Organic Chemistry
Organic Compounds - have carbon bonded to other atoms and determine
structure/function of living things
Inorganic Compounds - do not contain carbon and hydrogen together (salt)
Organic compounds are made from a carbon skeleton which can vary in length, be
branched or unbranched, have double bonds which vary in location, or may be
arranged in rings.
Attached to the carbon skeleton is a FUNCTIONAL GROUP- which is the area that
participates in chemical reactions
Functional Group
Name of compounds
Functions
Hydroxyl
-OH
Alcohols
hydrophilic, polar
Carbonyl
-CO
Aldehydes (when the =O occurs at the end of chain)
Ketones (when the =O occurs in the middle of
hydrophilic, polar
chain)
Carboxyl
-COOH Carboxylic Acids
act as acids, donate
protons
Amino
-NH2
act as bases,
accept protons
Amines
What type of compounds are the following?
Isomers – molecules with the same molecular formula, but different arrangement
of atoms
Reaction Types
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Hydrolysis - break down compounds by adding water
Dehydration - two components brought together, produces H2O
Endergonic - requires the input of energy
Exergonic - releases energy
Redox - electron transfer reactions - Remember OIL RIG
Monomers link together to form polymers
Dehydration reaction – water is removed, joins monomers together
Hydrolysis – water attaches to a polymer and breaks it into smaller units
MACROMOLECULES fall into four major groups
1. Carbohydrates
2. Lipids
3. Proteins
4. Nucleic Acids
1. CARBOHYDRATES
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monosaccharides - simple ring sugars, glucose and fructose
disaccharides - two monosaccharides combined, sucrose and lactose
(dehydration synthesis)
polysaccharides - polymers (long chains of repeating units) of
monosaccharides, starch (plant energy storage) and glycogen (animal energy
storage)
pentoses - five carbon sugars; deoxyribose & ribose (DNA)
Polysaccharides as Structural Molecules
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Cellulose - glucose bonded to form "fibers", composes cell walls (cotten is almost pure
cellulose); not easily digested
Chitin - polymer of glucose, makes up exoskeletons of arthropods
Glucose is a molecule that can be combined to make lactose and sucrose.
2. Lipids
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Hydrophobic (insoluble in water)
Used for insulation and long term energy storage (fat)*
Fats* & Oils are made of subunits – glycerol and fatty acids
Waxes – mainly used for covering and protection
Phospholipids - Important structural component of the cell membrane
Steroids - cholesterol & sex hormones
(estrogen & testosterone) – made of 4 fused rings
*Saturated fats contain no double bonds, unsaturated have double bonds that
“kink” the molecule
*Saturated fats solidify at room temperature; unsaturated fats are liquid at room
temperature
3. Proteins
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Polymers made of amino acids, which are joined by peptide bonds - proteins
are also called polypeptides
Amino acids form a wide variety of structures, mainly building blocks for living
tissue
Support | Enzymes | Transport | Defense | Hormones | Motion
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Proteins can be denatured, heat causes it to lose its shape, and its
functionality (More on enzymes later)
There are 20 known amino acids
Proteins have four shapes
1. Primary Structure - sequence of amino acids that form the polypeptide chain
2. Secondary Structure - Parts of the polypeptide fold into local patterns (alpha helix
or pleated sheet)
3. Tertiary Structure - the overall 3D shape (globular or fibrous)
4. Quaternary Structure consists of two or more
polypeptide chains or
subunits
4. Nucleic Acids
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Informational polymers
made of
individual nucleotides
DNA (deoxyribonucleic
acid) & RNA
(ribonucleic acid)
Each nucleotide consists of:
1. A sugar (deoxyribose or
ribose)
2. A phosphate
3. A nitrogen base
- adenine
- thymine (in DNA)
- guanine
- cytosine
- uracil (in RNA)
ATP (adenosine triphosphate) - high energy molecule that contains two phosphate
bonds that are easily broken to release energy (this energy drives the reactions in
our bodies)
Molecule of ATP stores energy
Dehydration reaction releases this energy
QUIZ YOURSELF!
a. carbohydrate
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
b. lipids
contains adenine and thymine
lactose
chains of amino acids
long term energy storage
cholesterol
chains of fatty acids and glycerol
plant cell walls
c. protein
d. nucleic acids