| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Organic Compound | A covalently bonded compound that contains carbon, excluding carbonates and oxides. |
| Functional Group | The portion of a molecule that is active in a chemical reaction and that determines the properties of many organic compounds. |
| Monomer | A simple molecule that can combine with other like or unlike molecules to make a polymer. |
| Polymer | A large molecule that is formed by more than five monomers, or small units. |
| Macromolecule | A very large organic molecule, usually a polymer, composed of hundreds or thousands of atoms. |
| Condensation Reaction | A chemical reaction in which two or more molecules combine to produce water or another simple molecule. |
| Hydrolysis | A chemical reaction between water and another substance to for two or more new substances; a reaction between water and a salt to create an acid or a base. |
| Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) | An organic molecule that acts as the main energy source for cell processes; composed of a nitrogenous base, a sugar, and three phosphate groups. |
| Carbohydrate | Any organic compound that is made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and that provides nutrients to the cells of living things. |
| Monosaccharide | A simple sugar that is the basic subunit, or monomer, of a carbohydrate. |
| Disaccharide | A sugar formed from two monosaccharides. |
| Polysaccharide | One of the carbohydrates made up of long chains of simple sugars; polysaccharides include starch, cellulose, and glycogen. |
| Protein | An organic compound that is made of one or more chains of amino acids and that is a principle component of all cells. |
| Amino Acid | An organic molecule that contains a carboxyl and an amino group and that makes up proteins; a proteins; a protein monomer. |
| Peptide Bond | The chemical Bond that forms between the carboxyl groups of one amino acid and the amino group of another amino acid. |
| Polypeptide | A long chain of several amino acids. |
| Enzyme | A type of protein or RNA molecule that speeds up metabolic reactions in plant and animals without being permanently changed or destroyed. |
| Substrate | A part, substance, or element that lies beneath and supports another part, substance or element ; the reactant in reactions catalyzed by enzymes. |
| Active Site | The site on an enzyme that attaches to a substrate. |
| Lipid | A large nonpolar organic molecule, including fats and steroids; lipids store energy and make up cell membranes. |
| Fatty Acid | An organic Acid that is contained in lipids, such as fats and oils. |
| Triglyceride | A lipid made of three fatty acid molecules and one glycerol molecule. |
| Phospholipid | A lipid that contains phosphorus and that is a structural component in cell membranes. |
| Wax | A type of structural lipid consisting of a long fatty-acid chain that is joined to a long alcohol chain |
| Steroid | A type of lipid that consists of four carbon rings to which various functional groups are attached and that usually has a physiological action. |
| Nucleic Acid | An organic compound, either RNA or DNA, whose molecules are made of one or two chains of nucleotides and carry genetic information. |
| Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) | The material that contains the information that determines inherited characteristics. |
| Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) | A natural polymer that is present in all living cells and that plays a role in protein synthesis |
| Nucleotide | In a nucleic-acid chain, a subunit that consists of sugar, a phosphate, and nitrogenous base. |
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