Organic
Molecules
Carbon Compounds
• Organic Compounds
– Must have Carbon (C)
Four Groups of Organic
Molecules
• 1. Carbohydrates
• 2. Proteins
• 3. Lipids
• 4. Nucleic Acids
What are they made of?
Molecule
Monomer
Carbohydrate
monosaccharide
Protein
Amino acid
Lipid
Fatty acid chain
Nucleic Acid
nucleotide
1) Carbohydrates
• Has carbon, hydrogen, oxygen (CHO)
– Ratio 1C:2H:1O
• Made up of simple sugars (monosaccharide)
– Glucose common simple sugar (C6H12O6 )
– Fructose
– Galactose
• Two simple sugars put together makes a
disaccharide
– Double sugar
– Sucrose (table sugar)
• Many simple sugars put together makes a
polysaccharide
Types of Carbohydrates
Polysaccharides Function
• 1) glycogen: animals store glucose
• 2) starch: sugar in plants (store
glucose)
–Pastas, potatoes, breads
• 3) cellulose: gives plants strength
2) Lipids
• Have carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and Oxygen (O)
– More carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) than
carbohydrates
• Nonpolar molecules
– Do NOT mix with water (insoluble)
• Made up of fatty acid chains
– Head (hydrophilic)
– Tail (hydrophobic)
Types of Lipids
• 1) Triglycerides
– Saturated fats (solids)—shortening and animal fats
– Unsaturated (liquids)--oils
• 2) Steroids
– Testosterone
– cholesterol
• 3) Phospholipids
– Form the membranes in cells
• 4) Waxes
– Highly waterproof
3) Proteins
Have the elements C, H, O, and Nitrogen (N)
• Made up of amino acids
– There are 20 amino acids
• Amino acids are held together by peptide bonds
• A very long chain of amino acids is called a
polypeptide.
• The shape of a protein determines its function
• Proteins perform a lot of different tasks
– Movement: muscles and skin
Types of Proteins
• Hormones
–Insulin
• Enzymes
–Function to speed up reactions
–Words end in “-ase”
–Lipase, lactase, kinase, etc
• Hemoglobin
–The part of a blood cell that carries
oxygen
4) Nucleic Acids
Made up of nucleotides
Nucleotides have three parts
–Sugar
–Phosphate
–Nitrogen base
Function of nucleic acids is to store
genetic information.
Types of Nucleic Acids
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic Acid
Nucleotide sugar is deoxyribose
RNA
Ribonucleic Acid
Nucleotide sugar is ribose
The pH Scale
• Measurement of how acidic or basic a
solution is.
• Measures concentration of hydrogen ions H+
• pH number of 0-6 means its an acid
• pH number of 8-14 means it’s a base (alkaline)
• pH of 7 means it’s a neutral
Buffers
• Chemical substances that neutralize
small amounts of either an acid or base
• Prevents great fluctuations in pH
• Maintains proper pH levels
• Example: antacids
Properties of Water (H2O)
• Water is a polar molecule
– Means uneven distribution of electrons
– Positive (+) charge on hydrogen, negative (-)
charge on oxygen
Strange Water Properties
1) High Cohesion and High Adhesion
Cohesion: water “sticks” to itself (beads up on
surfaces)
Adhesion: water is attracted to other
substances (runs down the side of a glass)
2) High Specific Heat
It takes a lot of energy to change the
temperature of water
3) Water Expands When it Freezes
– Ice is less dense than liquid (ice floats)
Solutions and Mixtures
• Mixture: made of two or more elements
physically mixed together
– Example: Mixing Skittles and M&Ms
together
Solution type of mixture where one substance
is dissolved in another (Kool-Aid)
• Solute: what gets dissolved (flavor pack)
• Solvent: what does the dissolving (water)
• Water is the universal solvent!