Living organisms on Earth are made of
primarily water and molecules
containing carbon
What’s so snazzy about carbon?
A Horta is a hypothetical silicon-based
life form instead of a carbon-based life
What do carbon and silicon have in
common?
Carbon has 4 valence electrons:
H
C
H
C
H
H
Hydrocarbons = molecules of carbon and hydrogen
Carbon-hydrogen covalent bonds (C-H bonds) are
nonpolar, and contain large amounts of energy
Organic Molecules contain at least one C-C bond
Isomer = molecules with the same number and
type of atoms, but different arrangements
Figure 4.7 The pharmacological importance of enantiomers
Table 4.1 Functional Groups of Organic Compounds
Functional Groups =
Specific groups of atoms
that make up part of a
larger molecule and have
particular chemical
properties (shape, polarity,
reactivity, solubility)
Biological Macromolecules
• Most of the large organic molecules that living organisms
are built from are made of smaller molecules joined
together
Cellulose:
• Polymers = molecules built by linking together a large
number of small chemical subunits. The single subunits
are called monomers. The monomers may be all
identical or vary.
Monomers are joined together by a
condensation/dehydration reaction
Requires
energy
Polymers are taken apart by a
hydrolysis reaction
Releases
energy
Four Major Types of Biological
Macromolecules
Type of Polymer
Monomers making up
Polymer
Carbohydrates
(Polysaccharides)
Monosaccharides
Lipids
Fatty acids and
glycerol
Proteins
Amino acids
Nucleic Acids
Nucleotides
Example
Sugars,
Starch,
Cellulose
Fats, steroids,
cholesterol
Enzymes,
structural
components
DNA, RNA