Organic Molecules

• An organic molecule is a type of molecule that consists primarily of carbon & hydrogen atoms
• Carbon atoms bond covalently with up to 4 other atoms, often forming long chains or rings.
• Enzymes are protein molecules that act as a biological catalyst to speed up metabolic reactions (reactions occurring inside cells).
• Cells assemble large polymers from smaller monomers and break apart polymers into component monomers. (Enzyme-driven reactions)
• Monomers:

  • Monomers are the building docks of polymers

  • Simple molecules with low molecular weight

  • Usually have a low boiling point

  • comparatively low mechanical strength

  → Examples: Simple sugars, fatty acids, amino acids, and nucleotides.
• Polymers:

  • Polymers consist of repeating monumer molecules

  • Complex molecules with high molecular weight

  •usuatly have a high boiling point

  > Examples: Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
• Polymers:

  • Polymers consist of repeating monomer molecules

  • Complex molecules with high molecular weight

  •usuatly have a high boiling point

  • High mechanical strength

  -> Examples: Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
• There are 4 types of organic molecules:

  1. Carbohydrates
  2. Lipids
  3. Proteins
  4. Nucleic acids
• Carbohydrates are molecules that consist primarily of Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms in a 1:2:1 ratio (for every 1 carbon, there are 2 hydrogens & one oxygen.).
• Cells use carbohydrates for energy and structural materials.
• Enzymes assemble complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) from simple Carbohydrate (sugar) subunits.
• Glucose monomes can bond in different patterns to form complex carbohydrates:

  • Cellulose (a Structural component of plants)

  • Starch (main energy reserve in plants)

  • Glycogen (energy reserve in animals & humans)
• Monosaccharide:

  -simple

  -Examples: glucose, fructose, galactose
• Disaccharide:

  -simple

  -Examples: lactose, maltose, sucrose
• Polysaccharide:

  -complex

  -Examples: starch (storage in plants)

  Glycogen (storage in animals)

  Cellulose (cell wall in plant cell)
• Lipids are greasy or oily nonpolar organic molecules, often with one or more fatty acid tails.
• Fatty acids consist of a long chain of carbon atoms with an acidic carboxyl group at one end.
• The tail of the fatty acid is nopolar & hydrophobic (doesnit like water).
• The carboxyl group is polar & hydrophilic (likes water).
• Fatty acids are divided into 2 groups:

  -Saturated farty acids

  -Unsaturated fatty acids
• Saturated fatty acids: fatty acids with no double bonds in its carbon tail.

  • They are packed more tightly than unsaturated fatty acids and tend to be more solid at room temperature.
• Unsaturated fatty acids: fatty acids with one or more double bonds in their carbon tail.

  • They tend to be a liquid at room temperature.
• Phospholipids are lipids with a phosphate group in its hydrophilic and polar head, and two nonpolar, hydrophobic fatty acid tails.
• Phospholipids are the main structural component of cell membranes
• Steriods are a type of lipid made up of 4-fused carbon rings with different functional groups.
• Functional groups are specific groups of atoms within molecules that are responsible for specific chemical reactions and properties
• Examples of steroids: cholestrol, estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone.
• Waxes are a type of water-repellent lipid made up of long carbon chains attached to an ester group
• Waxes are found in:

  •ears to protect the eardrum

  • on leaves of plants as a protective layer
• Proteins are organic compounds that consist of one or more amino acids
• A protein's function depends on its structure, so if its structure changes then so does its functions.
• Amino acids are small organic compounds with a carboxyl group, amine group, and a characteristic side group (R). They are the monomers of proteins.
• Peptide bonds are bonds formed between the amine group of one amino acid and the carboxyl group of another amino acid
• • Amino acids form chains by peptide bonds
• Peptide bonds are formed by dehydration synthesis reactions.
• When amino acids form a chain by peptide bonds, they are called Polypeptides.
• Lipids are divided into 4 groups:

  • Fats

  • Phospholipids

  • Steroids

  • Waxes
• Fats are lipids with one, too, or three fatty acid tails
• Fats, such as triglycerides, are the most abundant source of energy in vertebrates & are stored in adipose tissue that insulates the body.
• Triglycerides: A type of fat that consists of 3 fatty acids attached or bonded with a glycerol group. It is nonpolar.