3.1.1 Monomers and polymers

Question	Answer
What is significant about the biochemistry of past and present life forms?	All life forms on earth have SIMILAR biochemistry.
Covalent Bonding	Atoms share their outer electrons until both atoms are filled, therefore they become a more stable compound called a molecule.
Ionic bonding	Ions with opposite charges attract one another, due to electrostatic attraction. this forms an ionic bond. Ionic bonds are weaker than covalent bonds.
Hydrogen bonding	Uneven distribution of electrons in the molecule means that one region is more negatively concentrated (this is said to be a polarised molecule). The negative and positive region attract each other, so a weak electrostatic bond is formed.
What is important about hydrogen bonds?	Individually they are very weak, however collectively they are very strong. The formation of these bonds also alter the physical properties of the molecules.
What are monomers?	They are small units of molecules, which join together to form long chains of polymers (this process is called polymerisation).
What are macromolecules?	They are very large molecules.
Name three common monomers:	Monosaccharaides, amino acids and nucleotides.
What is condensation?	The reaction where two monomers become chemically combined to form a polymer with the elimination of a water molecule.
What is hydrolysis?	When water is added to the process of breaking down polymers

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	Created by d s about 11 years ago