The building block of life. Biological Molecules The building block of life.

Carbon All living and once-living things are made up of the element carbon Carbon is unique because it can make up to four strong covalent bonds Bonds can be single, double, or triple bonds Carbon compounds form 3 main shapes:

Straight Chains

Branched Chains

And Rings

Structures A single chain or ring is called a monomer Many monomers can join together to make a large “macromolecule” called a polymer A reaction that combines two or monomers is called a condensation reaction H2O is also produced through condensation reactions Also called dehydration synthesis http://www.biotopics.co.uk/as/aminocon.html

Structures The opposite of dehydration synthesis is hydrolysis Water (H2O) is added to a polymer and breaks the bonds linking two monomers together http://www.biotopics.co.uk/as/disaccharidehyd rolysis.html

Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a 1:2:1 ratio (example: CH2O, C6H12O6) All living things use carbs as their main source of energy Plants use starch Animals use glycogen Carbohydrates are also used for structure in cells Plants have cellulose in their cell walls Fungi have chitin in their cell wall and insects have chitin in their exoskeletons

Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are sugars, or saccharides A single sugar molecule is called a monosaccharide Glucose is a very important monosaccharide and makes up many more complex sugars Other examples of monosaccharides include: Sucrose – table sugar Lactose, found in milk Fructose, found in most fruits

Carbohydrates Many monosaccharides linked together are called polysaccharides Starch, glycogen are long chains of glucose molecules Cellulose and chitin are also polysaccharides

Proteins Proteins are made up of the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur Proteins are polymers of molecules called amino acids More than 20 different amino acids exist in nature

Proteins http://www.biotopics.co.uk/as/aminocon.html

Proteins Proteins have four main shapes Straight chain of amino acids Chain with twisted amino acids Twisted and folded chain Knotted chain Protein chains are connected by two bonded sulfur atoms, called disulfide bridges

Proteins Proteins control the rates of reactions and regulate cell processes (enzymes) Proteins also provide structure within living things Examples: Collagen makes up cartilage, tendons (muscles), skin, and bones Keratin makes up horns, feathers, hair, and finger nails Enzymes increase reaction rates Carbonic anhydrase quickly removes carbon dioxide from the bloodstream Lactase breaks down lactose

Lipids Lipids are made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and phosphorous Lipids are fats, oils, waxes, and steroids Lipids are made up of a glycerol backbone and fatty acid chains

Lipids Glycerol Fatty Acids

Lipids

Lipids A saturated fatty acid is a fatty acid chain where all carbons are linked by single bonds Saturated fats are solids at room temperature An unsaturated fatty acid is a fatty acid chain where there is at least one double bond between two carbon atoms The fatty acid chains are bent where there are double bonds Unsaturated fats are liquids at room temperature

Lipids Lipids are used for long-term energy storage Fats are used for energy storage Lipids are also used in cell membranes and to deliver chemical messages Phospholipids make up cell membranes Steroids include hormones, which deliver chemical messages, and cholesterol Waxes include ear wax, beeswax, and the waterproof wax coating on plant stems and leaves

Lipids

Nucleic Acids Nucleic acids are made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorous, and nitrogen Nucleic acids are made up of nucleotides Nucleotides are made up of 5-Carbon sugar – deoxyribose (DNA) or ribose (RNA) Nitrogen base – A, T, G, C, or U Phosphate group

Nucleic Acids Nucleic Acids store genetic information (DNA) or synthesize, or put together, proteins (RNA) The order of the nitrogen base pairs determine genetic code DNA has adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T), and cytosine (C) RNA has A, G, C, and uracil (U) instead of T A always joins T or U and G always joins C

Nucleic Acids DNA has a double helix shape RNA has a single helix shape