UNIT 4 - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
Dates: September 25 - October 4
Chapters: 6.4
Assignments: Labs 4, 5, 6, and 7 - Carbohydrates, Fats, and Proteins
Evaluation:
Lab writeups
Test - Oct. 4
Introduction:
Now that you understand what matter is and how atoms react with one another
to make molecules, you will now learn about the chemicals that make up life. There
are two different kinds of compounds, inorganic and organic. Both are necessary for
the survival of living things. Life is not the property of one particular molecule, but is
something made possible by a large group of molecules. Some form pigments, some
form cell structures, others store and release energy, and still others contain genetic
information. Each has its own unique characteristics and plays an essential role in the
processes of life.
At the end of this unit, the student should be able to:
1. explain how an inorganic compound is different from an organic compound and why
organic compounds get so large.
2. explain how the term polymerization is appropriate in explaining the formation of
such organic compounds as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and nucleic acids.
3. Explain why the name carbohydrate is an indication of the chemical composition of
any sugar.
4. distinguish between monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides and state
examples of each.
5. explain the use of the Benedict’s test and the Iodine test for carbohydrate
identification.
6. distinguish between a saturated, unsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acid.
7. explain why dehydrogenation is an appropriate name for converting a saturated fat to
an unsaturated fat.
8. give two (2) reasons why dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis are opposite reactions.
9. describe how protein molecules can be synthesized from its monomers, with
emphasis on the chemical groups involved in the bonding process.
10. recognize the presence of fats and proteins through the use of the xanthoproteic
(nitric acid) test, brown paper test, and solubility test.
11. explain how the body gets its energy from carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
12. design a balanced diet and its importance.
13. describe the structure and function of nucleic acids.
14. explain how living things use each organic compound in sustaining their life
processes. See if you can match the specific organic compound to a specific life
function.
Vocabulary:
monomer
inorganic
polysaccharide
cholesterol
carboxyl group
glycerol
DNA
isomers
polymer
monosaccharide
hydrolysis
amino acid
amino group
dehydration synthesis
nutrition
organic
disaccharide
lipid
peptide bond
fatty acid
RNA
calorie
Extra Credit:
1. “You are what you eat!” Explain the ways in which that statement is correct and the
ways it is incorrect.
2. At the yearly convention of chemical compounds, a great debate is raging. The
organic compounds represented by the carbohydrates, claim they are the most
important compounds in living things. The inorganic compounds, championed by water
molecules, claim that life could not exist without them. Write a paper in which you take
the side of the organic or the inorganic compounds. Or, as an alternative, you may file
a minority report in which you argue both side are incorrect.
3. Knowing what you now do about the 3-dimensional structures of certain organic
compounds, explain how the structure of the molecule enables it to carry out its
function in living things.