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POST COMPETENCY 2 CHEMICAL CONTEXT OF LIFE

Answer the following questions:

Properties of Water:
1. Describe the following properties of water and explain how each is important to living things:
cohesion, adhesion, polarity, heat of vaporization, freezing point.
2. How is polarity related to cohesion and adhesion?
3. Compared to most other substances, a great deal of heat is needed to raise the temperature of
water by a given amount. This is because water
a. is an acid
b. readily forms solutions
c. has a high heat capacity
d. acts as a buffer
4. Frozen water is less dense than liquid water. Explain why this is important for aquatic organisms.

Answers

1. • Cohesion. Hydrogen bonds bind water molecules together. Cohesion creates

tension in the ground which is why if you fill a spoon with water, drop by drop, the
volume of the water will actually be greater than the surface of the spoon before the
water falls.

• Adherence. It is similar to cohesion, but the adhesion is when the hydrogen bonds in
the water allow the water molecules to be trapped in another load.

• Polarity. The water molecule is charged slightly at both ends. This is because oxygen is
far more powerful than hydrogen

• Heat of vaporazation .This is another unique property that allows water to retain its
temperature. High vaporization temperature means the amount of heat energy we need
to be able to convert one gram of water to gas. More energy is needed to break the
hydrogen bonds between water molecules.

• The freezing point refers to the liquid in the solid phase while the melting point is the
temperature at which water moves from solid (ice) to liquid. In general, the two
temperatures would be similar, but the liquid could cool down more than its freezing
points so that it does not harden until it is below freezing. Generally, the freezing point
of water and melting point is 0 ° C or 32 ° F
 2. The attraction between molecules causing adhesion and adhesion is a result of polarity.
Polarity creates molecules with charged ends. Opposition cases attracted, creating alliances and
adherence.

3. The attraction between molecules that cause adhesion and adhesion is the result of cohesion.
Polarity creates molecules with charged ends. Opposition cases attracted, creating alliances and
adherence.

4. Ice is much smaller than water and therefore floats. Since the snow does not sink, the water
stays under the ice all winter long. This is important, as fish and other living things can survive
the winter. Ice is one of the few solids that is less dense than its water type.

Macromolecules:
1. How is the structure of carbon related to its function in macromolecules? Think about the types
of shapes carbon can form and why.
2. Describe the processes of hydrolysis and dehydration synthesis. How are they related to each
other?
3. List and draw the monomer and polymer units of each macromolecule along with their function
in living things: carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids.
4. List and draw the types of lipids, along with the subunits and uses of each.
5. Why are carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids considered polymers, while lipids are not?
6. How is the structure of each of the four macromolecules related to its function in living things?
a. Carbohydrate -
b. Nucleic acid –
c. Protein –
d. Lipid -
7. How does the structure of a protein make it capable of such a large range of function?

Answers
1. Carbon atoms contain four valance electrons. This enables them to form strong covalent
bonds with several materials. Carbon can also join with it, allowing it to form long chains or
carbon atoms.

2. Dehydration synthesis reactions builds molecules at the top and usually requires energy,
while hydrolysis reaction breaks down molecules and tends to release energy.

3. Carbohydrate – monomer: monosaccharide polymer: polysaccharide

function: energy and structure
Protein – monomer: amino acid polymer: polypeptide
function – highly varied
Nucleic acid – monomer: nucleotide polymer: nucleic acid
function: store and transmit hereditary information

4. Phospholipids – consists of fatty acid, phosphate group, glycerol, used in cell membranes
Wax – subunits are alcohol and fatty acids, used in structure and water-proofing
Steroid – carbon-ring structure, used as chemical messenger
Triglyceride – subunits are glycerol and three fatty acids, used for energy storage
 5. Carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids are formed from small cell units connected to each
other by strong covalent bonds.

Polymers are chains of subunit molecules that are similar in a way that allows subunits to
continue to form long macromolecules at the end.

In contrast, lipids are chemically bound carbohydrate chains (such as dehydration) to each other
into a new, larger molecule, and have a unique first molecule that differs from subunits.
Therefore, lipids grow only on one side
6. Carbohydrate – Energy is stored in bonds. Carbohydrates contain large numbers of bonds.
Nucleic acid – Nucleic acids are well-suited to store information in the repeating sequences of
their base pairs. They are also structured to split and replicate easily, allowing the
genetic information to be easily passed on to offspring.
Protein – Proteins have 20 different amino acids, which can be arranged in any order. Proteins
also have four levels of structure: primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary. An
alteration in any of these levels alters the function of the protein. This allows for a large
variety of function.
Lipid – Lipids are nonpolar, allowing them to function in cell membranes and waterproofing.
Triglycerides contain large numbers of bonds, making them ideal for energy storage.

Enzymes:
1. What occurs during a chemical reaction?
2. What is the difference between a product and a reactant?
3. Energy is used differently in different types of chemical reactions. Explain how energy use differs
in energy-releasing and energy-absorbing reactions. Which type often requires a catalyst?
a. How is energy related to the products and reactants of a chemical reaction?
4. What is the role of an enzyme in living organisms?
5. In what way do enzymes increase the rate of reactions? How do enzymes accomplish this task?
6. Describe the cycle in which enzymes and substrate interact.
7. How/Why is the structure of an enzyme so important to its function in living things? Why does
the structure of an enzyme determine the type of reaction it will catalyze?
8. What happens to enzyme function when the temperature or pH conditions change? Why?

Answers
1. Bonds are broken and restructured; atoms are rearranged
2. Reactants creates the chemical reaction; products are formed by chemical reactions
3. The energy-releasing reaction produces more energy than it needs to start, so it usually happens
automatically. The absorption response requires more energy to start than it produces; it usually
requires a large amount of activation power. This usually requires a catalyst.
4. The role of enzymes in living organisms is that they serve as biological catalyst in order for
chemical reactions inside the body to occur.
5. As a biological catalyst, enzymes lower the required energy for a reaction. This way, enzymes
increases the rate of reaction.
6. Substrates form bonds in an active enzyme site, which results to a reaction. This reaction turns
substrates into product and is then released. Meanwhile, the active enzyme site is left
unchanged, allowing enzymes to continuously catalyze reactions.
7. The shape of active enzyme sites is specified to hold one type of substrates. If the active site of
enzyme is not specified for a type of substrate, the enzyme will not catalyze the reaction. This
means that only the specified type of substrates can undergo reaction in that active site of
enzyme.
8. Changes in temperature and pH level, change the shape of active site of enzyme, and destroy its
function.