3.1 Biological Elements

Name 4 of the most important elements in Biology.

• Carbon (C)

• Nitrogen (N)

• Oxygen (O)

• Hydrogen (H)

How many covalent bonds does carbon form?

4

How many covalent bonds does nitrogen form?

3

How many covalent bonds does oxygen form?

2

How many covalent bonds does hydrogen form?

1

Give examples of biological molecules (4)

Biological molecules include:

• Carbohydrates

• Lipids (fats)

• Protein

• Nucleic acids

What elements make up carbohydrates?

• C

• H

• O

  formula usually Cx(H2O)x

What elements make up lipids?

• C

• H

• O

• Note: lipids have more oxygen and less hydrogen than carbohydrates!

What elements make up proteins?

• C

• H

• O

• N

• sometimes S (sulfur) too!

What elements make up nucleic acids?

• C

• H

• O

• P (phosphorus)

• N

Name two types of nucleic acids ( bonus for full names!)

RNA -Ribo Nucleic Acid

DNA - Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid

Many biological molecules are polymers, which are…

long chains of monomers (subunits)

Nucleotides are the monomers which make up which polymer?

Nucleic acids

Amino acids are the monomers which make up which polymers?

They make up polypeptides, which then make up proteins.

Glucose is the monomer which makes up which polymers?

• Starch

• Glycogen

• Cellulose