Macromolecules Lecture Notes

Vocabulary flashcards covering the definitions, structures, monomers, polymers, reactions, and types of biological macromolecules from the lecture notes.

Macromolecules

Organic molecules that are critically important to all living things, where "macro" means big.

Monomer

A single building block ("mono" meaning one, "mer" meaning unit) that joins together with others to form polymers.

Polymer

A large molecule made of many repeating units ("poly" meaning many, "mer" meaning units) joined together.

Dehydration Synthesis

The reaction that joins monomers into a polymer by removing water.

Hydrolysis

The chemical process that breaks polymers down into monomers by adding water.

Carbohydrates

Macromolecules made of $C$, $H$, and $O$ that provide immediate energy; examples include bread and pasta.

Monosaccharides

Simple sugar monomers of carbohydrates, such as glucose and fructose.

Disaccharides

Carbohydrates composed of two sugar units, such as maltose and sucrose.

Polysaccharides

Complex carbohydrates made of many sugar units, such as starch, glycogen, and cellulose.

Lipids

Macromolecules made of $C$, $H$, and $O$ with common parts of fatty acids that function in long-term energy storage; examples include fats, oil, and wax.

Saturated Lipids

Lipids that are filled with hydrogen atoms.

Unsaturated Lipids

Lipids that are not filled with hydrogen atoms.

Proteins

Macromolecules made of amino acid monomers that provide structure (such as muscle, skin, and hair) and are found in foods like meat, beans, peas, and eggs.

Amino Acids

The monomers that link together to build proteins.

Nucleic Acids

Macromolecules composed of $C$, $H$, $O$, $N$, and $P$ whose function is to carry genetics, with examples being DNA and RNA.

Nucleotides

The monomers of nucleic acids, consisting of a phosphate group, a sugar, and a nitrogen base.