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