BICH 410 CARR EXAM 1 QUESTIONS WELL ANSWERED LATEST UPDATE 2026
_ are constructed hierarchically, from a limited number of elements - Answers Biomolecules
Certain _ and linkages characterize different types of biomolecules - Answers functional groups
Simple molecules condensed to form more complex ones, like _ - Answers polymers
Self-replicating molecules are subjected to _ - Answers natural selection
The properties of biomolecules reflect their fitness to _ - Answers Living conditions
HOCN make up 99+% of atoms in the human body because...? - Answers COVALENT BOND formation
by electron pair sharing makes H, C, N, and O appropriate to support life
The process of condensation does what? - Answers Removes in H2O to pair 2 functional groups
together
The process of hydrolysis does what? - Answers Adds in H2O into a compound and divides into 2
functional groups
In this DNA double helix, 2 complementary polynucleotide chains run in opposite directions can pair
through hydrogen bonding between their nitrogenous bases. Their complementary nucleotide
sequences give rise to _ - Answers non-covalent, structural complementarity
What does the term "intra" mean? - Answers within (intramolecular complementarity)
What does the term "inter" mean? - Answers between
Specific pairing between complementary functional groups permits one member of a pair to
determine _ of the other member - Answers the identity and orientation
Complementarity allows for macromolecules to replicate, or copy itself, by directing the assembly of a
new molecule from _ - Answers smaller complementary units
between 2 charged macromolecules, the ion pair displays charge _, and is also non-covalent.
Therefore, a positively charged group will interact _ with the negatively charged group of another
macromolecule - Answers complementarity; electrostatically
Over time, _, the competitive process by which reproductive preference is given to the better
adapted, would have favored molecules that made more accurate copies of themselves - Answers
natural selection
What are polymers? - Answers simple, organic molecules condensed to form more complex molecules
or combined end-to-end as polymers of repeating units (i.e., A strand of DNA, a polypeptide segment,
a polysaccharide chain
** What kind of bonds do polymers have? Which contain information? Which do not? - Answers
Polysaccharide chains are covalently bonded, and DNA and polypeptide chains contain information
Macromolecules and their building blocks have a sense of _ and some are _ - Answers directionality;
informational
Biomolecules have characteristic_ - Answers three-dimensional architecture
Individual forces are weak but collectively _ - Answers strong; think Velcro
_ of cells promotes efficiency by maintaining high local concentrations of reactants - Answers
Compartmentalization
_ evolved to synthesize molecules and generate energy - Answers metabolic pathways
the simplest _ are prokaryotes - Answers cells
Eukaryotic cells are characterized by numerous membrane-bound _, including a nucleus - Answers
organelles
the _ of life includes 3 domains: bacteria, archaea, and eukarya - Answers phylogenic tree
Describe prokaryotic - Answers single cell, no nucleus or organelles
Describe eukaryotic - Answers much larger in size than prokaryotes, 10^3-10^4 times larger, nucleus
plus organelles
_ must be conserved, but it can take different forms - Answers energy
in most biochemical systems, _ is equivalent to heat - Answers enthalpy
_, a measure of a system's disorder, tends to increase - Answers Entropy
The _ for a process is determined by the change in enthalpy and the change in entropy - Answers free
energy change
A _ process occurs with a decrease in free energy - Answers spontaneous
Biochemists define _ conditions as a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, a pressure of 1 atm, and a pH
of 7.0 - Answers standard state
Organisms are non-equilibrium, _ that constantly exchange matter and energy with their surroundings
- Answers Open systems
, _ increase the rates of thermodynamically favorable reactions - Answers Enzymes
Organisms are constantly busy converting raw materials into living matter, using _ from their
environment - Answers energy
Thermodynamics: the study of _ and its transformations (following where the energy goes) - Answers
energy
1st law of thermodynamics: - Answers Energy is conserved
What is enthalpy - Answers H, the total energy
What is free energy - Answers G, the energy available to do work
What is entropy - Answers S, disorder: energy that is unavailable for work
∆(useful energy) + ∆(useless energy) = - Answers ∆(total energy)
If ∆G = 0, the reaction is at _ - Answers equilibrium
If ∆G < 0, the reaction is _ as written and _ - Answers spontaneous; Exothermic or Exergonic
