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NCERT · Class 12 · Chemistry

Chapter 10: Biomolecules

Practice each question, then open the answer or worked solution.

Textbook exercises

33 questions
Q1Written answer

Glucose or sucrose are soluble in water but cyclohexane or benzene (simple six-membered ring compounds) are insoluble in water. Explain.

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Worked solution

Answer: Glucose and sucrose have several -OH groups, allowing them to form hydrogen bonds with water, making them soluble. Cyclohexane and benzene do not have -OH groups, so they cannot form hydrogen bonds and remain insoluble in water.

Q2Written answer

What are the expected products of hydrolysis of lactose?

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Answer: Lactose is made up of β-D-galactose and β-D-glucose. When lactose undergoes hydrolysis, it breaks down into these two simpler sugars.

Q3Written answer

How do you explain the absence of an aldehyde group in the pentaacetate of D-glucose?
The pentaacetate of D-glucose cannot react with hydroxylamine, showing it lacks a free aldehyde group.

  • The open-chain form of D-glucose contains a free aldehyde group, which can react with hydroxylamine to form an oxime.
  • Pentaacetate of D-glucose does not have this open-chain structure, so the aldehyde group is not available for reaction.
  • Therefore, the absence of reaction with hydroxylamine indicates the aldehyde group is not present in pentaacetate.

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Q4Written answer

The melting points and solubility in water of amino acids are generally higher than that of the corresponding halo acids. Explain.
 Amino acids form zwitterions in water, making them more soluble and increasing their melting points compared to halo acids.

  • Amino acids have both carboxyl and amino groups, letting them act as both acids and bases.
  • In water, they exist as zwitterions (both positive and negative charges on the molecule).
  • This zwitterionic form results in strong attractions between molecules, raising melting points and water solubility compared to halo acids.

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Q5Written answer

Where does the water present in the egg go after boiling the egg?

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Answer: When eggs are boiled, their proteins denature and coagulate. The water gets absorbed by the coagulated proteins through hydrogen bonding.

Q6Written answer

Why cannot vitamin C be stored in our body?

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Answer: Vitamin C is water soluble. Since water-soluble substances are regularly lost in urine, vitamin C cannot be stored in the body.

Q7Written answer

What products would be formed when a nucleotide from DNA containing thymine is hydrolyzed?

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Answer: On hydrolysis, such a nucleotide from DNA gives thymine, β-D-2-deoxyribose, and phosphoric acid.

Q8Written answer

When RNA is hydrolyzed, there is no relationship among the quantities of different bases obtained. What does this fact suggest about the structure of RNA?
Random quantities of bases after RNA hydrolysis suggest RNA is single stranded.

  • In DNA, adenine always pairs with thymine and cytosine pairs with guanine, resulting in equal quantities after hydrolysis.
  • In RNA, no pairing restricts the ratio of bases, so unequal amounts are obtained.
  • This shows RNA is single-stranded, unlike the double-stranded DNA.

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Q9Written answer

What are monosaccharides?

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Answer: Monosaccharides are the simplest form of carbohydrates. They cannot be broken down into simpler sugars. Monosaccharides can be classified by the number of carbon atoms (e.g., pentose for 5 carbons) and by their functional group (aldoses have an aldehyde group, ketoses have a ketone group). For example, a 5-carbon ketone sugar = ketopentose.

Q10Written answer

What are reducing sugars?

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Answer: Reducing sugars are carbohydrates that can reduce Fehling’s solution and Tollen’s reagent. All monosaccharides and most disaccharides, except sucrose, are reducing sugars.