Transcript Molecules of Life

Molecules of Life
Elements of Life
Carbon - C
 Hydrogen - H
 Oxygen - O
 Nitrogen - N
 Phosphorous – P
 Sulfur - S
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Carbohydrates
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Examples
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Bread, pasta, potatoes, sugar
Uses
Energy storage
 The more complex the carbohydrate chain,
the longer it takes your body to break down
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-ose word ending
 Broken down into sugar (glucose)
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Monosaccharide – 1 sugar
C6H12O6
 Glucose, Fructose, Galactose, Ribose
 Cells use this to generate ATP
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Disaccharide – 2 sugars
C12 H22O11 (C6H12O6 + C6H12O6 - H2O)
 Sucrose (Glucose + Fructose)
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Maltose (Glucose + Glucose)
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“table sugar”
“malt sugar”
Lactose (Galactose + Glucose)
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“milk sugar”
Polysaccharide – many sugars
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3 or more monosaccharides linked
together
Starch: energy storage in plants
 Glycogen: energy storage in animals
 Cellulose (plant fiber) (very long chain)
 Chitin (insect/crustacean outer covering)
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Proteins or Polypeptides
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Examples
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Uses
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Muscle, hair, nails, skin, enzymes
Made from Amino Acid chains that can be
thousands of amino acids long
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Nuts, meat (muscle), beans
There are only 20 amino acids in nature!
Polypeptide: Many amino acids
Tripeptide: Three amino acids
Dipeptide: Two amino acids
Enzymes
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Large, complex proteins
–ase word ending (Lactase breaks down lactose)
Activity varies with pH
Can be denatured by extreme heat (shape is
changed)
Can be reused over and over again
“Lock & Key”
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Active Site: attracts and holds only molecules that have the
right shape
Substrate: molecule that is changed by the enzyme – must
have the right shape
Enzmyes
Example: Lactose Intolerance
Lactose is a sugar found in most milk
products
 Lactase is an enzyme that breaks down
lactose
 People who are missing lactase (can no
longer produce it) can’t eat lactose
unless they get artificial lactase.
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Example: Lactose Intolerance
Energy in Reactions
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ENERGY is required for most synthesis
reactions
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creation of a new, complex molecule
ENERGY is released in decomposition
reactions
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Breakdown of complex molecules
Photosynthesis
6 CO2 + 6 H2O + (light E) → C6H12O6 + 6 O2
 Stores light E as chemical E in GLUCOSE
 Occurs in chlorophyll pigment of green
plants
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Inside chloroplasts
Source of E for almost ALL ORGANISMS
Cellular Respiration
Plants AND Animals respirate (breath)
 Releases stored chemical E from bonds of
glucose (mono-saccharides)
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C6H12O6 + O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O + 38ATP
Nucleic Acids
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Building Blocks
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Your body builds nucleic acids from amino
acids that come from proteins
Uses
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DNA, RNA
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Storage, transmission and expression of
genetic information
DNA/RNA
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Outer Structure:
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Sugar
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Ribose (RNA)
Deoxyribose (DNA)
Phosphate
Inner Structure:
4 base pairs
 Nucleotides
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DNA Chemical Structure
Fats or Lipids
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Examples
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Butter and oils
Steroids and hormones
Wax
Uses
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Long term energy, cushion, insulation, waterproofing
Contains more than twice as much energy as an equal
amount of carbohydrate
Structure of Fats
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Made from triglycerides
1 glycerol
 3 fatty acids
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Types of fatty acids change how fats behave
Saturated: solid at room temperature
 Unsaturated: liquid at room temperature
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Triglyceride
Glycerol
3 Fatty Acids
Saturated Fats
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All single C-C bonds
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Straight fatty acids can stack and clog
Animal Products:
Meats (edge and marbling)
 Milk (cream and butter)
 Egg (the YOLK…the rest is protein)
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Plant Products:
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Coconut, Palm and Cocoa “Butter”
Unsaturated Fats
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Some double C=C bonds
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Causes bends: cannot stack, stay more liquid
Plant Products:
Seeds and their oils
 Nuts and their oils
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Can be HYDROGENATED
Become more saturated/solid
 Vegetable oil, shortening, margarine
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Other examples of fats
Hormones
 Steroids
 Cholesterol
 Plant waxes (think Bee’s wax)
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Lipids
ATP- adenosine triphosphate
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Most important energy transfer compound in
all organisms
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Undergoes a “small change” for temporary energy
storage
Cellular respiration releases energy from
glucose and stores it in the bond holding the
3rd phosphate group
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ATP becomes ADP (THIS IS IMPORTANT!)
Tri-phosphate becomes a Di-phosphate
ATP Conversion to ADP
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When a cell needs energy, it breaks the 3rd
phosphate off ATP.
Adenosine
P
P
P
This creates ADP – Adenosine diphosphate
ATP
ADP + phosphate + energy
Cell rebuilds ATP from ADP
38 ATP are obtained from 1 glucose molecule
during cellular respiration
Marathon Mouse
Review
To give you a sense of scale…
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http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/
cells/scale/