Biomolecules
INTRODUCTION
~ PART 1 ~
Chemistry of Life
1. Life requires about 25 of the 92 naturally occurring
chemical elements.
A. Carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen make up 96%
of living matter.
B. Phosphorus, sulfur, calcium and potassium make up most
of the remaining 4%.
Chemical Bonds
1. Atoms combine by chemical bonding to
form molecules.
A. Atoms react with each other by either sharing or
transferring electrons.
B. These interactions usually result in atoms staying
close together, held by attractions called
chemical bonds.
Chemical Bonds
1. Covalent bonding: occurs
when the outer electrons are
shared between two atoms.
2. Hydrogen bonding:
a very weak bond between
an atom of hydrogen and
another atom.
3. Ionic bonding: occurs
when the outer electrons are
stripped away creating +
and – ions.
Compounds
1. Compounds = substances that are
composed of 2 or more elements
combined in a fixed ratio
2. Types of compounds:
A. Inorganic compounds
B. Organic compounds
Compounds
1. Inorganic: does NOT contain carbon
A. Example: Water - H2O
2. Organic: Compounds that contain
CARBON.
A. Example: Glucose –C6H12O6
Carbon (C)
1. Carbon can form covalent
bonds with as many as 4
other atoms (elements).
2. Usually with C, H, O or N
a. Carbon
b. Hydrogen
c. Oxygen
d. Nitrogen
3. Example: CH4 (methane)
Biomolecules
1. Cells are composed of organic compounds called
biomolecules
2. These biomolecules include:
a. carbohydrates
b. lipids
c. proteins
d. nucleic acids
3. These four types of biomolecules are know as
macromolecules
4. These substances are used by your cells and often
obtained through foods you eat
Macromolecules
1. Macromolecules - Large molecules. Also known
as polymers.
2. Polymer - Large molecule made of many subunits
(monomers)
3. Monomer - Small molecules (subunits) that make
up a polymer (macromolecule).
Photo by Toni Lozano
Polymer: chain
Monomer: link
Photo by Toni Lozano
In this picture,
what would you
say is the
, and
what would be
the
?
The entire
is the
,
and each
is a
.
Dehydration Synthesis
1. When polymers form (putting monomers together)
the process is known as dehydration synthesis.
A. an H and OH are given off to form H2O.
B. the result is the synthesis (building) of a
new polymer.
Hydrolysis
1. When polymers
break down, the process
is known as hydrolysis.
A. water is added to
the split the
molecules.
3. This results in
breaking down a
polymer into
monomers).