AS-LEVEL AQA BIOLOGY NOTES
TOPIC 1: MONOMERS & POLYMERS
Monomers and polymers
- Monomers are individual molecules that can bond to other identical monomers to form a string of such molecules called a polymer
- E.g. a chain of identical glucose molecules (monomers) is a polymer called starch.
- Monosaccharides, nucleotides and amino acids are examples of monomers.
Condensation Reaction
- A reaction in which two molecules join together and
- Release a water molecule
- E.g. when two glucose molecules bond together
- conversely, a water molecule is used to split two glucose molecules: this is called
- Very common phenomenon in biology, especially with enzymes
- Inverse of condensation: two molecules split and use up a water molecule to do so