Notes 8-4 Organic Compounds

Compounds that contain the element carbon (C) Organic compounds are found in all living things Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, and Nucleic acids are important groups of organic compounds in living things that help cells function

Carbohydrates Provides immediate energy for cell Make up some cell parts Made up of elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen Polymer = Carbs, Monomer = Sugars Examples: starches, like potatoes, pasta, bread, also found in cell membranes and cell walls

Carbs cont…. Simple Sugars are called monosaccharides. Examples of monosaccharides Examples of monosaccharidesGlucoseGalactoseFructose Major nutrients for cells These make up the building blocks (monomer) for complex sugars.

Carbs Cont…. Complex Sugars are called polysaccharides. (huge sugars!) - These are 100’s or 1000’s of small sugars hooked together to create a polymer. - These are 100’s or 1000’s of small sugars hooked together to create a polymer. Examples: Examples: Cellulose—the structural material in plants Glycogen= animal starch—store extra sugar energy in animals Plant starch—store extra sugar in plants

Carbs Cont…. Disaccharides are made up of 2 sugars attached Di = two, saccharide = sugar Examples: Lactose, sucrose How can you recognize a sugar by looking at its name? Galactose, sucrose, lactose, fructose, cellulose

Carbohydrates Now let’s look at some examples…… …………UP CLOSE!!!!

Example 1: Glucose - Monosaccharides

Example 2: Starch – Polysaccharide

Monomer or smaller unit of starch = glucose

Lipids Contain even more energy than carbs Cells store energy in lipids for later use Made of the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen Examples: fats, waxes, oils, makes up most of cell membrane

Lipids cont… Common categories of lipids: 1. Fats (saturated vs. unsaturated) 2. Phospholipids (component of cell membranes) 3. Steroids (ex: cholesterol)

Formation of Lipids Lipids are made of a central building block called Glycerol (this is the same for all lipids) + 3 side chains attached called --Fatty Acid chains (the structure of the acid chains are different for each lipid). Glycerol Side = Fatty acid chain

Lipids Glycerol3 Fatty acid chains; different for each lipid

1. FATS vary in their # of double bonds Saturated Fats: NO C-C double bonds Fatty acids contain the maximum possible number of hydrogen atoms (Saturated, or loaded, with H) Ex: bacon grease, butter—solid at room temperature (BAD FAT) Unsaturated fats: Contains at least one Carbon-Carbon double bond (not loaded with H) (GOOD FAT- in small amounts) Ex: corn oil, cod liver oil—liquid at RT

2. Phospholipids Phospholipid: similar to fat Useful as the outer membrane of cells Boundary between the interior of the cell and its exterior environment Called a phospholipid bilayer

3. Steroids Function: Chemical messengers and make up part of the cell membrane!!!!! Example: Cholesterol, hormones Most other steroids are synthesized from cholesterol Too much cholesterol is bad  atherosclerosis

Nucleic Acids Very long Made up of elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus Contain instructions for cells to carry out all functions of life Usually found in nucleus of cell Examples: DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) which is the genetic info passed from parent to offspring, and RNA (Ribonucleic acid) which helps make proteins

Nucleic Acids Genes consist of DNA, which is a polymer known as a nucleic acid. Polymers assembled from monomers called nucleotides. Nucleotides (3 parts): 5-carbon sugar (deoxyribose or ribose) Phosphate group 1 Nitrogenous base (1 of four: adenine, guanine, cytosine, or thymine)

Deoxyribose Nitrogenous base= Cytosine NUCLEOTIDE = Monomer of DNA

DNA and proteins DNA=information for the cell’s activities BUT…does not directly run the cell Proteins are “molecular hardware” That is, they are the tool for biological function EX: the protein hemoglobin carries oxygen in the blood, not the DNA that specifies the structure of hemoglobin

Let’s Get Pumped Up about Proteins!!!

Proteins The goal of the cell is to MAKE PROTEINS (aka Polypeptides) Made up of the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur Found in cell membrane, help make up many organelles, hair, finger nails, spider webs, feathers, etc. Examples: meat, eggs, beans, enzymes

Structure of Proteins Proteins are made up of long chains of amino acids 20 different amino acids can form thousands of different proteins (just like 26 letters of the alphabet can form thousands of words) Similar to letters and words, the order of amino acids will determine which protein it is Polymer = Proteins Monomer = Amino Acids

Enzymes Proteins that speed up chemical reactions in organisms Without enzymes, many chemical reactions needed for life would not occur or would occur to slowly Example: enzymes (proteins) in your saliva speed up digestion of food by breaking it down into simpler sugars in your mouth