Organic chemistry is the study of all compounds that contain bonds between carbon atoms.
The chemistry of carbon is of great importance to the study of biology. 1.Carbon has 4 valence electrons that can form strong covalent bonds.
2. Carbon can bond to other carbon atoms to form chains of almost unlimited length.
3. Carbon atoms can close upon themselves to form rings. 4. Carbon atoms can form single, double, or even triple bonds. These are represented by single, double, or triple lines. *No other element even comes close to matching Carbons diversity and versatility.*
Naming organic molecules. 1. How many carbons? PrefixNumber of Carbons Meth-1 Eth-2 Prop-3 But-4 Pent-5 Hex-6 Hept-7 Oct-8 Non-9 Dec-10
2. How many bonds? SuffixNumber of bonds -ane1 -ene2 -yne3 3. Let’s try a few… Methane- 1 carbon, single bonds Ethene- 2 carbons, double bond
4. Special circumstances- when there is an –OH group, we have an alcohol and change the suffix to –ol.
Macro means “giant”, so macromolecule means “giant molecule”. These giant molecules are made up of many smaller molecules known as monomers. Monomers join together to form polymers.
Macromolecules can be classified into four groups. 1.Carbohydrates- main source of energy 2.Lipids- energy storage; membranes 3.Nucleic acids- store and transmit genetic info. 4.Proteins- everything else in your body!
Carbohydrates are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Living things store carbohydrates as starches. Starches are polymers made up of sugar monomers. If they describe a sugar, we call them polysaccharides and monosaccharides.
Lipids are made up of mostly carbon and hydrogen and are generally not soluble in water. Three types of lipids we will study are fats, oils, and waxes.
Saturated means that the fatty acid contains the maximum amount of hydrogen atoms it can hold. Unsaturated means that there is still some room to work in hydrogen atoms.
Nucleic acids are made up of hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorous. Nucleic acids are polymers made up of monomers known as nucleotides. Two kinds of nucleic acid: 1.DNA- deoxyribonucleic acid 2.RNA- ribonucleic acid
Proteins are made up of nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. Proteins are polymers of monomers called amino acids. 20 amino acids are found in nature. 8 are essential and must be acquired while 12 are made by the body.
Protein functions Control the rate of reactions and regulate cells processes. Used to form bones and muscles. Transport substances into or out of cells Help to fight disease
There are 4 levels of protein structure. The finished protein (Quaternary) structure is held together by van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds.