Unit 1 Interactive Review

Essential Structure–Function Relationships

Use these causal links to build explanations, then practice with the retrieval questions below.

Topic	Structure → property → function
Water	Polarity → hydrogen bonding → cohesion, adhesion, temperature stability, and evaporation-based cooling.
Elements & polymers	Environmental atoms → biological molecules; dehydration joins monomers, while hydrolysis uses water to break covalent bonds.
Carbohydrates	Monosaccharide arrangement → linear or branched polysaccharide → storage or structural function.
Lipids	More cis C=C bonds → more kinks → less packing → greater fluidity at the same temperature.
Nucleic acids	Nucleotide sequence + complementary, antiparallel strands → stable information storage and copying.
Proteins	Amino-acid sequence → R-group interactions → folding and three-dimensional shape → function.
Macromolecule evidence	Valid positive and negative controls → interpretable indicator results → supported identification of an unknown.

Identify the relevant molecular structure or pattern.
Explain how that structure produces a property or interaction.
Connect the property to the biological function or observed result.
Support the claim with model or experimental evidence, and qualify predictions when context matters.