Biology 2: Biochemistry

Terms	Definitions
polar	describes a molecule in which the positive and negative charges are separated
ion	a particle that is electrically charged (positive or negative)
substrate	a substance on which an enzyme acts during a chemical reaction
enzyme	specialized proteins that speed up chemical reactions
catalyst	substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction
hydrogen bond	weak chemical bond formed by the attraction of positively charged hydrogen atoms to other negatively charged atoms
cohesion	an attraction between molecules of the same substance
adhesion	an attraction between molecules of different substances
monomer	small unit that can join together with other small units to form polymers
polymer	a naturally occurring or synthetic compound consisting of large molecules made up of a linked series of repeated simple monomers
dehydration synthesis	A chemical reaction in which two molecules covalently bond to each other with the removal of a water molecule.
hydrolysis	A chemical process that lyses, or splits, molecules by the addition of water; an essential process in digestion.
nucleic acid	A polymer (polynucleotide) consisting of many nucleotide monomers; serves as a blueprint for proteins and, through the actions of proteins, for all cellular activities. The two major types are DNA and RNA.
nucleotide	monomer of nucleic acids made up of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base
protein	an organic compound that is made of one or more chains of amino acids and that is a principal component of all cells
amino acid	basic building blocks of protein molecules
peptide bond	covalent bond formed between amino acids
active site	the part of an enzyme or antibody where the chemical reaction occurs; where substrate attaches to enzyme