Question 1: Do covalent bonds provide the driving force for folding and interact

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Question 1: Do covalent bonds provide the driving force for folding and interactions of molecules such as proteins, DNA, RNA, carbohydrates, and lipids?

Question 2: When we cook an egg the proteins denature, but do not degrade. Why?

Question 3: Hydrogen bonds operate over short distances (0.3 nm), BUT they can mediate more long-range interactions (if ________is involved).

Question 4: How does water operate as a solvent? (Draw some pictures of hydrogen bonds and hydration interactions with macromolecules and with smaller molecules like ions and ethanol)

Question 5: What is the hydrophobic effect?

Question 6: How does water influence the fold and the arrangements of biomolecules in solution?

Question 7: Can you think of some types of macromolecules in cells that ARE and ARE NOT able to make favourable hydrogen bonds with water? What is it about their structures that gives them these properties?

Question 8: Based on the pre-work from earlier lectures, could you draw the structures, and label the atoms that would, or would not be able to make hydrogen bonds with water.

Question 9: Which types of cellular structures and folded macromolecules have hydrophobic cores?

Question 10: What cellular/biological structures can you think of that might form micelles when they are exposed to water? Can you draw a general structure for these molecules that explains why they behave in this way?

Question 11: DNA base pairing is mediated by weak forces. Why is it important that weak forces, and not strong forces, act in this situation?

Please include diagram to explain. Thanks :)

Explanation / Answer

1.

In the cell, the basic buildings materials/molecules are RNA, DNA and proteins. All these molecules are covalently bonded.

Covalent bonds are present in almost all biological molecules. Covalent interactions are otherwise known as molecular interactions.

The atoms present in these molecules share electron pairs. This sharing of electrons results in binding known as covalent bonding.

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