Biological Molecules “Molecules of Life” Biomolecules Biological Molecules “Molecules of Life”

Also called Organic molecules

Biological Molecules Biological molecules are large molecules found in all living things

4 Types of Biomolecules 1. Carbohydrates 2. Lipids 3. Proteins 4. Nucleic Acids

CHNOPS These molecules are made of the elements: Carbon Hydrogen Nitrogen Oxygen Phosphorus Sulfur All these molecules contain the element Carbon

All living things contain Carbon

Carbohydrates A fancy way of saying sugar!

Functions 1. Short-term energy storage

2. Gives organisms Shape/Structure: Example1: Exoskeleton of crabs and beetles Example: 2 Cellulose: plant cell walls

Examples: Carbs are in plants! Glucose = sugar in plants Fructose = in fruit Lactose = in milk Sucrose = table sugar Words for sugars end in “ose”

The subunit of a carbohydrate is a Monosaccharide Mono = 1 Saccharide = sugar Monosaccharide = 1 sugar molecule

Disaccharide = 2 sugars

Starches are polysaccharides Polysaccharide = many sugars

More names for Carbohydrates

Structure Carbohydrates are ring-shaped molecules

Elements The elements that bond to make carbohydrates are: Carbon Hydrogen Oxygen

Lipids= Fats Long term energy storage Common names= fat, oil Function Long term energy storage Common names= fat, oil Elements= C,H,O

Lipid facts Large , organic molecules Won’t dissolve in water Fats store more energy than carbs because they have many carbon-hydrogen bonds Can be “saturated” or “unsaturated"

Saturated and Unsaturated fats Saturated= solid at room temperature, Raise “bad” (LDL) cholesterol levels Ex= animal products, coconut Unsaturated=liquid at room temperature, Raise “good” (HDL) cholesterol Ex= olive oil, avocado, almonds

More Examples Lard Steroids: examples Cholesterol & testosterone Waxes (like earwax!) Phospholipids: these make up your cell membrane

Phospholipids

Lipids Subunit= fatty Acids Shape= chains

Proteins 2 Main Functions 1. Form structures, like muscle 2.Act as Enzymes, which speed chemical reactions Elements= C,H,O,N,S Examples= Meat, muscle, enzymes

Proteins’ subunit is amino acids Proteins are one of the most diverse biomolecules, having lots of different shapes They are composed of 20 different types of amino acids Amino acids have an amino group (-NH3) and a carboxyl group (-COOH)

More Functions of Proteins Control rates of reactions & regulate cell processes Form bones & muscles Transport substances in & out of cells Help fight disease.

ENZYMES are Proteins! Enzymes are important proteins that speed up the chemical reactions in your body Because they help these reactions happen, they are called catalysts Ex. The enzyme amylase helps break down carbohydrates into sugar when you chew

How Enzymes Work Every reaction needs energy to get started; this is called activation energy Enzymes decrease the amount of energy needed to get these reactions going Different reactions in your body need different enzymes Without the correct enzyme available, your body cannot function properly

Enzyme Action How well enzymes work depend on 3 criteria: temperature, pH & concentration Temperature: enzymes in your body work best at normal body temperature 2. pH: Different enzymes work best at different pH levels 3. Concentration: in general, the higher the concentration, the better the enzyme will work at speeding up the reaction.

pH Scale

Nucleic Acids Elements: CHNOP Functions: Store and transmit genetic information 2 Kinds to remember DNA= deoxyribonucleic acid RNA= ribonucleic acid

Nucleic acids- shape & subunit Shape of DNA= double helix Shape of RNA= single strand Subunit= nucleotide 3 parts: Sugar Phosphate Nitrogen-containing base DNA has 4 Types of bases= A,T,C,G (adenine, thymine, cytosine & guanine)

Compare DNA and RNA DNA structure= double helix RNA structure= single strand