CARBON COMPOUNDSSection 2-3

THE CHEMISTRY OF CARBON

• Organic Chemistry• The study of all compounds that contain bonds

between carbon atoms

• Carbon• 4 valence electrons

• Forms strong covalent bonds with H, O, P, S, N• Can bond to other carbon atoms

• Ability to form chains of almost unlimited length• Can form rings

MACROMOLECULES

• Giant molecules

• Made from many smaller molecules

• Formed through polymerization• Small compounds are joined together to form larger

compounds• Smaller units: monomers• Larger units: polymers

• Four groups in living things• Carbohydrates• Lipids• Proteins• Nucleic acids

DEHYDRATION SYNTHESIS

• Polymerization reaction where monomers are joined together to form polymers by removing water molecules

HYDROLYSIS

• Process of splitting a polymer into monomers with the addition of water molecules

CARBOHYDRATES

• Made of C, H, and O (1:2:1)

• Uses• Main source of energy in living things• Structure

• Monomer: monosaccharides (single sugar molecules)• Glucose

• Polymer: polysaccharides• Starch, glycogen, cellulose

LIPIDS

• Made of mostly C and H

• Not soluble in water

• Fats, oils, waxes

• Uses• Store energy• Biological membranes• Waterproof coverings• Chemical messengers

• Subunits• Fatty acids combine with glycerol

LIPIDS

• Saturated• Each carbon atom in a lipid’s fatty acid chain is joined

to another carbon by a single bond• Contains the maximum number of hydrogen atoms

• Unsaturated• There is at least one carbon-carbon double bond in a

fatty acid

• Polyunsaturated• Contain more than one double bond

PROTEINS

• Contain C, H, O, and N

• Polymers of amino acids• Compounds with an amino group at one end and a

carboxyl group on the other end• More than 20 different amino acids are found in nature• Roles

• Control the rates of reactions• Regulate cell processes• Form bones and muscles• Transport substances into or out of cells• Help fight disease

PROTEINS

• Four levels of organization

NUCLEIC ACIDS

• Contain C, H, O, N and P

• Monomers: nucleotides• 3 parts

• A 5-carbon sugar• A phosphate group• A nitrogenous base

• Role• Store and transmit genetic information

• 2 kinds• DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid• RNA: ribonucleic acid

Molecules Gone Wild