Chemistry and Biomolecules

• Carbohydrates

  • Fundamental unit: Monosaccharides
  • 4cal/g
  • CH2O
  • Energy source/ storage, signaling
  • Polar
• Lipid

  • Fundamental unit: Fatty acids
  • 9cal/g
  • Energy storage, structure, signaling, insulation
  • CHO
• Protein

  • Fundamental unit: Amino
  • 4cal/g
  • Structure, catalysis, membrane transport, immunity, movement
  • Nonpolar
• Nucleic Acid

  • Fundamental unit: Nucleotide
  • 0cal/g
  • Info storage, energy carriers
  • CHONP
  • Polar
• Polymers are large biomolecules, made of monomers put together in a chain. To make polymer, you must add monomer, and remove H & OH. This process is known as dehydration/ condensation/synthesis reaction
• To break down polymers, add H and OH, this is referred to as hydrolysis
• Simple sugars


  Monosaccharides and disaccharides: Quick release of energy-high glycemic index
• Monosaccharides

  • ribose, glucose, fructose, galactose
• Disaccharides:Important energy source

  Sucrose (Glucose+Fructose)

  Maltose (Glucose+Glucose)

  Lactose (Glucose+Galactose)
• Monosaccharides: Energy source

  Ribose, Glucose, Fructose, Galactose
• Lipids are generally composed of methyl groups with carbonyl at the end. Composed of glycerol and fatty acid chains; also cholesterol derivatives and other molecules
• Mono-, di-, triglycerides have fatty acids linked to glycerol; This makes fatty acids non acidic as the H+ is lost to water
• Fatty acids in humans vary tremendously, but average fatty acid has the chem formula C55H104O6
• Saturated: Has many H‘s as possible, no double bond, tends to be straight. Found in animal fats
• Unsaturated: Has double bonds, tends to bend, found in plant sources
• Trans: makes unsaturated fat straight by using trans bond-potentially very harmful
• Phospholipids: A triglyceride where one of the fatty acids has been replaced by a phosphate group with a function of cell membranes
• Steroids or sterols: Derived from cholesterol with function being a component of cell membrane, form hormones
• Large Amino Acid Chains: Polypeptides, that are formed between 2 adjacent amino acids, sufficient amount is referred to as polypeptides
• Structures of protein

  1. Primary: order of amino acids
  2. Secondary: localized foling
  3. Tertiary: How entire structure interacts
  4. Quaternary: multiple peptides working together
• Covalent Bonds: an equal or about equal sharing of electrons
• Carbon & Hydrogen share electrons very equally, forming non-polar covalent bonds
• Ionic Bond: An unequal sharing of electrons
• Hydrogen bond: an attraction between the slightly positive charged hydrogen atom of one molecule and the slightly negative charged atom of another