ORGANIC MACROMOLECULES/POLYMERS
Section 6.3
Carbon and it’s special properties
Carbon Bonding Carbon is able to share up to 4
electrons with other elements This means that it can make
very long chains and complex compounds
Carbon Isomers Carbon is abundant in every
cell on Earth It’s able to bond in many ways
that can make a big difference Isomers are molecules with
identical molecular formulas but differ in arrangement of their atoms
Types of compounds Monomers
Mono = one Composed of one single
compound Form together to make:
Polymers Poly = many Many monomers put together
Carbo – hydrates
Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
Carbohydrates
Sugars
One single sugar A combination of
the following chemical ratio: C:2H:O
Examples: Glucose: C6H12O6
Many sugars Examples:
Starch Cellulose glycogen
Monosaccharides Polysaccharides
Carbohydrates - Sugars Uses:
Short-term storage of energyEx:carb-loading before a big sport event
Making and breaking polysaccharides Hydrolysis
Uses water to split chemical bonds Dehydration
Making something while losing water
Examples of polysaccharides Starch-
Branched chains of glucose
Food storage in plants
Glycogen- Highly branched
chains of glucose Food storage in
animals
Cellulose Long chains of
glucose-like a chain link fence
Structural support Cell walls
Cellulose revisited
Hard to digest: Animals need help From protists to digest it
Fats! They’re not all bad, I swear!
Made of Carbon, hydrogen, and less oxygen than carbs
Lipids
Lipids Uses:
Insulation Construction of cell
membranes Steroids Cholesterol Long-term energy storage
Fats can store 2 times more energy than starch
Two Types
Saturated Unsaturated
No Carbon-Carbon double bonds Animal Fats Solid at room
temperature
Carbon-Carbon double bonds Oils, nuts,
avocados, Liquid at room
temperature
Cell Membranes Create a barrier between the inside and
outside of the cell Allows materials to pass in and out Hydrophilic
Water loving Hydrophobic
Water hating Lipids!
The heritable material in organisms
Nucleic Acids
Nucleic Acids Stores cellular information in codes
DNA and RNA
Composed of smaller units called nucleotides Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and
Phosphorous
Nucleic Acids have three parts
Two Types
DNA RNA
Passes from parent to offspring
Sugar – deoxyribose
Structure – double stranded
Carries the code for proteins
Needs directions in order to convert to proteins
Sugar – ribose Structure – single
stranded Directly used to code
forproteins
RNA and DNA
DNA ●RNA
The building blocks of cells
Proteins
Proteins
Structure: Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and
usually sulfur Uses:
Structure (cell parts) Enzymes Metabolic processes Cell signaling Immune response Cell adhesion Cell cycle
Shape determines function Made of amino acid monomers
There are 20 that make up all proteins on Earth
Joined together with peptide bonds Their shape determines their function
4 main shapes Primary Secondary
Alpha helix Beta sheet
Tertiary Quaternary
20 Amino Acid Monomers
Protein Structures
Hydrogen bond
Pleated sheet
Amino acid(a) Primary structure
Hydrogen bond
Alpha helix
(b) Secondary structure
Polypeptide(single subunit)
(c) Tertiary structure
(d) Quaternary structure
Four Types of Proteins
Structural
Contractile
Storage
Transport
Enzymes Used to speed up reactions
Sometimes used to break down substances
Specific to a substrate Enzymes will only work on their
intended target
Enzyme + Substrate = Product
Where do we find these Organic Polymers?
Carbohydrates- Breads, plants,
sugar, starch
Lipids Unsaturated
Oils, avocados Saturated
Animal fats
Proteins Muscles Hair Hooves Fingernails Horns