Download Organic Compound Notes

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Biochemistry in Biology
1. Organic molecules are generally considered as molecules that contain the element
carbon. (Although there is an exception to the rule- CO2 ) Inorganic substances are
those substances without carbon.
2. When there is only ONE straight line between atoms it is called a single bond.
3. When there are TWO straight lines between atoms it is called a double bond.
4. There are 4 major groups of organic molecules
a. carbohydrates
b. lipids
c. proteins
d. nucleic acids
Carbohydrates
All carbohydrates are made of a long string of sugars. The major function of
carbohydrates in the body is for “quick energy.” All sugars are made of carbon, hydrogen, and
oxygen. Examples of carbohydrates would include sugars and starches. There are 3 sizes of
carbohydrates depending on the amount of sugar included in the carbohydrate.
1. Monosaccharides are made of one sugar
a. Examples: glucose, galactose, & fructose
b. 2:1 ratio of hydrogen and oxygen
c. Building blocks of monosaccharides are sugars
d. All end in -OSE
Glucose
(blood sugar)
Fructose
(fruit sugar)
Galactose
(broken down milk sugar)
Write the molecular formulas for the 3 sugars drawn above. (count each element)
Glucose: C6H12O6
Fructose: C6H12O6
Galactose: C6H12O6
e.
2. Disaccharides are made of double sugars and sucrose, maltose, and lactose are
three examples.
3. Polysaccharides are made of many monosaccharide sugars linked together.
a. Also called starches
b. Three types of polysaccharides:
i. Starch
ii. Glycogen- animals
iii. Cellulose- plants
Dehydration Synthesis
When you want to make a Disaccharide, you must remove a hydroxal group (OH) from one
monosaccharide and a hydrogen (H) from the other monosaccharide. So, we have 2
hydrogens and 1 oxygen, which we can turn into water (H2O). This process is called dehydration
synthesis. Synthesis means “to to make_” and dehydration is the removal of water. So, we make
disaccharides by removing a water molecule from the union of 2 monosaccharides.
Hydrolysis
In order to break down starches, you must use water to break the bond and re-establish the 2
monosaccharides. We add an OH group to one and a H to the other. So, in theory, if you eat
starches and do not drink water you have no way of getting the energy out of the starch. If the
starch isn’t used immediately, it will turn to fat.
Lipids
Lipids have a large energy potential, but a slow release. To better understand the
chemistry of fats, it is helpful to study first the small molecules which join to make up fats. Fat
molecules are made up of 2 small “building blocks” called glycerol and fatty acids.
Glycerol
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Caproic Acid (fatty acid example)
What elements are present in glycerol? Carbon, hydrogen, & oxygen
What is the molecular formula for glycerol? C3H8O3
What elements are present in all fatty acids? Carbon, hydrogen, & oxygen
What is the molecular formula for caproic acid? C6H12O2
Examples of Lipids:
a. fats
b. oils
c. waxes
Proteins
Proteins are complex molecules made up of smaller “building blocks” called amino
acids. The element nitrogen (N) is found in all amino acids along with C, H,O.
Proteins can be found in places like muscles for contractions, transporting oxygen, in the blood,
providing immunity to diseases, and carrying out chemical reactions.
Alanine
1.
2.
3.
4.
Valine
What is the molecular formula for alanine? C3H7O2N
What is the molecular formula for valine? C5H11O2N
Draw a triangle around each amino group (NH2).
Do carbohydrates have amino groups? No
Nucleic Acids
A nucleic acid is a complex macromolecule that stores information in cells in the form of
a code. Nucleic acids have building blocks called nucleotides. They are made of C, H, O, N,
and P atoms. As a result, they are in control of what you look like and everything genetic about
you. These pieces of information are passed from one generation to the next.
2 Nucleic Acid Examples:
1. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
2. Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
Structure of a nucleotide:
Double Helix of DNA: