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Name:__________________________________Period_____
Gooey Gooey Gumdrops
Introduction
Almost all molecules made by cells are composed of carbon atoms bonded
to one another and to atoms of other elements (especially H, O, N).
Compounds made by cells and containing carbon are known as organic
compounds. Carbon can form four covalent bonds with other carbons or
other types of atoms. Cells make a huge number of large molecules from a
small set of small molecules. These smaller molecules are called monomers
and are linked together to make larger molecules known as polymers. Four
main groups of organic compounds exist --- carbohydrates, lipids, proteins,
and nucleic acids.
The monomers of carbohydrates are called monosaccharides or simple
sugars. the 3 monosaccharides, glucose, fructose, and galactose, all have
the same chemical formula, C6H12O6, but their structural formulas are
different.
Glucose
Fructose
Galactose
The monomers monomers that make up lipids are glycerol and fatty acid
chains. Saturated fatty acid chains have all single bonds between carbons,
while unsaturated fatty acids will have 1 or more double bonds between
carbons in the chain.
Glycerol
Fatty Acid
The monomers making up proteins are called amino acids. Twenty different
amino acids exist, but they all have the same basic structure --- a central
carbon has a single hydrogen , an amine group (-NH2), a carboxyl group (COOH), and a side or R group attached. The side group determines the
difference in properties.
Basic Amino Acid Structure
Two Simple Amino Acids
Glycine
Alanine
Nucleic acids include DNA and RNA. The monomers of nucleic acids are
called nucleotides and are composed of a pentose (5-sided sugar), a nitrogen
containing base, and a phosphate group (-PO4). The sugar found in DNA is
called deoxyribose, while the sugar in RNA is called ribose.
Deoxyribose
Ribose
Objective
Each student will construct a monomer of an organic compound found within
organisms. You will construct one of the following --- glucose, fructose,
galactose, glycine, alanine, glycerol, saturated or unsaturated fatty acid,
deoxyribose, or ribose.
Materials
Gumdrops will be used to represent the atoms that make up the molecules.
Bonds between atoms will be made from toothpicks. Single & double bonds
must be represented by the correct number of "sticks".
1.
Sort your gumdrops by color and count the number of each
color of gumdrop in your bag.
2.
Record the number in the chart below:
Color
Number of Gumdrops
Red
Green
Yellow
Orange
White
Purple
3.
Use the chart below to determine which biological molecule
you will be constructing based on the number of gumdrops you
have of each color.
Biological Molecule
DNA
Chemical Formula
C5H10O4
RNA
Glycerol
Saturated Fatty Acid
Unsaturated Fatty Acid
Carbohydrates
Amino Acid- Glycine
Amino Acid- Alanine
C5H10O5
C3H8O3
C10H20O2
C10H18O2
C6H12O6
C2H5O2N
C3H7O2N
4.
Find the picture of the molecule you will be creating and
use the picture to help you construct your model.
5.
Make a color code key for each color of gumdrop in your
model.
Name of Biological Molecule Created:___________________
Element
Color of Gumdrop
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
Nitrogen
6.
Tell your instructor you are finished so that your model
can be checked.
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