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Drain cleaners a common household staple, used to open clogged drains in bathtubs and sinks. Human hair is a common culprit that clogs pipes, and hair is made predominately of protein. Drain cleaners are effective at breaking down proteins that have accumulated in plumbing. Drain cleaners can be either acidic or basic, and are also effective at breaking down fats that have accumulated with proteins.
A typical reaction—reaction 1—which would be expected for a drain cleaner on contact with human hair, would be as follows in an aqueous solution:
Another reaction that may occur, reaction 2, would take place as follows in an aqueous solution:
In contrast to the proteins in Reactions 1 and 2, the body uses carbohydrates __________.
Carboydrates are the main energy currency of cells. They are typically burned first, before fats and proteins, to generate energy. Proteins, in contrast, are usually the functional biomolecules, serving structural and enzymatic roles.
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Which of the following accurately describes glucose?
Glucose is composed of six carbons. When not in ring form, there is an aldehyde at the end of the molecule. As a result, glucose is an example of an aldohexose.
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Which of the following carbohydrates is created in animals, but not in plants?
Glucose is stored in animals cells in the form of glycogen. Plants store glucose as either starch or cellulose. Amylose is a specialized component of starch, and plays a key role in plant energy storage.
Plants do not form glycogen, similar to the way that humans cannot form (or break down) cellulose.
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Which of the following statements is true concerning glucose?
Maltose and cellulose are both composed of glucose monomers that are combined in a 1,4 glycosidic linkage, however they differ by the type of 1,4 linkage used. Cellulose uses a beta 1,4 linkage, while maltose uses an alpha 1,4 linkage.
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