Chemicals for Life

Carbohydrates  Sugars and starch  C,H,O  Energy source

Proteins  Made of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds  C, H, O, N, sometimes S  Very important! They have several functions including movement and structure  Enzymes are a very important type of proteins. They speed up chemical reactions of a cell to biologically useful rates.

Lipids  Fats, oils, waxes, steroids  C, H, O, sometimes P  Used for energy storage and insulation  Important component of cell membranes

Nucleic Acids  Contain hereditary info  C, H, O, N, P  Made of nucleotides (sugar, nitrogen base, and phosphate group)  RNA, DNA  Important for building proteins  Can be used to store info