Transcript Nucleic acids

Organic Chemistry, The Building
Blocks of Life, Chapter 6.4, Biology
Organic Chemistry
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Organic Chemistry is the study of carbonbased compounds.
Almost all living organisms contain carbon.
Carbon is a useful element in the molecules of
life because carbon can form four covalent
bonds in its outer shell.
This allows carbon compounds to form straight
chain molecules, branched molecules, and
ring molecules.
Shapes of Organic Molecules
Macromolecules
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Macromolecules are large molecules that are
made by joining smaller molecules together.
Another name for macromolecules is polymers.
Polymers are formed by the joining together of
smaller monomers that are identical repeating
units of the same molecule.
There are four main types of biological
macromolecules; carbohydrates, proteins, lipids
(or fats), and nucleic acids (like DNA and RNA)
Carbohydrates
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Carbohydrates are composed of carbon,
hydrogen, and oxygen in a ratio of 1:2:1
respectively (CH2O)n where the subscript n
represents the number of molecular units.
Carbohydrates that have n values ranging from 3
to 7 are simple sugars or monosaccharides.
Two monosaccharides can be joined together to
form a polymer called a disaccharide.
Longer carbohydrate polymers are called
polysaccharides.
Carbohydrates
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Monosaccharides (mah nuh SA kuh rids) and
Disaccharides (di SA kuh rids) are simple
sugars and are easier for the body to break
down and give a rapid release of energy.
Polysaccharides (poly SA kuh rids) are
complex sugars and starches that provide
more energy but are harder to break down.
Polysaccharides are used for energy storage
and for building structures used for support.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates
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Glycogen is a polysaccharide that is used for
energy storage in animals. It is found in
abundance in the liver and in muscles.
When the body needs energy, glycogen can
be broken down into glucose.
Polysaccharides can make other compounds
used for support like cellulose in plants and
chitin (KI tun) in the exoskeletons of insects.
Polysaccharides
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Glycogen is the dark red material in the
cytoplasm of the liver cells.
Cellulose gives structure and support to plants.
Chitin gives structure and support to animals
with exoskeletons like insects.
Lipids
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Lipids (also known as fats) are made up of
mostly carbon and hydrogen.
Lipids make fats, oils, and waxes.
The primary function of lipids is to store
energy.
Triglycerides
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Triglycerides (tri GLIH suh rid) are lipids that are
called fats if they are solid at room temperature and
oils if they are liquid at room temperature.
Triglycerides are stored in fat cells in the body.
Triglycerides are the main component of vegetable
oils and animal fats.
Saturated and Unsaturated Fats
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Fats are made up of long chains of carbon and
hydrogen called fatty acids.
Fatty acids with only single bonds between carbon
atoms are called saturated fats because the fatty
acids are saturated with hydrogen.
Fatty acids with at least one double bond between
the carbon atoms are referred to as unsaturated fats.
More than one double bond between the carbon
atoms in the fatty acids are referred to as
polyunsaturated fats.
Saturated and Unsaturated Fats
Trans Fats
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Trans fats are fats that are formed when liquid
fats are made into solids by a process called
hydrogenation. This process increases the shelf
life of the fats, however this process places the
hydrogen on opposite sides of the fatty acid
making it inflexible. The more inflexible the fatty
acid the more unhealthy the fat.
Phospholipids
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Phospholipids are a type of lipid that the body
uses in the cell membrane.
A phospholipid has a hydrophobic and
hydrophilic end.
This creates a structure called the
phospholipid bilayer.
Steroids
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Steroids are lipids that include substances
such as cholesterol and important hormones
like estrogen and testosterone.
Cholesterol is vital for many bodily functions
but in high amounts it can cause a serious
condition known as atherosclerosis.
Sex hormones such as testosterone and
estrogen are responsible for development of
sexual characteristics and regulating the
menstrual cycle in females.
Cholesterol, Hormones, and
Atherosclerosis
Proteins
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Proteins are macromolecules that are made up of
amino acids.
Amino acids are made up of carbon, nitrogen,
oxygen, and occasionally sulfur.
Amino acids have a central carbon atom.
The central carbon atom is surrounded by an amino
group (NH2), a carboxyl group (COOH), a hydrogen
atom and some other group called a variable group.
There are 20 different variable groups.
Protein (Amino Acid) Structure
Peptide Bonds
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When the amino group from one amino acid
and the carboxyl group from another amino
acid join together, a peptide bond is formed.
When amino acids join together by peptide
bonds, proteins are formed.
Nucleic Acids
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The fourth biological macromolecules are called
nucleic acids.
Nucleic acids carry and transmit genetic information.
The two most common forms of nucleic acids are
DNA and RNA.
Nucleic acids are made up of smaller monomers of
carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and hydrogen
called nucleotides.
The chemical groups that make up nucleotides are
phosphates, nitrogenous bases, and sugars.
Nucleotide Structure
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
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Another important nucleic acid in biology is called
Adenosine Triphosphate or ATP for short.
ATP is the energy source of the bodies cells.
ATP has three phosphates. Anytime the body needs
energy, one of the phosphates are released from
ATP, releasing energy and making a free phosphate
and ADP (adenosine diphosphate) molecule. When
energy is absorbed, a phosphate is rejoined to the
ADP molecule, making an ATP molecule.
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)