Download Organic molecules

1/14/09
Warm-up:
Convince me that you are alive.
You must have ALL of the 8
criteria for life. Write each of them
down and check them off to be
sure that you are, indeed, living!
The four major
biomolecules
Organic molecules part 1
What are we going to
learn?
SB1.c
Identify the function of the four major
macromolecules (i.e. carbohydrates,
proteins, lipids, nucleic acids).
ATOMS
ATOMS
• Building blocks of matter
• teeny tiny!- billions can fit on the head of a
pin
• Made up of protons, neutrons & electrons
ELEMENTS
– Made up of one type of atom
Ex. O, H, Fe -anybody know what these
symbols represent?
– Elements of Life
• 96%  Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), and
Nitrogen (N)
COMPOUNDS
• Formed when elements combine
ex. CO2, NaCl
MOLECULE
• Compound held together by covalent
bonds (shared)
ex. H2O
Organic vs. Inorganic
• All compounds can be separated into two
groups:
– Inorganic
• Doesn’t contain carbon
• Non-living
• Examples: Oxygen gas, metals, rocks, water
– Organic
• Contains carbon
• Living (or dead)
• Examples: wood, grass, petroleum
Organic Chemistry
• Carbon: very versatile
**can bond to many different elements
**can bond to other C atoms
**form covalent bonds
**can form single, double, triple bonds
**can form a chain or ring
• Carbon compounds: 4 found in all
living things: carbohydrates, lipids,
nucleic acids, proteins
More Must Knows!
• Monomers: one unit of a compound
-smaller, simple molecule that can join together to
form larger molecule
Mono = single; mer = part
• Polymers: many monomers combined
-complex molecule formed when 2 or more
monomers combine
poly = many
• Macromolecules
-Many large molecules combined
-Formed by polymerization
- carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, proteins
Biomolecules
• They are the foundation for the
structure and function of every
living cell in every organism.
• They are the building materials
and the storehouse for energy.
Carbohydrates
• AKA Carbs
• A carbohydrate is a
simples sugar or a
molecule composed
of two or more simple
sugars.
• It is composed of
Carbon (C) ,
Hydrogen (H), and
Oxygen (O) in a ratio
More than one class...
• Monosaccharides
are a single
sugar molecule.
An example is
glucose.
More than one class ....
• Polysaccharides are long straight
or branched chains of hundreds
even thousands of sugar
molecules in length.
-examples: starch, cellulose
Lipids
• Organic molecules
that have more
carbon-hydrogen (CH) bonds and fewer
oxygen atom than
carbohydrates.
• Commonly called fats,
oils and waxes.
• Lipids do not dissolve in
water due to the
nonpolarity of the lipid
molecules. So you need
a little bit of soap
What? We want fats?
• Used for long term energy storage,
insulation, and protective coatings.
• Major component of plasma membranes.
And so do plants?
• Waxes are long chains of fatty acids
attached to an alcohol. Cutin is a wax that
helps plants retain water.
• Monomers of Lipids are fatty acids:
-saturated fats = butter (main cause of
high blood pressure)
-trans fats = margarine, beef, pork
(raise cholesterol levels)
-unsaturated fats = nuts, olive oil
-polyunsaturated fats = fish, cooking oils
(may help lower cholesterol)
Which type is best for you? worst?
Proteins
• Large complex polymers
• They are composed of amino acids made of
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and
sometimes sulfur.
• Monomers are amino acids
– There are 20 different amino acids that combine in
different ways to make millions of proteins
– Carboxy group (-COOH) & amino group (NH2)
– The most diverse macromolecule
• Functions
–
–
–
–
Control the rates of chemical reactions (enzymes)
Regulate cell processes
Used to form bone & muscles
Transport substances into or out of cells to help fight
disease
– Part of the cell plasma membrane
• Examples: collagen, enzymes, hemoglobin,
insulin, and antibodies
Nucleic acids
• Made of C, H, O, N, & P
• Monomers = nucleotides
– Nucleotides are made up of a 5carbon sugar, phosphate group and
a nitrogen base
– 4 types of nucleotides
• Functions
– Store & transmit hereditary
information
• Two types
– RNA (ribonucleic acid) –in nucleus
and cytoplasm
– DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) –in
nucleus
Nucleotides are pretty useful...
• Are the structural units of adenosine
phosphates (ATP, NAD+, NADP+),
nucleotide coenzymes, and nucleic acids
(DNA, RNA)