Download Facts about Carbon Compounds (Pages 44-48)

Facts about Carbon Compounds (Pages 44-48)
1.
Organic Chemistry is the study of compounds that contain bonds between carbon atoms.
2.
Carbon has the ability to form millions of different large and complex structures. No other element
even comes close to carbon’s versatility.
3.
Macromolecules, or “giant molecules,” are extremely large molecules found in living things. They
are made by a process called polymerization which joins smaller molecules together to form
macromolecules.
4.
Monomers are small molecules that can be joined together to form large molecules called
polymers.
5.
Four groups of organic molecules found in living things are carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and
proteins.
6.
Carbohydrates are compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms, usually in a ratio
or 1:2:1.!
7.
Living things use carbohydrates as their main source of energy. Plants and some animals use
carbs for structural purposes.
8.
Single sugar molecules are called monosaccharides. Some examples are glucose, galactose, and
fructose.
9.
Polysaccharides are large macromolecules formed from monosaccharides which have been joined
together. Glycogen, an animal starch, is a polysaccharide.
10.
Lipids are not soluble in water and are made mostly of carbon and hydrogen atoms.
11.
Lipids can be used to store energy. Some lipids are important parts of biological membranes
and waterproof coverings.
12.
Saturated fats are formed when each carbon in the lipid’s fatty acid chain are joined by a single
bond. If there is at least one double carbon-to-carbon bond, it is referred to as unsaturated. Lipids
whose fatty acids contain more than one double bond are called polyunsaturated.
13.
Nucleic acids are macromolecules that contain hydrogen carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and
phosphorus.
14.
Nucleic acids are made of smaller units called nucleotides which consist of three parts: a 5-carbon
sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogen base.
15.
Nucleic acids store and transmit hereditary, or genetic, information.
16.
There are two kinds of nucleic acids: DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid).
17.
Proteins are macromolecules that contain nitrogen as well as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
18.
Proteins are polymers of molecules called amino acids.
19.
Some proteins control the rate of reactions and regulate cell processes. Some are used to form
bones and muscles. Others transport substances into or out of cells or help fight disease.