INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC MACROMOLECULES

What the heck is an ORGANIC MACROMOLECULE?

• ORGANIC – found in living things• MACRO – large / big

• All organic molecules are composed mainly of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen with other atoms such as:

• Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Sulfur

Basic organization

• For all macromolecules, there is a basic overall organization

How big is big?

• To give you an idea…

CO2

AMU: 40Glucose (C6H12O6)

AMU: 184

Why study organic macromolecules?

• Can’t understand how something is built without knowing what it’s built out of

• These molecules form the basis of the structure of living things

• FORM AND FUNCTION – this statement refers to the fact that how something is SHAPED will determine what it can DO

Form and Function

NUTRIENT PROCESSING

Organic compounds

• Organic compounds have specific methods of representation

So they look all the same?

• The carbon atoms form the basic backbone of each macromolecule

• If all macromolecules are essentially made up of carbon and hydrogen, what makes each one physically and therefore, chemically different?

What makes them different

• Each macromolecule differs in how long the carbon backbone is, but also, what “additives” there are to the backbone chain

• These functional groups give each macromolecule different characteristics – for example making it more polar and therefore hydrophilic

Functional groups• Hydroxyl groups• Carboxyl groups

• Amino groups and sulfhydryl groups

• Phosphate groupsPhosphate

Major macromolecules that we rely on

• Organisms therefore rely on 4 major classes of organic macrmolecules – all of which are basically a hydrocarbon chain with various functional groups attached to it

Carbohydrates

• These serve many purposes including:

MONOSACCHARIDE

DISACCHARIDE

X 2

Dehydration synthesis

• This is accomplished by the use of enzymes in the human body – it doesn’t occur spontaneously on its own – if it did, think about what would happen every single time you contacted water!

• Therefore, some small bodied animals – kangaroo mouse that lives in the desert – can depend on this anabolic process to provide them with water – they don’t have to rely on exterior water sources

Dehydration Synthesishttp://www.tvdsb.on.ca/westmin/science/sbioac/biochem/condense.htm

Hydrolysis reactions

• (Hydro=water, lysis = split) Hydrolysis reactions are the opposing reaction to dehydration reactions – they add water in order to separate sub-units

Hydrolysis

CARBOHYDRATESMonosaccharides

Glucose

• The most important and basic form of energy used by living things

• Comes in two forms

• http://www.biotopics.co.uk/JmolApplet/alphabetajglucose2.html

Purpose?

• Alpha and beta isomers are necessary for the production of various disaccharides

Disaccharides

Alpha vs. beta linkages

• An alpha linkage

• A beta linkage

Purpose of alpha and beta linkages?

• Alpha linkages are easier to break down by animals

• But beta linkages tend to be “tougher” to break down –

POLYSACCHARIDESGlycogen vs. starch

Cellulose

Chitin

Structural element: chitin

• The animal version of cellulose, chitin is used by anthropods (insects and other shellfish) as an exoskeleton

Fat – or Lipids

• An essential macromolecule used for:

LIPIDS

LIPIDS

• In animals, lipids from the main stores the fat

Oils

Saturated and Unsaturated Fats

• Carbon atoms can form single, double or triple bonds with each other

Saturated and Unsaturated Fats

Liquid vs. solid

Phospholipid

STEROIDS

• Steroids are special lipids that have carbon rings inside of them

Steroids

Wax

• Found mainly in plants, and ofcourse, in some parts of animals (such as the ear)

Wax

DNA and RNA

Structure

• Nucleotides are strung together to form long chains that make up DNA and RNA

Relation • Similar molecules – they are related because RNA

is the working copy of DNA• Think about it this way: DNA cannot leave the

nucleus – it is the main blueprint

Base PairsRNA DNA

Proteins

• Proteins are the “bricks” of organisms

PROTEINSAmino Acids – 20 in

total

Peptide bond

Protein folding

• Proteins are complex – there are 4 levels of organization

Secondary to tertiary structures are created by the folding of proteins on themselves due to the interaction of parts of the amino acid chain with itself

Primary structure

Secondary Structure

Tertiary Structure

Quarternary Structure

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Bonds that make proteins

DNA to RNA to Proteins• Copying DNA to RNA is simple: they both have a 4 letter

“alphabet” – so copying one from another is simple

Codon

DNA and RNA

Basis of Life

DNA RNA PROTEIN