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BIOMOLECULE NOTES
1. BIOMOLECULE
a. aka – organic compounds
b. bio = life, molecule = group of atoms
c. all contain carbon
2. CARBOHYDRATES
a. Made of carbon, hydrogen & oxygen
b. simple molecules called monosaccharides
i. Such as glucose (sugar made by animals that gives them energy) & fructose (sugar
from fruit & honey)
c. Disaccharide = 2 monosaccharides combined
i. Such as: glucose + fructose = sucrose – table sugar
d. Polysaccharide = 3+ monosaccharides combined
i. Such as: starch (used in food storage for plants), glycogen (food stored in the liver of
animals) & cellulose (forms the cell walls in plants to give them structural support)
3. LIPIDS
a. Insoluble in water b/c they are nonpolar (no charge) molecules
b. commonly called fats & oils
c. Store energy, insulate & protect
d. Most contain fatty acids – molecules that have a hydrophilic end and a hydrophobic head
e. Cell membranes are composed of lipid bilayers – where the tails of fatty acids point towards
each other & the heads point outward creating a barrier b/t the outside & inside of the cell
f. Examples: Triglycerides = butter, waxes = waterproof coatings, steroids = testosterone &
cholesterol
4. PROTEINS
a. Made of amino acids
b. There are 20 different amino acids
c. The sequence of amino acids determines the proteins shape & function
d. Polypeptide = long chain of amino acids joined by peptide bonds
e. provide structure for tissues & organs
f. carry out cell metabolism
g. examples: egg whites, enzymes
5. NUCLEIC ACIDS
a. Large, complex molecules
b. Store & transfer info in a cell
c. DNA = (deoxyribonucleic acid) contains all genetic info for cell activities
d. RNA = (ribonucleic acid) helps build proteins & can act as an enzyme
e. Made of nucleotides = phosphate group bonded to a five carbon sugar bonded to a nitrogen
base