Organic Compounds of the Human Body

Organic compounds contain what kind of atoms?

Organic compounds contain carbon and hydrogen

Carbon atoms can bond together to form what?

Carbon atoms can bond together to form long chains and large molecules

Organic compounds are almost always held by what type of bonds?

Organic compounds are almost always held by covalent bonds

Carbohydrates are also known as what?

Carbohydrates are also known as sugar and starches

Carbohydrates have what ratio of hydrogen to oxygen atoms?

2:1 ratio

What are the subunits of carbohydrates?

The subunits of carbohydrates are monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, galactose), disaccharides (sucrose/table salt, lactose), and polysaccharides (starch, glycogen)

How are simple carbohydrates (monosaccharides) broken down?

Simple carbohydrates are broken down quickly by the body to be used as energy

Simple carbohydrates are found in what?

Simple carbohydrates are found in fruit, milk and milk products, and processed and refined sugars like candy, table sugar, and syrups

How are complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) broken down?

Complex carbohydrates are broken down more slowly in the body (often referred to as dietary starch and fibers)

Complex carbohydrates are found in what?

Complex carbohydrates are found in foods like peas, whole grains, beans, sweet potatoes, etc.

Carbohydrates provide the structural units for what?

Carbohydrates provide the structural units for DNA (deoxyribose) and RNA (ribose) sugars and in cell membranes

Carbohydrates are what for the body?

Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy (4 calories per gram)

Glycogen:

Made up of glucose, and stores energy source for your muscles and liver

Carbohydrates are the only energy source for what cells?

Carbohydrates are the only energy source for the brain and nerve cells

Glucose (in the blood):

Known as “blood glucose” or “blood sugar” and triggers an insulin or glucagon response

Carbohydrates help in the digestion of what?

Carbohydrates help in the digestion of proteins and lipids

Lipids are also known as what?

Lipids are also known as fats

Lipids are what kind of biomolecules, and contain what?

Lipids are insoluble organic biomolecules, containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (can also contain nitrogen and phosphorous)

Lipids have what kind of consistency?

Lipids are often greasy feeling with an oily consistency.

Lipids provide the body with what?

Lipids provide the body with highest energy yield at 9 calories per gram (slow-burning energy)

Lipid functions:

Energy, structures, vitamins, protection, insulation, and regulation

Lipids function for energy:

Lipids act as storage compounds (triglyceride = reserve energy)

Lipids function for structures:

Lipids form the phospholipid bilayer (cell membrane) and cholestrol maintains the fluidity of the cell membrane

Lipids function for vitamins:

Lipids absorb fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E, K

Lipids functions for insulation:

Lipids are electrical insulators on nerve cells (myelin sheath) and layers of fat in the subcutaneous layer provide insulation

Lipids functions for regulation:

Some lipids help regulate cellular metabolism (prostaglandins), layers of fat in the subcutaneous layer regulate body temperature, and essential fatty acids (linolein and linolein acids) play a role in regulating pain, fever, inflammation, and blood clotting

Triglycerides:

Most common fats in the body that are the most abundant source of stored energy

Phospholipids:

Used to build cell membranes

Steroids:

Most important in the body is cholesterol, which is an important part of estrogen and testosterone and aids in digestion

Prostaglandins:

Regulate the effects of hormones, influence blood pressure, secretion of digestive juices, enhance immune response, aid in blood clotting and respiration

Proteins:

Characterized by the presence of 4 elements: carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen

Structural proteins:

Forming structures of cells, tissues, and organs

Functional proteins:

Fits with other chemicals in the body and causes changes in molecules

Proteins are made up of what subunits?

Proteins are made up of amino acids (20 different amino acids that make up proteins) bonded together by peptide bonds which make polypeptides

What body tissues structures are proteins responsible for?

Proteins are responsible for much of the structure of body tissues including cell membranes, collagen, keratin, and elastin

What do proteins form?

Proteins form enzymes which catalyze reactions, and also form hormones which act as chemical regulators for growth and development

What do proteins function as, and what do they do?

Proteins function as antibodies to help fight infection, storage molecules (ferritin), transport molecules (hemoglobin), contractile proteins (actin and myosin), and as neurotransmitters by helping nerves communicate with other nerves or muscle fibers

What do proteins help regulate?

Proteins help regulate osmotic pressure and assist in blood clotting

Primary protein structure:

Sequence of a chain of amino acids

Secondary protein structure:

Hydrogen bonding of the peptide backbone causes the amino acids to fold into a repeating pattern

Tertiary protein structure:

Three-dimensional folding pattern of a protein due to side chain interactions

Quaternary protein structure:

Protein consisting of more than one amino acid chain

Nucleic acids:

The structural units that make up DNA and RNA

Nucleic acids contain what?

All nucleic acids contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorous

Nucleic acids are composed of what?

Nucleic acids are composed of nucleotides

How are nucleotides formed?

Nucleotides are formed by a sugar (either deoxyribose in DNA or ribose in RNA), a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base (A,T,C,G) or (A,U,C,G)

Function of DNA:

Stores the genetic code (the blueprint of life) within structures called chromosomes (happens in the nucleus)

Function of RNA:

Responsible for transporting the genetic code from the nucleus to the ribosomes, where proteins are made

What do DNA and RNA both assist in?

Both DNA and RNA assist in protein synthesis

What are the structural components of DNA?

DNA is a double helix where nitrogen bases are paired together (A-T & C-G) and form the rungs of the DNA ladder, and the sugar is deoxyribose

What are the structural components of RNA?

RNA is a single helix where nitrogen bases are paired together (A-U & C-G), the sugar is ribose, and the sequence of bases determines the amino acids made

What is ATP?

ATP is adenosine triphosphate (cellular energy), a high-energy compound found in all living organisms that drives most chemical reactions

How is ATP produced?

ATP is produced in cellular respiration, in the cytoplasm of mitochondria when breaking down sugar

Cellular respiration:

A process that involves the breaking down of glucose in a series of chemical reactions

What is ATP made up of?

ATP is formed by an andenosine unit and three phosphate groups

How is energy deprived from ATP?

Energy is deprived from the splitting off of one of the phosphate groups (ATP ←→ ADP + P + energy)