Unit 2 BioChemistry
Section 3 Carbon Compounds
Organic Compounds : compounds that contain Carbon and usually come from living organisms
Why Carbon is so interesting that the whole branch of chemistry is set aside for it? 
Versatility
 4 valence electrons, which make covalent bonds with H, O, P, S, N
 forms chains or rings between Carbon atoms
 they can form single, double, or triple bonds
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Macromolecules “Giant molecules” made of 100’s-1000’s of small molecules
Macromolecules are formed by process -polymerization (small molecules join -> large
compounds
 Monomers are joined to form polymers in a process called Dehydration synthesis ;
water is removed to join the monomers

Polymers are broken down into monomers by a process called hydration; water is added.
There are 4 different groups of organic compound
1. Carbohydrates : made of C, H, O in a 1:2:1 ratio
 Carbohydrates are a main source of Energy and Structure in plants
 include sugar and starch
 Monosaccharide (monomers) - monomer - simple sugar (ex: glucose, fructose)
 Disaccharide - 2 monosaccharides bonded (ex:maltose, lactose, sucrose)
 Polysaccharide - giant polymers of linked monosaccharides (monomers)
(ex: Starch – energy stored in plants, glycogen - energy stored in animals, Chitin & Cellulose –
structural purposes),
 names usually end in -ose
Monosaccharide is a monomer
2. Lipids
: made of C, H, O and sometimes P
 Lipids are used for Energy storage and are part of biological membrane & water proof
covering.
 include fat, oil, wax, steroids (chemical messengers)
 not soluble in water
 formed by bonding Glycerol with a Fatty acid chain
1. Saturated - C’s are bonded by single bonds,
Maximum number of Hydrogen atoms, usually solid.
2. Unsaturated – one pair of C’s bonded by a double bond, Liquid
3. Polyunsaturated - more than one pair of C’s bonded by a double bond
* Cell membrane mainly composed of a phospholipid bilayer, which controls chemical movement
into and out of the cell and separates the cell contents from the outside world.
3. Nucleic Acids : made of C, H, O, N, P



Consist of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)
& Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)
Store or Transmit heredity or genetic information.
Nucleotide (monomers) join to form a nucleic acid (polymers)
Nucleotide is a monomer
4. Proteins : made of C, H, O, N, S
 Amino acids (a.a.) monomers join to form protein polymers
 20 different types of amino acids
 like different combinations of letters make up words, different
combinations of a.a.’s make up proteins.
 a.a.’s consist of an amine group (NH2) and a carboxyl group
(COOH) and R group (which makes them different)
 amino acids are linked by peptide bonds to form proteins.
Amino acid is a Monomer
 Functions:
Each protein has specific function that depends on its
conformation (shape)
Form structure - hair nail (keratin), storage, transport – (hemoglobin), control movement muscle/skeletal (actin myocin, collagen), defense – antibodies, regulation of cell functions –
(hormone, enzymes)
 The function of the protein depends on its shape (depends on organization of amino acids/
how they fold in protein)
Primary structure – linear chain of amino acids in specific order joined by peptide bonds.
Secondary structure: turns and folds of the primary structure due to hydrogen bonding
Tertiary structure: chain of amino acids is twisted or folded to form globular (3D) protein
Quaternary structure: two or more polypeptide chains joined together