Carbon and the Four Major Classes of Organic Molecules

Vocabulary flashcards covering the four major classes of organic molecules, their monomers, functions, and key characteristics.

Carbon

The element that serves as the backbone of organic molecules.

Four major classes of organic molecules

Proteins, Nucleic acids, Carbohydrates, and Lipids.

Proteins

Organic macromolecules composed of amino acid subunits that play a role in cell structure and speed up the rate of chemical reactions.

Amino acids

The building blocks or subunits of proteins, of which there are 20 kinds.

Carbohydrates

Macromolecules made of sugar monomers that function to store energy and provide structural material.

Lipids

Macromolecules made of fatty acid monomers that store energy, form membranes, and include steroids.

Nucleic Acids

Macromolecules made of nucleotide monomers that store genetic information, such as DNA.

Sugar

The monomer subunit of carbohydrates.

Fatty acid

The monomer subunit of lipids.

Nucleotide

The monomer subunit of nucleic acids.