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BIOMOLECULES • You are what you eat: – – – – CARBOHYDRATES LIPIDS PROTEINS NUCLEIC ACIDS Carbohydrates MONOSACCHARIDES • All have the formula (CH2O)n • The most common and important monosaccharide is glucose, which is a six-carbon or hexose sugar, so has the formula C6H12O6. • Glucose is the most abundant organic compound in nature. • Reactions of cellular respiration transform glucose into ATP energy. • Most important sugar in our diet • Diabetics lack hormone insulin, which allows glucose to enter into cells to be used in mitochondria. • There are many isomers of glucose, (same chemical formula but different structural formulae). • These isomers include fructose and galactose. • Fructose: found in honey, tree fruits; berries; melons; and some root vegetables, such as beets, sweet potatoes, parsnips and onions • Galactose: found in dairy products, in sugar beets and gums. Galactose is less sweet than glucose and not very water-soluble. • Humans do not have the enzymes needed to use galactose directly. It must be converted into glucose first. Disaccharides • Sugars that consist of two monosaccharides, joined by a glycosidic bond. • Examples are: maltose (glucose-glucose), sucrose (glucose-fructose), and lactose (galactose-glucose) • The formation of a glycosidic bond involves the formation of water as a by-product and is a dehydration synthesis reaction. (aka: condensation reaction) Polysaccharides • Large carbohydrate chains made up of more than 10 subunits. • Are a way of storing glucose until it is required – starch in plants and glycogen in humans • Also structural role: cellulose makes up plant cell wall LIPIDS • Diverse group: fats, phopholipids,steroids, and waxes • Structurally: are not made up of repeating sub units. • Common Properties: – they are all hydrophobic and do not dissolve in water – They all contain hydrogen, oxygen and carbon 4 types of lipids: 1.Fats –aka Triglycerides – long term energy storage. – concentrated source of energy- 1 g of fat has more than twice the energy of 1 g of carbohydrate – Also cushion organs and insulate • Structure of fats: 3 fatty acids + glycerol = triglyceride • Formed by dehydration synthesis reaction • Fatty acids have long hydrocarbon chains with a carboxyl group at one end. • Saturated fatty acids can lie closely together and form weak Van der Waal bonds between molecules. They are solids at room temperature. They are usually animal fats. • Unsaturated fats are loosely packed because of the kinks in the hydrocarbon chain. They are oils at room temperature, and are usually from plants. • Trans-fatty acids: “the hidden fats” – are produced when hydrogen is added to unsaturated fats. (Hydrogenation) – Trans fats are solids at room temperature – Trans fats cause significant and serious lowering of HDL (good) cholesterol and a significant and serious increase in LDL (bad) cholesterol; make the arteries more rigid; cause major clogging of arteries; cause insulin resistance; cause or contribute to type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. – Now mandatory labeling of amount of trans fats in Canada. ( December 12, 2005) • Phospholipids: are part of cell membrane. They help to regulate what substances can enter cells and which can’t. • Steroids: cholesterol ( important in cell membranes), hormones such as testosterone and estrogen. • They all have a 4 ring structure • Waxes: are formed from fatty acids and long-chain alcohols. They are commonly found wherever waterproofing is needed, such as in leaf cuticles, insect exoskeletons, birds' feathers and mammals' fur.