4. Biomolecules

Which molecule has the shape of a completed tetrahedron?

Which of the following is an organic molecule?

Using modern equipment, a former graduate student of Stanley Miller recently reanalyzed the sample results of volcano simulation experiments that Miller conducted along with his classic experiment described in the text. This reanalysis did which of the following?

Stanley Miller's experiments were significant because he demonstrated that __________.

What is the three-dimensional shape created by hybrid orbitals that are formed when a carbon atom is covalently bonded with four other atoms?

A straight-chain carbon compound constructed from __________ must contain at least one carbon-carbon double bond.

A pharmaceutical company was forced to recall a pain reliever medication that had been linked to the fatalities of several hundred people. Analysis of the recalled drug revealed the presence of two isomers due to an asymmetrical carbon atom in the drug molecule. What can be hypothesized from this observation?

What is the reason carbon atoms are the most versatile building blocks of the molecules used by living organisms?

The carbon atom possesses __________ valence electron(s).

Which of the following are properties of hydrocarbons?

The two compounds


are related to each other by being __________.

A molecule has one carbon-carbon double bond and four monovalent atoms or groups. How many different cis-trans isomers exist for this molecule?

Pharmaceutical companies are selling billions of dollars' worth of single-enantiomer drugs. Why might it be important to use only one form of an enantiomer?

The diversity of life is staggering. Yet the molecular logic of life is simple and elegant: Small molecules common to all organisms are ordered into unique macromolecules. Explain why carbon is central to this diversity of organic molecules. How do carbon skeletons, chemical groups, monomers, and polymers relate to this molecular logic of life?