HW no. 1, summer 2009. Not collected, not graded.

Before the first exam, you should be able to do

these without looking at your text or notes. Some of these questions (or similar) may appear on the
first exam.
1. Which of the following statements concerning prokaryotes are true?
a) Prokaryotes are made up of two major groupings: the bacteria and the archaea, which
are as different from each other as they are from the eukaryotes.
b) If an organism consists of only a single cell, it cannot be a eukaryote.
c) If a cell contains chloroplasts or mitochondria, it must be from a eukaryote.
d) All bacteria are prokaryotes.
2. Coupled reactions are important in biochemistry because: (circle any that are true)
a) They allow unfavorable thermodynamic reactions to occur in cells.
b) Couples reactions mean that the overall reaction has a positive delta G.
c) They only occur during photosynthesis.
d) They allow the monomers of one biopolymer to change into monomers of a different type
of biopolymer.
3. Of thymine and uracil, which is usually in DNA? Which has a methyl group?
4. If a 28 base-pair segment of double-stranded DNA contains 7 adenine residues, how many guanine
residues are there?
a) 14
b) 21
c) 42
d) 7
e) not enough information f) none of above
5. Which of the following functional groups are found among the side chains of the 20 amino acids that
are specified by the usual genetic code?
a) amine
b) amide
c) ester
d) hydroxyl e) sulfhydryl
6. What is the approximate wavelength of visible light? In nanometers and Angstroms?
7. Coupled reactions are important in biochemistry because: (circle any that are true)
a) They allow unfavorable thermodynamic reactions to occur in cells.
b) Couples reactions mean that the overall reaction has a positive delta G.
c) They only occur during photosynthesis.
d) They allow one biomolecule to chemically change into a different type of biomolecule.
8. Chloroplasts and mitochondria are prokaryotic organelles that used to be independent eukaryotic
organisms. a) True b) False
9. Which of the following biomolecules are not found in a polymerized form within the cell?
a) amino acids b) monosaccharides
c) nucleotides
10. How many charged groups are there in the tripeptide Lys-Pro-Ile at pH 7. What is the total charge
of the tripeptide?

11. A few drops of HCl were added to a beaker of water. Which of the following happen?
a) pH increases and [H+] decreases
b) pH decreases and [H+] increases
c) both pH and [H+] decrease
d) both pH and [H+] increase e) none of the above
12. Which of the following deoxyoligonucleotides will hybridize with a DNA containing the sequence
(5') AGACTGGTC (3')?
a) (5) TCTGACCAG (3)
b) (5) GAGTCAACT (3)
c) (5) CTCATTGAG (3)
d) (5) GACCAGTCT(3)
e) none of the above
13. What molecules combine to make a nucleotide?
a) a base only
b) a base and a ribose sugar c) a ribose sugar and a phosphate group
d) a base, a ribose sugar, and at least one phosphate group
e) a base and a phosphate group
14. What is the correct order of chemical bonds from weakest to strongest?
a) hydrogen bonds, van der Waals interactions, ionic bonds, covalent bonds
b) covalent bonds, ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, van der Waals interactions
c) van der Waals interactions, hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds, covalent bonds
d) hydrogen bonds, van der Waals interactions, covalent bonds, ionic bonds
15. Micelles, lipid bilayers, and lipid vesicles can form based on what properties of amphiphilic
molecules?
a) Hydrophilic patches clump together and become ordered.
b) The hydrophobic patches become ordered to exclude water, leaving the hydrophilic
patches exposed to water.
c) Amphiphilic molecules are not soluble in water.
d) Amphiphilic molecules only form lipid bilayers.
e) Amphiphilic molecules form covalent interactions to exclude water.
16. What is the molarity of water?
17. What are the two most significant buffers that maintain blood and cell pH?
18. Which is not a common ion in cells?
a) Na+
b) Sn3+
c) Cld) Mg2+ e) Ca2+
19. Which of the following is an important use of a cell?
a) Cells provide protection from the environment.
b) Cells provide a means of compartmentalizing different chemical reactions.
c) Cells provide a way to concentrate necessary molecules.
d) All of the above.
e) None of the above.
20. Phosphate, with a pK2 of = 6.82, will be mostly in the HPO42 form at pH 7.2. At pH 5.82 it is
mostly in the ______ form.
a) H3PO4
b) H2PO4
c) HPO4 2

21. Which of the following is TRUE about the oligonucleotide with sequence AUCCGAUC?
a) It contains 3 pyrimidine bases. b) It has an A at its 3' terminus.
c) It has a purine at its 5' terminus. d) It is a DNA oligonucleotide. e) all of these
22. Which of the following amino acid side chains could form hydrogen bonds with each other?
a) Ser and Pro
b) Lys and Phe
c) Gln and Ser
23. Which of the following bases could for form a hydrogen bond with adenine?
a) G b) C c) T
d) U e) all of these
24. The pH environment greatly affects enzyme activity?
a) True b) False
25. A commonly used indicator of denaturation of DNA is:
a) decrease in IR absorption
b) decrease in UV absorption
c) decease in Visible absorption
26. Which of the following is NOT a component of a PCR reaction?
a) DNA polymerase
b) two oligonucleotide primers that are complementary to the 5 end of DNA
c) A, T, G, C
d) DNA sample
e) all are components
27. Which of the following molecules is most soluble in water?
a. cholesterol b. palmitate c. sodium acetate d. stearate
28. Which one of the following reactions has a positive entropy change?
a. H2O(gas) => H2O(liquid)
b. H2O (liquid) => H2O (gas)
c. 2NH4 NO3(solid) => 2N2(g) + 4H2O(g) + O2(g)
29. Calculate the pH of water from the following hydrogen ion concentrations:
-9
-5
a) 1 x 10 mol/L
b) 3.0 x 10 mol/L
30. Calculate the hydrogen ion concentration in water at: a) pH 3.0 b) 8.5
31. Which of the following aqueous solutions has the lowest pH:
a. 0.1M HCl
b. 0.1M acetic acid (pKa= 4.8)
c. 0.1M formic acid (pKa= 3.8)
d. 0.1M carbonic acid (pKa = 6.4)
32. When a 1 mM solution of the enzyme carbonic anhydrase is mixed with the a 1 mM solution of a
carboxysolfonamide (CBS, an inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase), the carbonic anhydrase and CBS
spontaneously bind together. Upon binding, the carbonic anhydrase and CBS become more rigid and
have a lower entropy than when they are separate. Is the enthalpy change for this reaction positive,
negative, or zero? Explain your answer.