Organic Chemistry
Organic Compounds - compounds synthesized by cells and contain carbon
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
-OH
Alcohols
hydrophilic and polar
Carbonyl
-CO
Aldehydes (when the =O occurs at the
end of chain)
hydrophilic and polar
Ketones (when the =O occurs in the
middle of chain)
Carboxyl
-COOH
Carboxylic Acids
act as acids, donate protons
Amino
-NH2
Amines
Act as bases, pick up protons from acids
Hydroxyl
What type of compounds are the following?
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
MACROMOLECULES important to life
1.
2.
3.
4.
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic Acids
1. CARBOHYDRATES
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monosaccharides - simple ring sugars, glucose and fructose
disaccharides - two monosaccharides combined, sucrose and lactose
polysaccharides - polymers (long chains of repeating units) of
monosaccharides, starch and glycogen
2. Lipids

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Hydrophobic
waxes, oils, fats, steroids (cholesterol & sex hormones)
important structural component of the cell membrane (phospholipid)
Saturated fats contain no double bonds
*Saturated fats solidy at room temperature, unsaturated fats are liquid at room
temperature
3. Proteins

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Polymers made of amino acids
Amino acids are joined by peptide bonds
Amino acids form a wide variety of structures, building blocks for living tissue
The chain of amino acids coil into a 3D structure
Proteins can be denatured, heat causes it to lose its shape, and its
functionality (More on enzymes later)
Proteins have four shapes
1.
2.
or
3.
4.
Primary Structure - sequence of amino acids that form the polypeptide chain
Secondary Structure - Parts of the polypeptide fold into local patterns (alpha helix
pleated sheet)
Tertiary Structure - the overall 3D shape (globular or fibrous)
Quaternary Structure - consits of two or more polypetide chains or subunits
4. Nucleic Acids
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Informational polymers
DNA & RNA