CP Biology
2015-2016
Name
KEY______ ____________
UNIT 2B: Biochemistry Part 1
Chapter 2: The Chemistry of Life
2.3 Carbon Compounds (Organic Chemistry)
What is the difference between ORGANIC and INORGANIC
chemistry? *Organic chemistry means the study of compounds that
contain bonds between carbon atoms; *Inorganic chemistry is the
study of all other compounds.
Why is Carbon so interesting?

Carbon has four valence electrons, allowing it to form bonds
with many other elements such as H, P, O, S and N.

One carbon atom can bond to another, giving it the ability to
form chains that are almost unlimited in length.

These carbon-carbon bonds can be single, double or even
triple covalent bonds.

Chains of carbon atoms can even close up on themselves to
form rings. No other element comes close to matching carbon's
versatility.
(HONC 1234)
How many bonds does a single carbon atom form to become stable?
______4_________ bonds.
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*ORGANIC COMPOUNDS:
 Are usually defined as compounds which contain
carbon with hydrogen. May contain additional elements
such as O, N, P, K, S, Fe, Ca, Na, Cl and others.)
 Are produced only by living things (biotic).
 Range from simple to very complex.
 Contain strong, covalent bonds.
 examples: _CH4, C6H12O6, SUGARS, PROTEINS,
FATS, OILS, DNA
Identify whether each of the following compounds is organic or
inorganic by placing a √ in the appropriate column.
Substance
Organic? Inorganic?
1. sodium chloride (table
salt): NaCl
2. glucose: C6H12O6
X
X
3. water: H2O
*INORGANIC COMPOUNDS:
 Usually defined as compounds that do not contain
carbon with hydrogen. (exceptions may contain just
carbon.)
 They often can be formed in the non-living (abiotic)
environment, but :
 Can also be made by/found in living things.
 examples: ____H2O, NaCl, O2, NH3, CaCO3, CO2__
X
4. heating oil: C14H30
X
5. chitin (a protein):
C8H12NO5
X
6. thymine (a nitrogenous
base): C5H5N2O2
X
7. sulfuric acid: H2SO4
X
8. oxygen gas: O2
X
9. ethanol: C2H5OH
X
10. adenosine triphosphate
(ATP): C10H16N5O13P3
X
11. carbon dioxide: CO2
X
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The General Structure of Macromolecules
Many of the organic compounds produced by living things
are so large that they are called *macromolecules which
means giant molecules. Examples: Carbohydrates, lipids,
proteins and nucleic acids.
Most macromolecules are fomed through a process called
*polymerization in which large compounds are built by
joining smaller ones together.
The smaller repeating units called *monomers may be
identical or different from one another. The large
compounds which are formed from the joining of many
monomers are called *polymers.
2 Monomers combine to form one dimer
Two monomers joined together are called a *dimer.
The exception: Lipids are not composed of monomers and
polymers. Instead, they take different forms which we will
discuss later in this unit.
The dimer, plus 3 more monomers combine to form a
polymer
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Four Types of Biologically Important Macromolecules
What are the four major types of organic macromolecules
and what are the building blocks of each type?

Carbohydrates (monosaccahrides)

Lipids (glycerol and 3 fatty acids)

Nucleic Acids (nucleotides)

