Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can explain why organisms must take in atoms and molecules from their environment to build new molecules. (Guide: “Where the atoms in your body come from”)
- I can name carbon, hydrogen and oxygen as the most common elements in biological molecules, and say why carbon makes a good backbone. (Guide: “The core elements”)
- I can state where sulfur is found in proteins, naming the two amino acids. (Guide: “Sulfur: proteins”; Practice Q2)
- I can state where phosphorus is found in phospholipids and in nucleic acids. (Guide: “Phosphorus”; Practice Q1, Q5)
- I can state where nitrogen is found in nucleic acids and in proteins. (Guide: Figure 2; Practice Q1)
- I can describe how plants and animals obtain carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur. (Guide: “How organisms obtain these elements”; Practice Q7)
Calculation and skills
- I can identify the likely class of a molecule from its formula or a table of elements. (Guide: Figure 1, Worked example 1; Practice Q3)
- I can calculate the percentage by mass of an element in a molecule. (Guide: Worked example 1)
- I can correct tracer readings for background and calculate the percentage of a label in each fraction. (Guide: Worked example 2)
- I can convert percentages by mass into a ratio of atoms. (Practice Q6)
Reasoning
- I can predict which molecules a ³⁵S or ³²P label will enter, and explain why. (Guide: “Using elements as labels”; Practice Q2, Q5)
- I can explain how a shortage of nitrate or phosphate limits growth, using data. (Practice Q4)
- I can use elemental data as evidence to argue which class an unknown molecule belongs to. (Practice Q6)
All ticked? Move on to Topic 1.3, Introduction to Macromolecules, or return to the course roadmap.