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• Organic compounds


  Compounds that contain carbon atoms, and also often contain hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorus
• Biological molecules are the key to the structure and function of living things
• Biological molecules are often organic compounds
• Carbon atoms


  • Can make four bonds and join up with four other atoms
  • Can form long chains
  • Bonds usually form a tetrahedral shape leading to branched chains, rings or 3D shapes
• Monomer


  A small molecule that is a single unit of a larger molecule called a polymer
• Polymer


  A long chain molecule made up of many smaller repeating monomer units joined together by chemical bonds
• Macromolecule


  A very large molecule often formed by polymerisation
• Carbohydrates


  • Used as a usable energy source
  • Used for storing energy
  • Form an important part of the cell wall in plants, fungi and bacteria
• Monosaccharides


  Simple sugars with one sugar unit
• Disaccharides


  Sugars made up of two monosaccharide units joined by a glycosidic bond
• Polysaccharides


  Polymers made up of long chains of monosaccharide units joined by glycosidic bonds
• Glycosidic bond


  A covalent bond formed between two monosaccharides in a condensation reaction
• Hydrogenating some sugars reduces the energy they provide
• Benedict's solution is a chemical test for reducing sugars
• Non-reducing sugars do not react with Benedict's solution