AP Biology Unit 1: Chemistry of Life — Tips & Strategies

Water's emergent properties (cohesion, adhesion, high specific heat, solvent versatility) all stem from hydrogen bonding between polar water molecules. This is a recurring FRQ theme.

Dehydration synthesis builds polymers by removing water. Hydrolysis breaks polymers by adding water. This applies to all four macromolecule categories.

Water potential (Psi) equals the sum of solute potential and pressure potential. Water moves from high to low water potential. Pure water at atmospheric pressure has a water potential of zero.

Remember the four macromolecule types and their primary roles: carbohydrates (energy & structure), lipids (membranes & long-term energy), proteins (everything else), nucleic acids (information storage).

Know how to interpret and draw graphs of enzyme activity vs. temperature, pH, and substrate concentration. These appear frequently on both MCQ and FRQ sections.