Large Molecules

• What are proteins?

  Made of amino acids joined together with peptide bonds from a condensation reaction

  The main functions of proteins are growth and repair
• What is the primary structure of proteins?

  Refers to the base sequence of amino acids in the polypeptide chain
• What is the secondary structure of proteins?

  The structure before the amino acids form into its final three dimensional form

  Most common secondary structures are alpha helixes and beta sheets
• What is the tertiary structure of proteins?

  Refers to the amino acid sequence's final structure

  This is held together by various bonds and forces along the protein
• What is the quaternary structure of proteins?

  Refers to the fact that many functional proteins are formed from two or more polypeptide chains
• What are carbohydrates?

  The basic units of carbohydrates are monosaccharides

  Monosaccharides are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen

  When combined in pairs, monosaccharides form disaccharides through a condensation reaction and the formation of glycosidic bonds
• What are triglycerides?

  Formed by the condensaton of one molecule of glycerol and three molecules of fatty acids
• What are phospholipids?

  Formed when one fatty acid of a triglyceride is substituted by a phosphate - containing group
• Phospholipids are made up of two parts, a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail – this molecule structure forms a bi-layer that is important for all membrane functions
• Lipids are used within the body for insulation and protection and as an energy source