Transcript Carbon Compounds - Southgate Schools

Carbon Compounds
2-3
The Chemistry of Carbon
Organic chemistry – study of all
compounds that contain carbon
Carbon has 4 valence electrons

Can form strong covalent bonds

Bonds with many elements (H, O, P, S, & N)

Can also bond to other carbons, forming long
chains of carbon bonds
C can form single, double, or triple bonds
with other C molecules
Chains of C atoms can also form rings
Macromolecules
Giant molecules



Made from 1000’s or 100’s of 1000’s of small
molecules
Formed by polymerization – monomers join to
form polymers
Monomers (sm. molecules) may be identical
or different
Organic Compounds
4 types of organic compounds:

Carbohydrates

Lipids (or fats)

Nucleic Acids

Proteins
Carbohydrates
Compounds made of C, H, & O


Usually in a 1:2:1 ratio
Example: glucose C6H12O6
Carbon is the main energy source for
living organisms
Also used for structural purposes
The breakdown of glucose (sugar) gives
cells immediate energy for activities
Living things store extra sugar as complex
carbohydrates like starches
Monosaccharides – single sugar
molecules

Examples: glucose, galactose (milk
component), and fructose (found in fruit)
Polysaccharides
Lg. macromolecule formed by
monosaccharides
Excess sugar is stored in the
polysaccharide glycogen (animal starch)

Glycogen is released from liver when blood
glucose levels are low
Plants store excess sugar as plant starch
Another plant polysaccharide is cellulose
Cellulose gives plants strength and rigidity

Major component of wood and paper
Lipids or Fats
Lg. group of biological molecules
Usually not soluble in water
Made from C & H atoms
Used to store energy
Also important part of biological membranes
Lipids are formed when a glycerol
molecule combines with a fatty acid
If the carbon atoms of a fatty acid chain
are joined by a single bond – said to be
saturated

Has the maximum number of H atoms
If there is 1 C-C double bond –
unsaturated

More than 1 double bond - polyunsaturated
Nucleic Acids
Macromolecules that contain H, N, O, P,
and C
Nucleic acids are polymers assembled
from monomers known called nucleotides
Nucleotides have 3 parts: 5-carbon sugar,
phosphate group, and nitrogenous base
Nucleic acids store and transmit genetic
information
2 types of nucleic acids: DNA and RNA



Both contain nucleotides made from a
phosphate group and a nitrogenous base
RNA uses ribose sugar
DNA uses deoxyribose sugar
Proteins
Macromolecules that contain N, C, H, and
O
Composed of amino acids


20 amino acids in nature
All have identical structure
Amino group (-NH2)
Carboxyl group (-COOH)
R group
Amino groups and carboxyl groups are at
opposite ends

This allows any AA to be joined to another AA
by a covalent bond
R groups of AA are different



Either basic or acidic
Either polar or nonpolar
Some contain carbon rings
Instructions for arranging AA in to proteins
are contained in DNA
Some proteins





Control rate of reactions
Regulate cell processes
Form bones and muscle
Transport substances into/out of cells
Help fight disease