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BIOCHEMISTRY
Vocabulary:
Structure – what something looks like
Function – a job
Mono- prefix meaning “one”
Poly – prefix meaning “many”
-ose and – saccharide are suffixes meaning
“sugar”
What is a molecule?
A molecule is a very small piece of something. It is
made up of different kinds of atoms.
Example – a Water molecule (H2O) is made of
2 atoms of hydrogen and 1 atom of oxygen.
A water molecule looks like this:
The atoms in molecules are held together by forces
called bonds.
Biomolecules
•Biomolecules are molecules that are made and used by living
things.
•A polymer is a large molecule that is made up of smaller
molecules called monomers.
•Most biomolecules are polymers.
•Biomolecules are organic. This means they contain a chain of
carbon atoms.
All Biomolecules contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
There are 4 kinds of biomolecules:
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic Acids.
1. Carbohydrates
Made of:
CHO (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen)
Monomer: monosaccharides such as glucose and sucrose
Looks like:
Polymer: polysaccharides such as starch and glycogen
Looks like:
Functions:
•Make cell walls strong.
•Provide quick energy for animals (sugar makes
you hyper)
Found in:
•Fruits (fructose is fruit sugar)
•Breads and
pasta (in the
form of
starches)
•Plant cells (lignin
and cellulose make
plant cells strong,
chitin makes the walls
of mushrooms strong)
2. Lipids
Made of:
CHO (Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen)
Lipids are NOT polymers. They
are made of glycerol and fatty acids.
Looks like:
Glycerol
3 Fatty
Acids
Functions of the 3 types of lipids:
•Fats and oils – store long term energy
Found in animal fats, vegetable oil,
petroleum.
•Phospholipids – makes coverings
(membranes) water resistant
Found in cell membranes
•Steroids and Hormones – produce
body changes such as puberty
Found in cholesterol, testosterone, estrogen
3. Proteins
Made of:
CHON - Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and
Nitrogen
Monomer - Amino Acid
•20 different types
•Different side
chains (R-groups)
•Ex–tryptophan
Polymer – peptides
•Once the polypeptide is made it twists and
folds into a protein.
•Shape dictates what a protein does.
•Held together by hydrogen bonds called
peptide bonds.
Looks like:
Amino Acid
Protein
Functions:
Control chemical reaction rates.
Proteins that control reactions are called enzymes
•Bone and muscle movement
-Collagen
•Transport substances – hemoglobin
•Fight disease
– antibodies
4. Nucleic Acids
Made of:
CHONP - Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and
Phosphorous
Look like:
Monomers - Nucleotides
Polymers - DNA and RNA
Function:
Transmits genetic information from parents to
offspring