If ∆G > 0, the reaction is _ as written and _ - Answers opposed; Endothermic or Endergonic
What is the second law of thermodynamics? - Answers The entropy of the universe (an isolated
system) always increases, but the entropy increase does not have to take place in the reacting system
itself (i.e., the cell is an open system, so the entropy increase can be outside the cell)
All systems tend toward _ - Answers thermodynamic equilibrium (when the change in free energy is
zero)
Any reversible process proceeds towards a _ in free energy (i.e.,where ∆G is negative) - Answers
decrease
The sign (±) of ∆G for a biochemical reaction indicates _ - Answers its tendency to proceed
spontaneously in the direction written
The magnitude of ∆G indicates how 'far' from zero, _, a reaction is - Answers equilibrium
Concentrations of each reactant and product is 1 M, which is why you must convert mM to _ for hw,
quizzes, and exams - Answers 10^(-3)
For a biochemical reaction, the _ free-energy change, ∆G°', pronounced "delta G naught prime," is the
value of ∆G (kJ/mol), when: - Answers Temp: 25 °C (298 K)
Pressure: 1 atm
Concentrations of each reactant and product is 1 M
pH: 7 (don't count H+)
The concentration of water (55.5 M) is constant (don't include H2O)
Prime (') = constant _ and _ - Answers H+ and H2O
Bacterial flagellar motor relies on _ to work - Answers high concentrations of biomolecules
What is the constant concentration of water? - Answers 55.5 M
What does ∆G' represent - Answers the free energy change of a reaction at nonstandard conditions
What is the gas constant 'R'? - Answers 8.314 J/mol °K
What is a mass action ratio? - Answers It states that the rate of a reaction is proportional to the
product of the concentrations of the participating molecules
At _ there is no tendency for the reaction to proceed (no net free energy change), and ∆G' = 0 -
Answers equilibrium
The properties of biomolecules reflect their _ - Answers fitness to living conditions
Negative ∆H and positive ∆S - Answers the reaction is both enthalpically favored (exothermic) and
entropically favored. It is spontaneous (exergonic) at all temperatures
Negative ∆H and negative ∆S - Answers the reaction is enthalpically favored but entropically opposed.
It is spontaneous only at temperatures below T = ∆H/∆S
Positive ∆H and positive ∆S - Answers the reaction is enthalpically opposed (endothermic) but
entropically favored. It is spontaneous only at temperatures above T = ∆H/∆S
Positive ∆H and negative ∆S - Answers the reaction is both enthalpically and entropically opposed. It is
non spontaneous (endergonic) at all temperatures
What is the 3rd law of thermodynamics? - Answers The entropy of any crystalline, perfectly ordered
substance must approach zero as the temperature approaches 0 °K
At T = 0 °K, entropy is _ - Answers exactly zero
_ hold atoms together so that molecules are formed - Answers Covalent bonds
Weak forces profoundly influence the structures and behaviors of all biological molecules (and water),
and _ - Answers structure dictates function
_ create interactions that are constantly forming and breaking under physiological conditions -
Answers Weak forces
_ are constructed hierarchically, from a limited number of elements - Answers Biomolecules
Certain _ and linkages characterize different types of biomolecules - Answers functional groups
Simple molecules condensed to form more complex ones, like _ - Answers polymers
Self-replicating molecules are subjected to _ - Answers natural selection
The properties of biomolecules reflect their fitness to _ - Answers Living conditions
HOCN make up 99+% of atoms in the human body because...? - Answers COVALENT BOND formation
by electron pair sharing makes H, C, N, and O appropriate to support life
The process of condensation does what? - Answers Removes in H2O to pair 2 functional groups
together
The process of hydrolysis does what? - Answers Adds in H2O into a compound and divides into 2
functional groups
In this DNA double helix, 2 complementary polynucleotide chains run in opposite directions can pair
through hydrogen bonding between their nitrogenous bases. Their complementary nucleotide
sequences give rise to _ - Answers non-covalent, structural complementarity
What does the term "intra" mean? - Answers within (intramolecular complementarity)
What does the term "inter" mean? - Answers between
Specific pairing between complementary functional groups permits one member of a pair to
determine _ of the other member - Answers the identity and orientation
Complementarity allows for macromolecules to replicate, or copy itself, by directing the assembly of a
new molecule from _ - Answers smaller complementary units
between 2 charged macromolecules, the ion pair displays charge _, and is also non-covalent.
