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).
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.
• 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 of 1:2:1.
Carbohydrates
More than one class...
• Monosaccharides are a single sugar molecule. An example is glucose.
More than one class ....
• Oligosaccharides are a short chain of two or more covalently bonded sugar units. An example is sucrose.
More than one class ....
• Polysaccharides are long straight or branched chains of hundreds even thousands of sugar molecules in length. An example is starch.
Lipids
• Are organic molecules that have more carbonhydrogen (C-H) bonds and fewer oxygen atom than carbohydrates. • Commonly called fats and waxes.
Wash with soap and hot water....
• 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.
Proteins
• Large complex polymers • They are composed of amino acids made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sometimes sulfur.
Here, there and everywhere...
• They help us contract our muscles, transport O2 in the blood, and the immune system. • They are also part of the plasma membrane.
A little bit of this, a little bit of that..
• Examples: collagen, enzymes, hemoglobin, insulin, and antibodies
Nucleic Acids
• Nucleic acids are complex macromolecules that store information in cells in the form of a code. • There are four different types of nucleotides used to form a nucleic acid.
Basic structure
• The three parts of a nucleotide are a fivecarbon sugar, a nitrogen containing base, and a phosphate group.
Nucleotides are pretty useful...
• Are the structural units of adenosine phosphates (ATP, NAD+, NADP+), nucleotide coenzymes, and nucleic acids (DNA, RNA)