Unit 2 Reflection

Unit 2 was was Miniature Biology. This is because it focused on the smaller parts of life. It focused on macromolecules, molecules, compounds, elements, atoms, and subatomic particles. We learned about three of the four types of bonds. The Ionic Bonds forms when an atom gains or looses and electron. The Covalent Bond forms when electrons are shared between atoms. Lastly, there is the Hydrogen Bonds. These bonds are not as strong as the other bonds, but it holds molecules together due to the slight attraction of positive to negative charged regions. Next, we focused on water and polarity. We learned that water is wet because of its polarity, and capillary action. Polarity is the unequal distribution of charge between Hydrogen and Oxygen. Capillary Action is when cohesion and adhesion work together and causes water to rise up vs. the force of gravity. pH is a measurement of H+ ions in a solution. H+ is a hydrogen ion. Acids, ph less than 7, tastes sour, is corrosive to metals, become less acidic when mixed with bases, and is also attracted to bases.
Bases on the other hand, have ph level more than 7, taste bitter, feel slippery, and become less basic when mixed with acids. As with acids attracted to bases, the bases are attracted to acids.

Next, we talked about the 4 macromolecules, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Carbohydrates are sugars, or saccharides. They have rings with the structure of C (carbon) H (hydrogen) and O (oxygen). There are 3 types of carbs: monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. Monosaccharides have only one ring of structure. The disaccharides have 2 rings, while the polysaccharides have 3+ rings. Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for living organisms like us who consume carbohydrates.

Lipids are large molecules that include fats, phospholipids, oils, waxes, and cholesterol. They have the structure that contain long chains of carbon and hydrogen called fatty acid. Most lipids are nonpolar, or uncharged. Many lipids also have a hydropholic, water loving, head that faces outwards and a hydrophobic, water fearing, tail that faces inwards. Lipids are used as energy storage, and break bonds between carbon and hydrogen to get energy when glucose is running low. They also make up the cell membrane and are used to make hormones. There are saturated fats, bad for you, and unsaturated fats, good for you.

Proteins are large molecules made up of smaller molecules called amino acids, that are chained together. We make the protein we use in our body by eating proteins, and then the body breaks down the protein into amino acids. Amino acids are then recycled into new proteins. Proteins support the body, help cells communicate, let things pass through the cell membrane, and speed up chemical reactions. The 4 types of proteins are hemoglobin, collagen, muscle proteins, and kerratin. Enzymes make chemical reactions happen. They either break molecules apart or they put them together. The substrate is what the enzyme works on, while the active sight is where the substrate attaches to the enzyme. The product is what the enzyme produces.

Nucleic acids, the last of the 4 macromolecules, are large molecules composed of up to thousands of repeating nucleotides. Nucleotides are made up of a sugar, a phosphate, and a nitrogen molecule.
DNA and RNA are nucleic acids, and DNA has two strands while RNA has only one strand. Nucleic acids are the sources of information passed from generation to generation.

Enzymes are made up of 4 structures: primary structure, secondary structure, tertiary structure, and quaternary structure. pH and temperature are the two factors that affect enzymes. Denaturation is when an enzyme or a protein unwinds and loses its ability to work. Simple denaturation is the denaturation of the tertiary and quaternary structures while completely denatured is when the primary structure is denatured.

In this unit, I learned a lot about the smaller parts of our body. I knew organisms were made of atoms, and molecules, but I thought we only used the macromolecules as energy and they had no real body effects. I learned about how the macromolecules are important to the body and how they are apart of all of our body. I also learned about how water sticks to itself and how it can go against gravity. Before this, I did not realize water sticking together as droplets. I just noticed it. I did not think about it until now. One thing I would like to continue to learn about is water. I would like to learn more about its properties, and how it can be changed. I would also like to learn more about polar and nonpolar liquids.

Are all Sugars Really Sweet?

Sweetness Lab

In this lab we asked the question: "How does the structure of the carbohydrate affect its taste(sweetness)?" We found that monosaccharides, the single ringed carbohydrate, was the sweetest tasting, the disaccharides, the double ringed carbohydrate, were moderately sweet, and the polysaccharides, the multiple ringed(3+) carbohydrate, was the least sweet. My data table is shown below. The Sucrose, a monosaccharide, was considered a 200 out of 200, while Maltose, a disaccharide was considered a 10 and Starch, a polysaccharide, was considered a 0. 

Cells/organisms may use carbohydrates with different structures by bonding with different things like other carbohydrates or by using them to fuel/give energy to different parts of the cell/organism. It could also determine how energy is stored. 

Not all testers gave each sample the same rating. Some explanations for this could be that the testers's taste buds were different from each other. Another explanation could be that the testers did not totally rid themselves of the taste of the previous sugar. This could have lead to a mix in tastes giving different results to different testers. Another reason that could have affected the tasting is the amount of sugar tasted. A different amount of sugar could have lead to different sugar concentration. 

Sweetness is received by taste receptors. These taste receptors are clumped together into taste buds. In most organisms like humans or dogs, taste buds are small pegs of epithelium on the tongue called papillae. Taste buds contain from 50-150 taste receptors. 

http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/pregastric/taste.html

What is Biology? Collage

Jean Lab

In this lab we asked the question "What concentration of bleach is best to fad the color out of new denim material in 10 minutes without visible damage to the fabric?". We found that the denim squares with pure bleach (100%) concentration had the most color faded in proportion to the damage done to the material.  Because of the short amount of time we put the material in the bleach, the material was not as damaged as it could have been. However, the fading process worked at a much faster pace than the damaging. This allowed for more discoloration than damage to occur. The color removal average for pure bleach was 7.3, while the damage for the same samples was kept to as little as only 4. The concentration that came closest in comparison was 50% concentration with a fading average of 4.6 and a damage average of 3.5. However, the pure bleach had almost twice the amount of fading as damage, while the 50% solution was only 1.3x the amount of fading to damage. This data support our claim because it proves that the pure bleach was most successful in fading the color of the denim with the least amount of damage.

While our hypothesis was supported by our data, the pure bleach was most successful at fading the jeans with the least damage, there could have been errors due to the short time period we had to conduct this experiment. We also lacked coordination and teamwork as a group. Some of our errors included unintentionally airing the squares on a paper towel before submerging them in water to stop the bleaching process. This may have skewed our results because the bleaching process may have continued while the damage did not. We also forgot to keep track of time during the experiment, meaning that we may have kept the squares in the solution or the water for too long. This could have affected our results because all the squares were not tested in the same circumstances leaving the results in question and possibly not repeatable or applicable. Due to these errors, in future experiments I would recommend doing only one sample at a time so that we are paying attention to all variables of the experiment and not rushing on to the next sample leaving room for error. I would also suggest that the group working together devise a plan and tasks for each scientist to do so that the experiment runs in a smoother fashion.

The procedure can be improved by giving the experiment more time to be conducted. Also, there should be more people per group so that there are assigned tasks and a smoother experiment is conducted. This lab was conducted to demonstrate and and learn how to use the scientific method. From this lab, I learned how to use the scientific method properly, and how to work as a team, which helps me understand the concept of the scientific method and where I needed improvement. Based on my experience from this lab I know that I am able to use the scientific method properly.