YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT! BIOCHEMISTRY UNIT Chapter 2, Sections 3 & 4 Pages 44-48, 51-53

What is an Organic Compound? Anything that contains the following two elements: Carbon & Hydrogen

I. The Role of Carbon A.Carbon can bond with numerous other elements 1.Carbon has 4 free e- in it’s outer energy level 2.It has the ability to form up to 4 covalent bonds B.Types of Bonds (When 2 Carbon atoms bond) 1.Single – each carbon shares only 1 e-. 2.Double – each carbon shares 2 e-. 3.Triple – each carbon shares 3 e-.

II. Building Organic Molecules A.Macromolecules - Large molecules containing hundreds of atoms. - Can vary greatly in size. Example: Proteins

B.Polymer - Large molecules formed when many smaller molecules (monomers) bond together. - They generally form long chain-like molecules. Example: Glucose + Fructose = Sucrose 1. Polymers are created as well as broken apart by two processes!

a. Condensation Reactions - Small molecules are bonded together to make a larger one. - Each molecule loses either a –H or –OH group in order to bond. - As a result, for each bond 1 water molecule is formed. A + B = C + H 2 O

b. Hydrolysis Reactions - Refers to the breaking apart of a polymer. - Occurs during the digestion of food molecules! C + H 2 O = A + B

III. MACROMOLECULES A. Carbohydrates 1. AKA – Sugars, starches, fiber, grains, & roughage. 2.Jobs & Function: Are used by the cell to store & release energy. 3.Elements Present:Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen a. Ratio - C 1 : H 2 : O 1

4. Building Blocks a. Monosaccharides (Simple Sugars) - 1 sugar molecule Examples:Glucose and Fructose b. Disaccharides - 2 monosaccharides combined Example: Sucrose (Table Sugar) (Glucose and Fructose combined via a “ ? “ reaction.) c. Polysaccharides – 3 or more monosaccharides combined Examples: Starch (plant food storage), Cellulose (in plant cell walls), and Glycogen (animal food storage).

B. Lipids 1. AKA – Fats & Oils 2. Jobs & Function: 1. Major part of cell membranes 2. Long-term energy storage 3. Insulation. 3.Organic compounds composed of the elements: Carbon, Hydrogen, & Oxygen a. Ratio of C:H:O  1:2:~0 4. Building Blocks -3 Fatty acids & 1 Glycerol

5. Examples: a.Saturated Fats - Solid at room temperature - All single bonds between carbons! Examples are:Butter & Lard b.Unsaturated Fats - room temperature - One or more double bonds between carbons! - Oils (vegetable, olive, corn sesame, etc….)

6. TransFats (Hydrogenated Oils) a. Made by “hydrogenating” oils to make them solid. b. Hydrogenating means “adding hydrogen.” c. When consumed, increases your LDL concentration.

C. Proteins 1. Large polymer composed of: C, H, O, N, and S. 2. Essential for all life. 3. Building Blocks a. Proteins are made of amino acids (20 Types of A.A.’s) 1. Amino Acids are linked together by condensation reactions.

4. Jobs & Functions a. Makes up fibers of Muscles b. Make-up antibodies c. Make-up Enzymes (Enzymes allow reactions to occur) d. Used as messengers (transport oxygen in bloodstream) 5. Examples: Antibodies, Enzymes, Hair, Muscles, & “Some” Vitamins

D. Nucleic Acids 1. Definition - A complex macromolecule that stores information in the form of a code. 2. Building Blocks - Made up of smaller subunits called nucleotides. 3. Elements Present - Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus.

4. Jobs & Functions a. Contain Hereditary Information b. Contain instructions on how to make proteins. 5. Examples a. DNA – The master copy of an organism’s information code. b. RNA – Codes for a copy of DNA used in protein synthesis.