Chemicals of life

• The four organic molecules are carbohydrates, lipids, protein and nucleic acid.
• Carbohydrates are optically active poly hydroxy aldehyde or ketone.
• Carbohydrates are simple molecules that are made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
• Polysaccharide is many monosaccharides joined together by glycosidic bonds
• Disaccharide is two monosaccharides joined together by glycosidic bond
• Monosaccharides are the simplest form of carbohydrate.
• Glycosidic bond is the link between two sugars
• The function for carbohydrates are that its used for structure and energy storage (quick source of energy) and making up the cell structure
• Examples of carbohydrates include; monosaccharide, disaccharides and polysaccharides
• Monosaccharides example include; glucose, fructose and galactose.
• Disaccharide example includes; sucrose, maltose and lactose.
• Polysaccharide examples include; starch, glycogen, chitin and cellulose.
• Glycogen are made up of many glucose molecules and is the form in which animals store glucose.
• Starch is a large number of glucose joined together and is a source of energy.
• Cellulose is made up of hundreds and thousands of glucose units and is an important component of the cell wall.
• Chitin is a polysaccharide found in cell wall of fungi, exoskeleton of arthropods and radula of molluscs.
• Lipids are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms.
• Lipids do not dissolve in water.
• The basic structure of a lipid is a long fatty acid tail attached to a glycerol molecule.
• Lipids contain twice the amount of energy as carbohydrates and proteins
• The function of lipids include; development of cell membrane, long term energy storage, insulation, padding and protection for internal organs, helps in absorption of vitamin A D E K and is a component of steroid hormone.
• Types of fats include; saturated and unsaturated.
• The properties of saturated fats include; single bond, solid, animal fat, and excess consumption contributes to NCD.
• Example of saturated fats is butter.
• Properties of unsaturated fats include; double bond, liquid, vegetable fat, and is healthy.
• Proteins are large molecules made of chains of amino acid.
• Proteins contain amino acids, which are linked together by peptide bonds.
• Protein contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen atoms.
• There are 20 amino acids.
• Proteins include; skin, hair, bone, cartilage, hormone, enzymes and muscle tissue.
• Four levels of proteins include; primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary.
• A basic amino acid structure include; a carbon center, carboxyl cid group (COOH), amino group (NH2), and a side chain.
• Polypeptide chain are more than two acids joined by peptide bond.
• Functions of proteins include; formation of antibodies and enzymes, energy, production of hormones, transportation and storage of molecules, and repair and maintenance
• Denaturation is a process whereby the shape of the protein is changed and the protein loses its function.
• Denaturation is caused by excess heat, corrosive chemicals, change in pH, change to salinity level and the concentration of heavy metals.
• Proteins not required immediately by the body gets deaminated by the liver.
• The amino group is converted to urea and filtered out of the blood by the kidneys. the remainder of the molecule is broken down for energy.
• Nucleic acids are instructors that tell the cell how to assemble the building materials together, and store and release energy in cells.
• The two types of nucleic acids that serve as instructors include; Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and Ribonucleic acid (RNA).