Transcript Macromolecules in Life

Macromolecules in Life
Created by Stella Thalluri 2013
www.beaconmedia.com.au
Macromolecules in Life
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and
the earth." (Genesis 1:1)
"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it;
the world, and all who live in it." (Psalm 24:1)
"For in him [that is, Christ,] all things were
created: things in heaven and on earth, visible
and invisible...all things have been created
through him and for him. He is before all
things, and in him all things hold together."
(Colossians 1:16-17)
 Organic molecules are often large
molecules made of smaller subunits that are bonded together in
various ways.
The are four groups of Organic
Compounds are:
 Carbohydrates
 Compounds formed in this way are
called polymers. The sub units are
called monomers.
 Monomers are also known as the
building blocks of cells and
include sugars, fatty acids, amino
acids and Nucleotides.
 Lipids
 Proteins
 Nucleic acids
Carbohydrates are built from molecular monomers or sub units
called sugars that contain only carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
atoms.
The typical sugar has a backbone of three to
Seven Carbon atoms. Most of these Carbon
atoms have A hydrogen group and a
Hydroxyl group attached to them.
The General formula for sugars is (CH20)n
where n is the number of carbons in
the backbone.
It is from this formula that carbohydrates derive their name. Carbohydrates =
Carbon + Water. Which literally means carbon and water. Carbohydrates fall
into one of three categories, depending on the number of sugars they contain.
Monosaccharide Disaccharides and Polysaccharides.
Carbohydrates that consist of a single sugar monomer
are called monosaccharide, Mono meaning one and
saccharide meaning sugar.
Glucose is the most common monosaccharide and one
of the most abundant sources of chemical energy in the
world. Glucose is the sugar found in the highest
concentration in the blood of animals. Our own
central nervous system is critically dependant on
glucose for energy.
Sucrose, lactose and other carbohydrates that contain
two sugar monomers are called disaccharides.
Disaccharides are formed by the linking of
monosaccharide. Mono and Disaccharide are called
Simple Carbohydrates because they only consist of one
or two sugar monomers. Cells use disaccharides to store
or transport energy. When the organism needs energy
disaccharides are broken apart into monosaccharide
sub units by hydrolysis, sucrose and lactose are two
common disaccharide.
 Polysaccharides are formed
by the bonding of
monosaccharide and
disaccharides.
 They are called complex
carbohydrates because they
contain many sugar
monomers.
 Glucose molecules are the
building blocks for the
polysaccharide, cellulose.
 In plants cellulose gives
structure to the cell walls and
in animals, glycogen is used
as storage for energy , as
starch does for plants.
Cellulose
Proteins are composed of chains of sub
units called amino acids. Multiple
amino acids can be linked together to
create a polypeptide or protein.
They can be linked together through a
reaction called a condensation reaction.
Condensation reaction removes a water
molecule in the making of a bond.
When they are linked together this
creates a peptide bond. When two are
linked together they are called a
Dipeptide. Three or more linked
together are considered a polypeptide.
 The structure of an amino acid consists of
four groups. Amino group, carboxyl group,
Alpha carbon group and the R group.
 The amino group contains a nitrogen and
two Hydrogen atoms. The carboxyl group
consists of carbon with a double bonded
Oxygen and an OH group (hydroxide)
attached to it.
 In the middle the alpha carbon links the
The carboxyl, amino and alpha carbon group will
carboxyl and amino group and has a hydrogen
On one side and on the other end the R group.
remain the same in each amino acid.
There are 20 naturally occurring amino acids, each
amino acid has a different variable from the other
 The R group, or variable group, as the
amino acids .The atom(s) in the variable group
name suggests varies among different amino
acids.
will determine the function of the amino acid and
its properties
Proteins are very important molecules in our cells and vary in
structure as well as function.
Proteins are involved in building muscles, giving structure,
reactions in the body and protecting us from disease.
Proteins such as enzymes catalyse speeds up biochemical
reactions inside living cells.
Haemoglobin is one protein which is found in red blood cells
and transports oxygen throughout our bodies.
Protein such as antibodies defend us against disease; will fight
viruses and bacteria that invade the body.
Proteins such as carotene make up our skin and nails and
gives structure to the body.
Receptor proteins receive signals and pass them on to other
cells that trigger a reaction in the body.
Lipids is the general term used for fats, oils and waxes.
Lipids are a type of organic compound that does not form
polymers.
Fats and other compounds insoluble in water are
hydrophobic. Lipids are hydrophobic because they consist
of mostly hydrocarbons which form non polar covalent
bonds.
Fats are mainly constructed from two types of smaller
molecules, fatty acids and glycerol. Glycerol consists of
three carbons with a hydroxyl group attached to each one.
A fatty acid consists of a carboxyl group attached a long
hydro carbon chain.
Phospholipids is a lipid consisting of a glycerol bound to
two fatty acids and a phosphate group. A Triglycerides
consists of a glycerol and three fatty acid groups.
These are two common lipids in the human body.
Lipids provide some protection against shock.
They also provide thermal insulation.
In foods lipids provide flavour and palatability.
They are used as a source of energy
Triglycerides and phospholipids contribute to the structure
of membranes by the formation of a lipid bilayer of all
Plasma Membranes.
 The Plasma Membranes serve as a barrier to keep separate
the inside of a cell and the outside of a cell.
 The triglycerides and the phospholipids help to achieve this
separation by having the polar head of the molecule facing
the inside of the cell as well as the outside of the cell thus
restricting the flow of water and things to the outside of the
cell and vice versa.
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Fatty acids that are saturated,
means they have as many
hydrogens bonded to their
carbons as possible. Fatty acids
that are unsaturated have one or
more double bonds connecting
their carbons, hence fewer
hydrogens.

