Molecules of Life

• monomers

  small repeating units that can be joined in a condensation reaction to form a polymer

  examples: amino acids, monosaccharides and nucleotides
• polymer

  large complex molecules composed of a long chain of monomers

  examples: carbohydrates, proteins and nucleic acids
• condensation reaction

  joins together two monomers by releasing a molecule of water
• hydrolysis reaction

  breaks down polymers by using a water molecule