General Biological Molecules and Metabolism

Inorganic molecules

Simple molecules that do not contain both carbon and hydrogen. They can be represented using molecular formulae

Organic molecules

Molecules that contain both carbon and hydrogen and usually have a carbon backbone. Complex organic molecules are represented by their structural formula.

Molecular formula

Give the number of each type of atom present in a molecule.

Structural formula

Show how the different atoms in a molecule are joined together. These help distinguish between isomers.

Isomers

Molecules that have the same molecular formula but different structural formula.

Metabolism

All the chemical reactions that take place inside cells or organisms.

Anabolic reactions

A reaction in which large molecules are built from smaller ones e.g. protein synthesis.

Catabolic reactions

Reactions in which large molecules are broken down into smaller ones e.g. Digestion and respiration.

Monomers

A small molecule that joins to other molecules of the same type to form a polymer.

Polymer

A macromolecule made from many small molecules of the same type joined together.

Condensation reactions

A reaction that occurs when two molecules are joined by a covalent bond and a water molecule is removed.

Hydrolysis reactions

A reaction when a large molecule is slit into smaller molecules with the addition of water.

What do condensation and hydrolysis reactions in living organisms require.

Enzymes

Examples of biological polymers

• Carbohydrates

• Proteins

• Nucleic acids

Carbohydrates

• Polymer: Polysaccharides

• Monomer: Monosaccharides

• Elements: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen

Proteins

• Polymer: Polypeptides

• Monomer: Amino acids

• Elements: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Sulfur

Nucleic acids

• Polymer: Polynucleotides

• Monomer: Nucleotides

• Elements: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus

What elements are present in triglycerides

Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen

Why are triglycerides not polymers?

They are composed of fatty acids and glycerol which are different types of small molecules.