Therefore, a positively charged group will interact _ with the negatively charged group of another
macromolecule - Answers complementarity; electrostatically
Over time, _, the competitive process by which reproductive preference is given to the better
adapted, would have favored molecules that made more accurate copies of themselves - Answers
natural selection
What are polymers? - Answers simple, organic molecules condensed to form more complex molecules
or combined end-to-end as polymers of repeating units (i.e., A strand of DNA, a polypeptide segment,
a polysaccharide chain
** What kind of bonds do polymers have? Which contain information? Which do not? - Answers
Polysaccharide chains are covalently bonded, and DNA and polypeptide chains contain information
Macromolecules and their building blocks have a sense of _ and some are _ - Answers directionality;
informational
Biomolecules have characteristic_ - Answers three-dimensional architecture
Individual forces are weak but collectively _ - Answers strong; think Velcro
_ of cells promotes efficiency by maintaining high local concentrations of reactants - Answers
Compartmentalization
_ evolved to synthesize molecules and generate energy - Answers metabolic pathways
the simplest _ are prokaryotes - Answers cells
Eukaryotic cells are characterized by numerous membrane-bound _, including a nucleus - Answers
organelles
the _ of life includes 3 domains: bacteria, archaea, and eukarya - Answers phylogenic tree
Describe prokaryotic - Answers single cell, no nucleus or organelles
Describe eukaryotic - Answers much larger in size than prokaryotes, 10^3-10^4 times larger, nucleus
plus organelles
_ must be conserved, but it can take different forms - Answers energy
in most biochemical systems, _ is equivalent to heat - Answers enthalpy
_, a measure of a system's disorder, tends to increase - Answers Entropy
The _ for a process is determined by the change in enthalpy and the change in entropy - Answers free
energy change
A _ process occurs with a decrease in free energy - Answers spontaneous
Biochemists define _ conditions as a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, a pressure of 1 atm, and a pH
of 7.0 - Answers standard state
Organisms are non-equilibrium, _ that constantly exchange matter and energy with their surroundings
- Answers Open systems
, _ increase the rates of thermodynamically favorable reactions - Answers Enzymes
Organisms are constantly busy converting raw materials into living matter, using _ from their
environment - Answers energy
Thermodynamics: the study of _ and its transformations (following where the energy goes) - Answers
energy
1st law of thermodynamics: - Answers Energy is conserved
What is enthalpy - Answers H, the total energy
What is free energy - Answers G, the energy available to do work
What is entropy - Answers S, disorder: energy that is unavailable for work
∆(useful energy) + ∆(useless energy) = - Answers ∆(total energy)
If ∆G = 0, the reaction is at _ - Answers equilibrium
If ∆G < 0, the reaction is _ as written and _ - Answers spontaneous; Exothermic or Exergonic
If ∆G > 0, the reaction is _ as written and _ - Answers opposed; Endothermic or Endergonic
What is the second law of thermodynamics? - Answers The entropy of the universe (an isolated
system) always increases, but the entropy increase does not have to take place in the reacting system
itself (i.e., the cell is an open system, so the entropy increase can be outside the cell)
All systems tend toward _ - Answers thermodynamic equilibrium (when the change in free energy is
zero)
Any reversible process proceeds towards a _ in free energy (i.e.,where ∆G is negative) - Answers
decrease
The sign (±) of ∆G for a biochemical reaction indicates _ - Answers its tendency to proceed
spontaneously in the direction written
The magnitude of ∆G indicates how 'far' from zero, _, a reaction is - Answers equilibrium
Concentrations of each reactant and product is 1 M, which is why you must convert mM to _ for hw,
quizzes, and exams - Answers 10^(-3)
For a biochemical reaction, the _ free-energy change, ∆G°', pronounced "delta G naught prime," is the
value of ∆G (kJ/mol), when: - Answers Temp: 25 °C (298 K)
Pressure: 1 atm
Concentrations of each reactant and product is 1 M
pH: 7 (don't count H+)
The concentration of water (55.5 M) is constant (don't include H2O)
Prime (') = constant _ and _ - Answers H+ and H2O
Bacterial flagellar motor relies on _ to work - Answers high concentrations of biomolecules
What is the constant concentration of water? - Answers 55.5 M
What does ∆G' represent - Answers the free energy change of a reaction at nonstandard conditions
What is the gas constant 'R'? - Answers 8.314 J/mol °K
What is a mass action ratio? - Answers It states that the rate of a reaction is proportional to the
product of the concentrations of the participating molecules
At _ there is no tendency for the reaction to proceed (no net free energy change), and ∆G' = 0 -
Answers equilibrium
The properties of biomolecules reflect their _ - Answers fitness to living conditions
Negative ∆H and positive ∆S - Answers the reaction is both enthalpically favored (exothermic) and
entropically favored. It is spontaneous (exergonic) at all temperatures
Negative ∆H and negative ∆S - Answers the reaction is enthalpically favored but entropically opposed.
It is spontaneous only at temperatures below T = ∆H/∆S
Positive ∆H and positive ∆S - Answers the reaction is enthalpically opposed (endothermic) but
entropically favored. It is spontaneous only at temperatures above T = ∆H/∆S
Positive ∆H and negative ∆S - Answers the reaction is both enthalpically and entropically opposed. It is
non spontaneous (endergonic) at all temperatures
What is the 3rd law of thermodynamics? - Answers The entropy of any crystalline, perfectly ordered
substance must approach zero as the temperature approaches 0 °K
At T = 0 °K, entropy is _ - Answers exactly zero
_ hold atoms together so that molecules are formed - Answers Covalent bonds
Weak forces profoundly influence the structures and behaviors of all biological molecules (and water),
and _ - Answers structure dictates function
_ create interactions that are constantly forming and breaking under physiological conditions -
Answers Weak forces
