KERALA PSC / CHEMISTRY / BIOCHEMISTRY / OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS / STUDY MATERIALS / GENERAL KNOWLEDGE / KERALA PSC PRELIMINARY / NOTES

 

KERALA PSC / CHEMISTRY / BIOCHEMISTRY / OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS / STUDY MATERIALS / GENERAL KNOWLEDGE / KERALA PSC PRELIMINARY / NOTES

KERALA PSC / CHEMISTRY / BIOCHEMISTRY / OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS / STUDY MATERIALS / GENERAL KNOWLEDGE / KERALA PSC PRELIMINARY / NOTES

·      Biochemistry is the study of the chemical substances and vital processes occurring in living organisms

·      Biochemists focus heavily on the role, function, and structure of biomolecules

·      The study of the chemistry behind biological processes and the synthesis of biologically active molecules are examples of biochemistry

·      The four main classes of molecules in biochemistry are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids

·      Many biological molecules are polymers

·      Monomers are relatively small micro molecules that are linked together to create large macro molecules, which are known as polymers

·      Carbohydrates are made from monomers called monosaccharides

·      Some of the monosaccharides include glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆), fructose (C₆H₁₂O₆), and deoxyribose (C₅H₁₀O₄)

·      Lipids are usually made from one molecule of glycerol combined with other molecules

·      In triglycerides, there is one molecule of glycerol and three fatty acids

·      Fatty acids are considered the monomer, and may be saturated (no double bonds in the carbon chain) or unsaturated (one or more double bonds in the carbon chain)

·      Lipids, especially phospholipids, are also used in various pharmaceutical products

·      Proteins are very large molecules made from monomers called amino acids. There are 20 standards amino acids.

·      When amino acids combine, they form a special bond called a peptide bond through dehydration synthesis, and become a polypeptide, or protein

·      Nucleic acids are the molecules that make up DNA, an extremely important substance which all cellular organisms use to store their genetic information.

·      The most common nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid. Their monomers are called nucleotides

·      The most common nucleotides are adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine and uracil. Adenine binds with thymine and uracil; Thymine only binds with adenine; and cytosine and guanine can only bind with each other.

·      The function of carbohydrates includes energy storage and providing structure

·      Sugars are carbohydrates, but not all carbohydrates are sugars

·      Glucose, one of the most important carbohydrates, is an example of a monosaccharide. Fructose, the sugar commonly associated with the sweet taste of fruits is also a monosaccharide.

·      The molecule, consisting of two monosaccharides, is called a disaccharide.

·      The most well-known disaccharide is sucrose

·      Another important disaccharide is lactose

·      When a few (around three to six) monosaccharides are joined together, it is called an oligosaccharide (oligo – meaning “few”)

·      Many monosaccharides joined together make a polysaccharide

·      Two of the most common polysaccharides are cellulose and glycogen, both consisting of repeating glucose monomers

·      Cellulose is made by plants and is an important structural component of their cell walls. Humans can neither manufacture not digest it.

·      Glycogen, on the other hand, is an animal carbohydrate; humans and other animals use it as a form of energy storage.

·      Glucose is the major energy source in most life forms

·      Antibodies are an example of proteins that attach to one specific type of molecule

·      The most important proteins are the enzymes

·      Proteins are chains of amino acids

·      The term lipid comprises a diverse range of molecules relatively water-insoluble or non-polar compounds of biological origin, including waxes, fatty acids.

·      Most oils and milk products that we use for cooking and eating like butter, cheese, ghee etc… are composed of fats

·      Vegetable oils are rich in various polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)

·      Lipid-containing foods undergo digestion within the body and are broken into fatty acids and glycerol, which are the final degradation products of fats and lipids.

·      A nucleic acid is a complex, high-molecular- weight biochemical macromolecule composed of nucleotide chains that convey genetic information.

·      The most common nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA)

·      Nucleic acids are found in all living cells and viruses.

    

KERALA PSC / CHEMISTRY / BIOCHEMISTRY / OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS / STUDY MATERIALS / GENERAL KNOWLEDGE / KERALA PSC PRELIMINARY / NOTES