus, reactions can be controlled by enzymes
Central dogma of biology
• DNA Encodes RNA, RNA Encodes Protein
• Describes the flow of genetic information in cells from DNA to messenger RNA
(mRNA) to protein
• States that genes specify the sequence of mRNA molecules, which in turn specify the
sequence of proteins
**Reverse transcription: synthesis of DNA from RNA template
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
RNA structure
Sugar phosphate backbone
• Negative charged (ionic-more soluble in water), hydrophilic
• Applications: electrophoresis, ethanol precipitation
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Biopolymer: a polymeric substance occurring in living organisms (e. g. protein, cellulose or. Synthesis: anabolic (build/assemble, occurs in one direction. Unique properties of carbon: relatively inert/kinetically stable to hydrolysis/oxidation, reaction under kinetic rather than thermodynamic control, rate of reaction is slow due to high activation energy, thus, reactions can be controlled by enzymes. **reverse transcription: synthesis of dna from rna template. Sugar phosphate backbone: negative charged (ionic-more soluble in water), hydrophilic, applications: electrophoresis, ethanol precipitation. Uv absorbance (pi electron clouds above and below flat rings) Differences: hydrophobic, only 1 oh (cid:894)(cid:374)o(cid:374)e at (cid:1006)"(cid:895), as sugar is deoxyribose, ura(cid:272)il is (cid:373)ethylated at 5" c forming thymine, hydrophilic, has 2 oh (cid:894)at (cid:1006)", (cid:1007)"(cid:895, uracil, which has no methyl group at 5" c. Advantages of no oh for dna at 2": since no oh at (cid:1006)" so alkali cannot attack, making sugar phosphate backbone stable to chemical attack (unlike rna)
