1. The Building Blocks of Life
Organic Chemistry
The Building Blocks of Life

2. Organic Chemistry The study of organic compounds
Any compound containing Carbon
Carbon is essential for life
Has 4 valence electrons
Can form 4 covalent bonds with other atoms
Can form chains, branched chains or rings

3. Macromolecules
Macromolecules: large molecules formed from smaller ones
4 major types: Carbohydrates, Lipids, proteins, Nucleic Acids
Polymers versus monomers
Monomers are the smaller building blocks of polymers
Monomers are linked using covalent bonds

5. Carbohydrates (-ose) Chemical composition:
Elements:
Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen
Always in a ratio of 1:2:1 (C6H12O6)
Types:
Monosaccharides: have 3-7 Carbons simple sugar
Examples: Glucose, fructose, galactose
Disaccharides: two monosaccharides joined together
Examples: sucrose, lactose
Polysaccharides: long chains of monosaccharides
Examples:
Glycogen: energy storage in animals
Cellulose: cell wall in plants
Chitin: makes up exoskeletons of insects and fungus cell walls
Purpose in organisms: quick energy source and gives structural support

6. Carbohydrates

7. Lipids Chemical Composition:
Elements: Carbon and Hydrogen
Monomers: fatty acids, and glycerols
Types: (fats, oils, and waxes)
Triglyceride: stored in fat cells of animals
Waxes: coat plant leaves to prevent water loss
Phospholipids: makes up the cell membrane
Steroids: includes cholesterol and hormones
Purpose in organisms: stores energy, creates barriers (cell membrane is a phospholipid bilayer), insulation

8. Triglyceride

9. Phospholipid

10. Proteins Chemical composition:
Elements: Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Hydrogen, and sometimes Sulfur
Monomer: amino acids
There are 20 different types
They’re connected with peptide bonds to create long chains of proteins
The order of this protein chain is coded for by DNA
70% of the structures in the body are made of proteins
Purpose in organisms: structural support, transports materials, speeds up chemical reactions (enzymes), controls cell growth
Examples: insulin, hemoglobin

11. Amino acids and peptide bonds

12. Nucleic Acids Chemical Composition:
Elements: Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and Hydrogen
Monomer: nucleotide
Made up of: phosphate group, nitrogenous base, and a sugar
Types:
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
RNA (ribonucleic acid)
Purpose in Organisms: stores and communicates genetic information

13. Nucleotide and DNA