Biological Molecules
Biological Molecules
Biological Molecules
Biological Molecules
Biological molecules (molecules found in living organisms) are things like carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
They’re generally long, complex molecules made up from smaller basic units.
starch
glucose
Supplement
ENZYMES — act as biological catalysts to speed up chemical reactions in the body (see page 31).
In order to speed up a reaction, a part of the enzyme called the active site has to bind to the
substrate (reacting molecule). The shape of the enzyme affects the shape of its active site,
which determines what substrate it can bind to and what chemical reaction it can catalyse.
ANTIBODIES — are part of the immune system and help the body fight pathogens (see page 70).
A part of the antibody called the binding site binds to molecules on the surface of pathogens called
antigens. The shape of the antibody affects the shape of its binding site, which determines which
antigen it can bind to and which pathogen it can help fight.
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colour change if no
blue green yellow orange brick red sugars are present.
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test solution, solution instead,
to make the solution alkaline. potassium hydroxide which is just a
2) Then add some copper(II) sulfate and mixture of potassium
solution (which is bright blue). copper(II) sulfate hydroxide and
solution copper(II) sulfate
3) If there’s no protein, solutions.
the solution will stay blue.
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colour remains
2) If there’s no starch,
browny-orange if
it stays browny-orange.
food sample starch isn’t present
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liquid
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2) If there are any fats or oils present, they will precipitate doesn’t dissolve in another
—
out of the liquid and show up as a milky emulsion. it just forms little droplets.
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DIGESTION — digestive enzymes need to be in
for the products of digestion,
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solution to work properly. Water helps the body to which allows them to diffuse
digest food by acting as a solvent for the enzymes. into the bloodstream.
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Supplement
in the shape of a double helix (two spirals).
2) Each strand contains chemicals called bases.
There are four different bases (shown in the diagram
as different colours) — A, C, G and T.
3) The two strands are held together by cross-links
that are formed by pairs of bases.
4) The bases always pair up in the same way — it’s always A-T and C-G.
base pairings
A T
C G
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4 The chemicals of life
There are no specific definitions to learn in this chapter.
This exercise will give you practice in constructing results charts (A03.3) and drawing conclusions (A03.4),
as well as helping you to remember important facts about carbohydrates.
A student carried out tests on two foods. This is what she wrote in her notebook.
IGCSE Biology
b Complete this table about carbohydrates.
Type of
Example Role in living organisms
carbohydrate
glucose
sugar
the form in which carbohydrates are transported in plants
polysaccharide cellulose
glycogen
There are hundreds of different proteins in the human body, each with its own particular role to play.
Use the internet or other resources to find out about each of the proteins listed below. Make notes, and then shorten
them so that you eventually write down just two or three sentences about each protein, each sentence packed with
information about it.
a haemoglobin
b keratin
C collagen
d antibodies
IGCSE Biology
Exercise 4.3 Testing a hypothesis
This exercise will help you to remember the biuret test for proteins. It will also help you to Improve your skills
in planning experiments (A03.2). Your teacher may allow you to carry out your experiment- if so, you are
almost certain to find you want to make some changes to it. That is good - it is what most scientists do.
The biuret test is used to test foods for proteins. The intensity of the colour obtained depends on the concentration of
protein in the sample being tested.
Plan an investigation to test this hypothesis:
Milk from cows contains a higher concentration of protein than milk from goats.
b Now think about how you could use this test to test the hypothesis.
i What variable would you change in your experiment?
ii What would you keep the same? Try to think of at least three variables you would keep the same.
c T T
r
A G G A A
IG ) A
T c T c T
a What are the parts of the molecule labelled A, C, G or T? Draw a circle around the correct term.
amino acids bases genes proteins
IGCSE Biology
4 Biological molecules
Core
1 List the chemical elements present in:
a carbohydrates
b fats
c all proteins.
a ........................................... i
ii
...........................................
b ...................................................... i
ii
................................... ...................................
c i
ii
................................
...........................................
3 Draw lines to match the statements to the food tests and the results.
Supplement G
T
4 The diagram shows two strands of a section of DNA,
with the bases on the left strand identified. C
a Complete the diagram by writing the letters of the bases that would A
be present on the other strand. A
C
b What name is given to describe the two strands coiled together?
c 28% of the bases in a DNA molecule are base A. Calculate the percentage of C bases. Show your
working at each stage of the calculation.
Exam-style questions
Core
1 a Describe how you would carry out a food test on a piece of fish to find out if it
contained oil.
[3]
[1]
[Total: 4]
Supplement
2 Which two statements about DNA are correct?
1 Each strand contains chemicals called fatty acids.
2 T always pairs with A.
3 A gene is a length of DNA, coding for a protein.
4 A red blood cell contains DNA in its nucleus.
A 1 and 3
B 1 and 4
C 2 and 3
D 2 and 4 [1]
3 Outline the structure of DNA.
[4]