Transcript 6-4BuildingBlocksofLife

Chapter 6 - Section 4
The Building Blocks of
Life
What do these substances have in
common?
Organic Chemistry
The element
carbon is a
component of
almost all
biological
molecules.
 Carbon has four electrons in its outermost
energy level.
 One carbon atom can form four covalent
bonds with other atoms.
 Carbon compounds can be in the shape of
straight chains, branched chains, and rings.
Macromolecules
 Carbon atoms can be joined to form carbon
molecules.
 Macromolecules are large molecules
formed by joining smaller organic molecules
together.
 Polymers are molecules made from repeating
units of identical or nearly identical compounds
linked together by a series of covalent bonds.
Carbohydrates
 Compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and
oxygen in a ratio of one oxygen and two hydrogen
atoms for each carbon atom—(CH2O)n
Carbohydrates
Definition/
Characteristics
Building
Blocks
Made of C,H,O in Mono-, di-,
a 1:2:1 ratio
polysaccharide
Examples
Glucose
Fructose
Sucrose
Starch
Use in
Body
ENERGY!
CARBOHYDRATE SOURCES
LIPIDS
Definitions/
Characteristics
Building
Blocks
Examples
Use in
Body
Nonpolar
molecules that are
NOT soluble in
water
Mostly
carbon
and
hydrogen
atoms
*Fats
*Phospholipids
*Steroids
(cholesterol)
*Waxes
*Function
of cell
membrane
*Store
energy
LIPID STRUCTURE- FATS
LIPID STRUCTURE- FATS
Saturated- solid at room temperature
*Examples- butter, lard, grease
 Unsaturated- liquid at room temperature
*Examples- olive oil, vegetable oil

LIPID SOURCES
PROTEINS
Definitions/
Building
Characteristics Blocks
Examples
Use in Body
Chain of
Amino
amino acids
acids ,
linked together (carbon,
hydrogen,
nitrogen,
oxygen)
Enzymes
Collagen
Antibodies
Hemoglobin
*promote
chemical
reactions
*structure
*Fight infection
*Muscle
contraction
*Carries O2
PROTEIN
STRUCTURE
 The number and the order in
which the amino acids are
joined define the protein’s
primary structure.
 After an amino acid chain is
formed, it folds into a unique
three-dimensional shape, which
is the protein’s secondary
structure, such as a helix or a
pleat.
PROTEIN SOURCES
NUCLEIC ACIDS
 Nucleic acids are complex macromolecules that store and
transmit genetic information.
 Nucleic acids are made of smaller repeating subunits called
nucleotides, composed of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen,
phosphorus, and hydrogen atoms.
NUCLEIC ACIDS
Definitions/
Building Blocks Examples Use in Body
Characteristics
Long chain of
nucleotides
Nucleotides
(sugar +
phosphate +
base)
DNA
RNA
ATP
*stores
hereditary
info. to make
proteins
*Energy!
NUCLEIC ACID STRUCTURE
Journal

Your friend and Biology lab partner sits down next to you
at lunch with only a bottle filled with a lemonade, cayenne
pepper and honey mixture. She is in her fifth week of
completing this liquid-cleanse diet, and she looks pale and
very weak. You and your friends have tried to convince
her to stop the diet, but because she is losing weight
quickly, she refuses to stop. Use your knowledge of
essential organic compounds to explain to your friend the
type of damage she is doing to her body. Create a quick
explanation to share with her about what is happening to
her muscles and other body systems due to the lack of
nutrients.
Journal

List the 4 essential organic
compounds. Which one do you
think is most important? Why?
Carbohydrates
 Values of n ranging from three to seven
are called simple sugars, or
monosaccharides.
 Two monosaccharides joined together
form a disaccharide.
 Longer carbohydrate molecules are
called polysaccharides.