1. Carbon Compounds

2. The chemistry of Carbon
Carbon Compounds
The chemistry of Carbon
Carbon has its own branch of Chemistry to study it (2 reasons)
Carbon atoms have 4 valence electrons
Each of these valence electrons can form with valence electrons from other atoms to form covalent bonds
Can bond with several different elements
Carbon atoms can bond to other carbon atoms
Can form limitless chains of carbon atoms
Can be single, double or triple covalent bonds
Chains of carbon atoms can close on themselves and form carbon rings
Carbon has the ability to form larger and
more complex molecules than any other
element

3. Macromolecules (giant molecules)
Made from thousands to hundreds of thousands of other smaller molecules
Formed through polymerization, the process by which large compounds are built by joining smaller molecules together
Smaller units are called monomers
Larger units are called polymers
Sometimes the monomers are the same and sometimes they are different

4. Carbon compounds are classified into 4 groups
Carbohydrates – are compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms
Usually in ratios of 1C:2H:1O
Living things on Earth use carbohydrates as a form of energy
Stored as complex carbohydrates such as starch
Plants and some animals also use it for structural purposes
Monosaccharides are single sugar molecules
The large macromolecules formed by monosaccharides are called polysaccharides
Animals store excess sugar in a polysaccharide form called glycogen
Plants store excess sugar in a polysaccharide form as well called plant starch
Plants also use a polysaccharide for structure called cellulose

5. Lipids – are compounds made up of mostly carbon and hydrogen atoms; this group varies greatly but are generally not soluble in water
Common categories of lipids are fats, oils, and waxes
Lipids can be used to store energy
Some lipids are important parts of biological membranes and waterproof coverings
Steroids are also lipids and act as chemical messengers
Lipids are formed between a glycerol molecule and a fatty acid molecule
A saturated fatty acid is when all the carbon molecules are joined together by single bonds, there by saturating the molecule with H
A unsaturated fatty acid is when there is at least one C to C double bond, if there is more than one C to C double bond the fatty acid is said to be polyunsaturated
Olive oil is unsaturated
Corn, sesame and peanut oils are polyunsaturated

7. Nucleic Acids – are macromolecules containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus
Polymers assembled from monomers known as nucleotides
Nucleotides consist of a 5-Carbon sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base
Nucleic acids store and transmit genetic information
Two kinds of nucleic acids
Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

8. Proteins – are macromolecules that contain nitrogen as well as carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
Polymers of amino acids
Amino acids are compounds with an amino group (-NH2) on one end and a carboxyl group (-COOH) on the other end
There are more than 20 different amino acids found in nature
All amino acids are identical in the regions where they are joined together by covalent bonds; this allows any amino acid to be joined to any other amino acid by bonding an amino group to a carboxyl group
The side chain (R-group) is what makes each amino acid different
Proteins have many different functions
Control the rate of reactions
Regulate cell processes
Used to form bones and muscles
Transport substances into or out of the cells
Help fight disease

9. Have up to four levels of organization
First level is the sequence of amino acids in the protein chain
Second level is the amino acids within the chain can be twisted or folded
Third level is the chain itself can be twisted or folded
Fourth level, if the protein has more than one chain they have specific arrangements in space
Van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds maintain a proteins shape
When a protein loses it shape it is said to be denatured, this can be caused by many factors, such as change in temperature and pH