AP Biology · Summary

Unit 1 summary

  1. Water is polar, so its molecules form hydrogen bonds with each other; those bonds give cohesion, adhesion and a high specific heat.
  2. Carbon forms the skeleton of organic molecules; nitrogen is in amino acids and bases; phosphorus is in nucleic acids, phospholipids and ATP.
  3. Dehydration synthesis joins monomers and releases water; hydrolysis adds water to break them. A chain of n monomers has n - 1 bonds.
  4. R groups give each amino acid its properties, and their interactions fold a chain into its tertiary structure.
  5. Shape sets function: denaturing a protein unfolds it without breaking its peptide bonds.
  6. A nucleotide is a sugar, a phosphate and a base. DNA has deoxyribose and T; RNA has ribose and U.
  7. DNA strands are antiparallel and complementary: A pairs with T and G pairs with C.