Nucleic acids are the genetic material of
organisms
There are two types of nucleic acids:

Ribonucleic (RNA)

Deoxyribonucleic (DNA),which is
genetic information that is passed on
from generation to generation.
Sub units of both of these nucleic acids are
called nucleotides. A Nucleotide consists of
three components.

Phosphate group

Pentose Sugar

Nitrogenous base
These three components are similar but not
the same in DNA and RNA.
 Structure of a nucleotide
and DNA

Inorganic compounds rarely contain carbon
 They are usually smaller than organic compounds because if they don’t
contain carbon they don’t have the ability for four bonds.
 Inorganic compounds are also known as electrolytes because they dissociate
in water.
They following example are crucial for human body functioning.
 Water
 Inorganic salts e.g. phosphate (commonly found in ATP and ADP.
 Minerals e.g. calcium, potassium, phosphorus
 Oxygen
The chemical structure of a water molecule is
 Water is the most abundant
compound in our bodies .
Metabolism includes all
Chemical reactions within the body.
H20. Which means 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen
molecule combine to form one water molecule.
They are the sub units that form water.
A hydrogen bond is the attractive force between
the hydrogen attached to an electronegative
• Water is the main solvent used in
atom of one molecule and an electronegative
the body as many organic
compounds dissolve in water.
atom of a different molecule. In this case the
• Water facilitates reactions with the
body, the breakdown of compounds
and releasing of energy as well as
the synthesis of new compounds.
electronegative atom being oxygen.
Minerals are inorganic ions required
by both Animal and plant cells.
Minerals play a role in metabolic
processes of Cells and are
incorporated into many structures
Produced by cells. For example,
animal body structures such as
bone and teeth have significant
mineral content in the form of
calcium.
The cell walls of plants contain
minerals such As silicon and boron
and rely on calcium for their
middle lamella.
Minerals also contribute to cell
manufacture of many hormones,
enzymes and vitamins.
 http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/161Ahydrogenbond.
 html
 http://www.wisc
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online.com/objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=ap13204
http://lipidlibrary.aocs.org/lipids.html
http://www.friedli.com/herbs/phytochem/proteins.html
http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/543glucose.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7z0P7yRFZk&feature=related
http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~acarpi/NSC/10-organic.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYvA6-IWjoI
“Nature of Biology”- book 1 Fourth Edition, Authors “Judith
Kinnear and Marjory Martin”.