macromolecules

Organic Chemistry: The study of all compounds containing bonds between carbon atoms.

Carbon

• 4 valence electrons that form strong covalent bonds

  • allows for unlimited chain lengths with other carbon atoms

  • backbone of most organic molecules

• frequently partnered with H, O, N, and C

MACROMOLECULES

• most biological molecules are polymers made by covalent bonds of monomers

• formed by dehydration synthesis: removing H_2O links monomers together

  • ex: protein synthesis

• Hydrolysis: addition of H2O breaks polymers into monomers, releasing energy

  • ex: digestion

CARBOHYDRATES

• Sugars and polymers of sugars

• often end in "-ose”

• monomers: monosaccharide

  • monosaccharides: single sugar molecules

    • glucose: breakdown allows for ATP production

  • polysaccharides: large macromolecules formed from monosaccharides

    • could be formed by 100s of 1000s of monosaccharides

    • extra sugar can be stored as a starch (complex carbohydrate in plants) and glycogen (for animals)

  • made up of C, H, and O atoms (usually in a 1:2:1 ratio)

• Functions:

  • Main source of energy for living things

  • SHORT TERM energy storage

  • Structural purposes

    • Cellulose- plants

    • chitin- arthropods and fungal cell walls

  • recognition/signaling molecules can trigger biological responses

    • glycoproteins and glycolipids*

• Monosaccharides: Simple Sugars

  • Pentoses: 5 carbon sugars

    • Ribose and deoxyribose are the backbones of RNA and DNA

  • Hexoses: include glucose, fructose, mannose, and galactose

  • Bonded covalently with condensation reactions that form glycosidic linkages

    

  • Sucrose is a disaccharide (Glucose + Fructose); oligosaccharide

• Disaccharides

  •Bonds formed by dehydration synthesis of monosaccharides » glycosidic linkages

• *Oligosaccharides (2-9 monomers): many have additional functional groups.

  • often bound to proteins and lipids on cell surfaces, serving as recognition signals

• Glycosylation: adding carbs to another molecule; adding glucose to a protein “Glycosylation is the reaction in which a carbohydrate, i.e. a glycosyl donor, is attached to a hydroxyl or other functional group of another molecule in order to form a glycoconjugate”

• Polysaccharides: large polymers of monosaccharides

  • branching chains

  • starches: family of polysacchs of glucose

  • Glycogen: highly branched glucose

  • cellulose: H-bonds form fibers

LIPIDS

• Hydrophobic. composed of C and H atoms

  • weak attraction when close together due to LDF forces

  • energy stored within C-C and C-H bonds

• Structural role in cell membranes