Organic Compounds

• What are the four main groups of organic compounds in cells?

  The four main groups are carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins.
• Why is carbon considered the basis of all organic compounds?

  Carbon is able to form large, complex molecules via covalent bonding and can form four stable covalent bonds, allowing for a wide variety of molecular structures.
• What are the key characteristics and functions of carbohydrates?

  Carbohydrates are molecules of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, used for energy and cell recognition. They consist of monomeric subunits, commonly adopting closed ring structures.
• What are monomers in the context of organic compounds, and what are the monomeric subunits of carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and proteins?

  Monomers are recurring subunits of organic compounds. Carbohydrates use monosaccharides, nucleic acids use nucleotides, and proteins use amino acids as monomeric subunits.
• What are nucleic acids, and what is their function in the cell? 


  Nucleic acids are composed of nucleotides and function as the genetic material of the cell, determining inherited features. DNA acts as a master copy, while RNA is responsible for protein assembly.
• How are polymers broken down into monomers, and what type of reaction is involved?

  Polymers are broken down into monomers via hydrolysis reactions, where a water molecule is split to provide the -H and -OH groups needed to break the covalent bonds.
• What are lipids, and what roles do they play in cells?

  Lipids are non-polar, hydrophobic molecules, including fatty acids and steroids, serving as structural components of cell membranes, energy storage, and signaling molecules.
• How are polymers formed from monomers, and what types of bonds are involved in the process?

  Polymers are formed from monomers via condensation reactions, where covalent bonds (glycosidic, phosphodiester, or peptide) link the monomers, producing a water molecule as a by-product.
• What are the primary functions of proteins in cells?

  Proteins are important cell components, with functions including enzymatic activity, structural support, signaling, and transport. Some proteins may have non-peptide groups called cofactors.