Group of Organic Macromolecules

Carbohydrates

• Carbohydrates are sugars.

• In living things, carbohydrates serve as a short-term energy source and as structural/building materials.

• Most carbohydrates names end in the letters “-ose.”

Monosaccharides:The monomers or “building blocks” of carbohydrates.

• Glucose, fructose, galactose, ribose, and deoxyribose are common monosaccharides.

• The general molecular formula for a monosaccharide is C2H2NON.

Disaccharide:2 monomers of carbohydrates.

• Disaccharides are bond together by glycosidic linkage.

Glycosidic Linkage:The covalent chemical bonds that link 2 monosaccharides together.

Polysaccharides:The polymers for carbohydrates.

• These compounds are formed by the bounding together of several monosaccharides.

• Biologically important polysaccharides include: starch, glycogen, cellulose, and chitin.

Starch:Used as an energy storage molecule in plants.

Glycogen:Used as an energy storage molecule in animals.

Cellulose:Used as a structural component of plant cell walls.

• Due to the hydrogen bonds that occur in cellulose, it is very hard for most organisms to digest.

Chitin:Used as a component of the exoskeleton of some animals and also fungal cell walls.

Lipids

• These macromolecules are your fats, oils, waxes, and steroids.

• Most lipids are hydrophilic.