Week 1 Homework
1. There are three properties of water that are related to the temperature stabilizing effects. Describe the significance of each.
Heat is the amount of energy associated with the movement of the atoms and molecules in a body of matter. When water is heated, the heat energy first disrupts hydrogen bonds and then makes water molecules jostle around faster.
Conversely, when water cools, hydrogen bonds form a process that releases heat. Stable hydrogen bonds hold molecules apart, making ice less dense than water.
Evaporating cooling is when a substance evaporates (changes physical state from a liquid to a gas). This occurs because the molecules with the greatest energy (the “hottest” ones) tend to vaporize first.
2. List the four major classes or groups of biologically important macromolecules and explain one reason for the importance of each.
The four major classes or groups of biologically important macromolecules are Carbohydrate, Lipids, Nucleic, and Protein.
Carbohydrate are any of a group of organic compounds that includes sugars, starches, celluloses, and gums and serves as a major energy source in the diet of animals; they are produced by photosynthetic plants and contain only carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, usually in the ratio.
3. Explain what denaturing of a protein is and what might cause it.
A protein’s shape is sensitive to the surrounding environment. An unfavorable change in temperature, pH, or some other quality of the environment can cause a protein to unravel and lose its normal shape. This is called denaturation of the protein.
4. Explain the differences between DNA and RNA?
The difference between RNA and DNA is that instead of the base thymine, RNA has a similar but distinct base called uracil. Except for the presence of ribose and uracil, an RNA polynucleotide chain is identical to a DNA polynucleotide chain. RNA is usually found in single- stranded form, whereas DNA usually exists as a double helix.