Proteins (amino acids)
(In this unit, we will be focusing primarily on the
STRUCTURE or FORM of these molecules. We will
discuss their FUNCTION at appropriate points
throughout the course.)
Most of the foods we eat are made from living things;
therefore they are composed of a variety of different
organic molecules. A well-balanced diet provides not
only the energy needed to fuel life processes but also the
materials needed for cells to build essential molecules
and cell structures.
GROUP
Basic Building
Blocks
(Monomers)
Polymer
Carbohydrates
monosaccharide
polysaccharide
Proteins
Amino acid (or
peptide)
polypeptide
Nucleic Acids
nucleotide
Nucleic acid
Lipids
Glycerol and 3
fatty acids
Triglyceride
Carbohydrates
Foods in Breads, cereal,
which
pasta, fruit
they are
found
Lipids
Nucleic
Acids
Proteins
Oils, butter,
meat, dairy
products,
plant seeds
All types of Meat, dairy
foods derived products,
from living beans
things
Organic molecules must be digested and converted by
metabolic processes into molecules organisms can use.
All organisms use chemical processes to BUILD UP and
BREAK DOWN organic polymers.
Remember, there is a continual cycling of matter
throughout all ecosystems, while energy is not
recycled
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Synthesis and Breakdown of Macromolecules
Two major chemical processes (metabolic reactions)
occur to build up or break down all four types of
macromolecules into larger or smaller units.
 *Dehydration Synthesis is the combination
of smaller organic subunits by the removal of
water. This chemical reaction involves
removing an –H from one subunit and an –OH
from the other subunit to allow the subunits to
bond together.
 *Hydrolysis is the breakdown of
macromolecules into their subunits by adding
water. This chemical reaction involves
breaking a bond and adding an –H and an –
OH to adjacent subunits so the molecules can
exist separately.
NOTE: Water is required as a reactant
A ___polymer (large molecule)____ and _water (H2O)_______
are products of the reaction Dehydration Synthesis.
Water is a (reactant / product) of the reaction, Hydrolysis.
Smaller molecules are the (reactants / products) of the reaction,
Hydrolysis.
These reactions occur in both directions, depending
upon the needs of the organism.
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Examples (Dehydration Synthesis):
1) Carbohydrate
Organic Compound
2) Lipid
Dehydration Synthesis
Reactant(s)
Product(s)
carbohydrate
Monosaccharide
Polysaccharide
+water
Lipid
glycerol + 3 fatty
acids
Triglyceride + water
protein
Amino acid
*Polypeptide + water
nucleic acid
Nucleotide
DNA or RNA +
water
(triglyceride)
3) Protein
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Examples (Hydrolysis):
1) Carbohydrate
Organic Compound
Hydrolysis
Reactant(s)
Product(s)
carbohydrate
Polysaccharide +
water
monosaccahrides
Lipid
Triglyceride + water
glycerol + 3 fatty
acids
protein
*polypeptide + water
Amino acids + water
nucleic acid
DNA or RNA + water
nucleotides
2) Lipid
(triglyceride)
3) Protein
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CARBOHYDRATES
Monosaccharides
 are important for energy and cell structure.
Sometimes called ‘hydrated’ carbons. They contain
atoms of *CARBON, HYDROGEN and OXYGEN,
usually in a ratio of *1: 2: 1.
Carbohydrates differ in structural makeup. They range
from small, monosaccharides (*simple sugars) to
intermediate molecules such as disaccharides, to large
polysaccharides (complex carbohydrates).
*GLUCOSE
Chemical Formula C6H12O6
*FRUCTOSE
Chemical Formula C6H12O6
*GALACTOSE
Chemical Formula C6H12O6
*RIBOSE
Chemical Formula C6H12O6
*Monosaccharides: single sugar molecules, the
simplest (monomer) unit of carbohydrates.
*Disaccharides: a compound made by joining two
monosaccharides together
Examples
*Sucrose - (table sugar) - made by joining Glucose
and Fructose
*Lactose - (milk sugar) - made by joining Galactose
and Glucose
Disaccharides
Chemical Formula: C12H10O11
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ISOMERS- Same (iso) parts (mer)
Glucose , Fructose and Galactose are isomers
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*Polysaccharides: large molecules formed from monosaccharides. Aka: complex carbohydrates
CELLULOSE
GLYCOGEN
STARCH
*What differences and/or similarities do you notice about the polysaccharides above? They are all composed of ring-like
structures of simple sugars but the bonds that connect them are drawn differently. Some are branched and some are
formed in a diagonal manner. (Remember form leads to function, so these differences in form mean they function
differently)
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Important Polysaccharides Synthesized by Animals and Plants:
 Animals consume carbohydrates in food, digest them
(hydrolysis) and then store the excess sugar by synthesizing
glycogen. *Glycogen is a polysaccharide that many animals
make to store excess sugar, sometimes referred to as "animal
starch". When the level of glucose in your blood runs low,
glycogen stored in the liver and muscles is broken down into
glucose which is released into the blood so it can be delivered to
cells.
 Plants produce glucose during photosynthesis and use it to
synthesize starch. *Starch is a polysaccharide that plants make
to store excess sugar. In addition, *Cellulose is another
polyssacharide made by plants. It forms tough flexible fibers
that give plants much of their strength and rigidity. Cellulose is
a major component of the cell walls of plant cells. Wood and
paper are made largely of cellulose! Humans generally can't
digest cellulose ("fiber"), but it helps regulate the elimination of
your solid wastes.
Examine the picture to the right.
What do starch, glycogen and cellulose have in common?
1)
all made of glucose monomers
2)
all are polysaccharides
3)
all contain only C, H and O
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