Help with Other Biological Molecules

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Organic Chemistry › Help with Other Biological Molecules

Questions 1 - 9
1

Which element is present in all organic compounds?

Carbon

Nitrogen

Oxygen

Phosphorous

Explanation

By definition, an organic compound is a compound that contains carbon. Organic chemistry is the study of carbon-containing molecules.

2

Which of the atoms in the molecules below is/are sp 2 hybridized?

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1, 3 and 5

3 only

1 and 4

1 and 5

2 and 4

Explanation

The boron in 2 is sp 3 hybridized because of its four substituents and the carbon in 4 is sp hybridized because of its connection to only the nitrogen with a single .

3

Pinene

How many isoprene units does the given molecule, alpha-pinene, have?

None - it is not a terpene

Explanation

Alpha-pinene is a terpene, and is thus composed of isoprene units. A single isoprene unit has 5 carbon atoms. This molecule has 10 carbons, thus it contains 2 isoprene units.

4

Which of the following can be classified excluisively as pyrimidines?

Cytosine and thymine

Cytosine and guanine

Adenine and thymine

Adenine and guanine

Explanation

Pyrimidine is one classification of a nucleotide base that is formed of only one six-membered heterocyclic ring. Cytosine and thymine (of DNA) and uracil (of RNA) are all pyrimidines while adenine and guanine are classified as purines. One way to help you remember this is that pyrimidines, like pyramids, are "sharp." Sharp things "CUT" Cytosine, Uracil, Thymine.

5

Img 0741

A chair flip of the pictured cyclohexane would result in __________.

the bromine in the equatorial position and both the chlorine and alcohol in the axial position

all three substituents in the axial position

all three substituents in the equatorial position

the bromine in the axial position and both the chlorine and alcohol in the equatorial position

Explanation

Originally, bromine is in the axial position and the other two substituents are equatorial. During a chair flip, all substituents become inverted in their positions. Therefore, the bromine will be found in the equatorial position and both the chlorine and alcohol will be found in the axial position.

6

By which characteristic do resonance structures of a molecule differ?

The position of the electrons

Rotation around sigma bonds

Molecular formula

Hybridization

Explanation

By definition, resonance structures are multiple Lewis structures that depict the same molecular compound. The only difference pertains to the way in which electrons are shared by atoms in the molecule. Molecules are weighted averages of their most stable resonance contributors.

7

Img 0701

Consider the DNA bases cytosine and guanine. Which interaction allows for these bases to pair up and form a double helix?

Hydrogen bonding

Dipole-dipole interactions

Nitrogen bonding

Covalent bonding

Explanation

The correct answer is hydrogen bonding. The hydrogens on the amine groups of each base can hydrogen bond with the nitrogens and oxygens in the adjacent base. Three hydrogen bonds are formed between cytosine and guanine, and these three bonds are what make up the "rungs" of the ladder, that is the DNA double helix.

8

Cholic acid 3d

What class of biological molecule is the given compound?

Steroid

Amino acid

Nucleic acid

Carbohydrate

Fatty acid

Explanation

This is cholic acid, a steroid. Steroids can be easily identified by their characteristic fused ring structures.

9

Which of the following compounds are isomers?

1-butanol and 2-butanol

Ethane and ethanol

Methane and methanol

Benzene and hexane

Explanation

By definition, isomers are compounds that share the same molecular formula but have differing molecular structures. 1-butanol and 2-butanol share the same formula, but the hydroxyl group can be located on either the first or second carbon on the molecule, yielding two different structures that share the same molecular formula. The other answers have different molecular formulas and are thus not isomers.

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