macromolecules

• The 6 most abundant elements of life

  • Carbon
  • Hydrogen
  • Oxygen
  • Nitrogen
  • Phosphorous
  • Sulfur
• Organic chemistry


  The study of carbon compounds
• Carbon atoms


  • Versatile building blocks
  • Four stable covalent bonds
• All of life is built on carbon
• Cell makeup


  • ~72% H2O
  • ~25% Carbon compounds
  • ~3% Salts (Na, Cl, K)
• Organic Macromolecules


  Larger molecules made by joining smaller organic molecules
• Four major classes of organic macromolecules

  • Carbohydrates
  • Lipids
  • Proteins
  • Nucleic Acids
• Elements in the four organic macromolecules

  • Carbohydrates: C, H, O

  Lipids: C, H, O

  Proteins: C, H, O, N, S

  Nucleic Acids: C, H, O, N, P
• Monomers


  Building blocks of polymers
• Polymers


  Long molecules built by linking repeating building blocks in a chain
• Building a polymer


  Synthesis: Joins monomers by taking out H2O

  Dehydration synthesis: One monomer donates OH-, other donates H+, form H2O
• Breaking down a polymer

  Digestion: Use H2O to breakdown polymers, reverse of dehydration synthesis

  Hydrolysis: Cleave off one monomer at a time, H+ and OH- attach to ends
• Carbohydrates


  Carbon compounds with a 1:2:1 ratio of C:H:O, provide short-term/quick energy
• Carbohydrate examples


  • Glucose, starch, cellulose, glycogen
• Types of carbohydrates


  • Monosaccharides
  • Disaccharides
  • Polysaccharides
• Cellulose


  • Most abundant organic compound on Earth

  Herbivores can digest it, most carnivores cannot
• Lipids


  Compounds of C, H, O with long hydrocarbon chains, do not form polymers
• Lipid functions


  • Energy storage

  Cell membrane component

  Cushion organs

  Insulate body
• Phospholipids


  Lipids that make up cell membranes, with hydrophilic heads and hydrophobic tails
• Steroids are not lipids, they are a different type of molecule
• Nucleic Acids


  Genetic material that stores and transfers information
• Nucleic Acids


  • DNA

  RNA
• Nucleotide


  The building block of nucleic acids, made of a nitrogen base, pentose sugar, and phosphate group
• Proteins


  The most structurally and functionally diverse group of macromolecules, involved in almost everything
• Protein functions


  • Structure (e.g. keratin, collagen)

  Enzymes (e.g. pepsin, DNA polymerase)

  Carriers and transport (e.g. hemoglobin, aquaporin)

  Cell communication (e.g. insulin, other hormones)

  Receptors

  Defense (e.g. antibodies)

  Movement (e.g. actin, myosin)
• Amino Acids


  The monomers that make up proteins, with a central carbon, amino group, carboxyl group, and variable R group
• Protein structure and function

  • Depends on the 3D structure - twisted, folded, coiled
• Protein denaturation


  Unfolding of a protein, caused by conditions like temperature or pH, which limits or destroys its function
• Some proteins can return to their functional shape after denaturation, many cannot
• The four organic macromolecules are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids