Macromolecule Notes
General Vocabulary
• Monomers: Subunits that make
up larger molecules. “Parts that
make up the whole”
Polymers: A bunch of monomers
all hooked together. The whole
thing!
Can you think of some examples?
Examples
• Legos vs Legoland
• Bono vs U2
• A cinderblock vs Hamilton High
School
General Vocabulary
Continued
• Dehydration Synthesis: Also known
as CONDENSATION REACTION.
• Used in anabolic reactions.
(Anabolism, or biosynthesis, is the
process by which living organisms
synthesize complex molecules of life
from simpler ones.)
• amino acid + amino acid --> dipeptide
+ water
Why was water formed
during the reaction?
• amino acid + amino acid --> dipeptide
+ water
• In order to hook subunits together,
they need to be able to share
electrons. If there are no electrons
to share, won’t/don’t need to share a
bond, so by removing a –H from one
subunit and –OH from another
subunit, free electrons can now bond
together. Monomers are now linked
together by covalent bonds. The H
and OH form water.
General Vocabulary
continued
• Polymerases: In the body,
anabolic reactions are carried
out by enzymes called
polymerases.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=UyDnnD3fMaU
Hydrolysis: Process used to release
monomers from the larger polymer
• Used in catabolic reactions.
( Reactions which break down
molecules.)
• Water is used during the process
to break the covalent links.
• This leaves “unhappy” atoms
with electrons to share, so…….
End of Hydrolysis
• Water breaks up into -H and –OH
and attaches to make each side
happy.
• In the body, catabolic reactions
are carried out by enzymes
generally known as
HYDROLASES
General Vocabulary End
• Polymerization: Process that
creates polymers from monomer
subunits
• Macromolecules: Organic
molecules found in the body can
be classified as one of four
things: Proteins, nucleic acids,
carbohydrates and lipids.
Macromolecules
Continued
• Macromolecules can be very
LARGE molecules.
• These are the “bricks and
mortar” of our bodies… they
make up all the cells and
everything in them.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Q1dRmbCCO4Y
CARBOHYDRATE
Structure
• Only made of Carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen
• The formula: Characteristics in 1:2:1
ratio
• The names: most end in “OSE”
• Shape: Hexagon shape, but check
ratios. If not listed, each corner of
the hexagon is a CARBON.
• Monomer: Simple
sugar/monosaccharide
• Polymer: Polysaccharide.
Types of Carbohydrates
• A) Monosaccharide. (aka simple
sugar) examples: glucose, fructose,
galactose
• Interesting notes: All of the above
examples have the same molecular
formula. So how are they different?
The atoms are hooked together
differently. These are called
ISOMERS
TYPES OF
CARBOHYDRATES (Cont’d)
• DISACCHARIDES ( aka simple
carbohydrate)
• Examples: sucrose, maltose,
lactose
• POLYSACCHARIDES (aka
complex carbohydrates)
• Examples: Cellulose, glycogen,
chitin, starch
Interesting
• All of those polysaccharide examples
are made of polymers of glucose.
• They differ in the way that the
glucose molecules are attached..
Cellulose and chitin are
STRUCTURAL polymers made with
one type of glucose. Glycogen and
starch are ENERGY polymers made
with the other form of starch.
Who cares?
• Cellulose and chitin are used in
plants and animals for
constructing cell walls and
exoskeletons. We don’t have the
enzymes that recognize how the
glucose molecules are hooked
together in this form so we don’t
digest these forms!
Testing for Carbs
• 1) Iodine test
• Indicates the presence of
starch. A positive test turns
purple
• 2) Benedicts test
• Indicates the presence of
monosaccharides.
• A positive test turns orangish
Put it all together so
far..
• http://www.mindbites.com/lesso
n/3956-biology-dehydrationsynthesis-hydrolysis
LIPIDS
Structure
• How can you tell a lipid apart from
other molecules?
• Made of Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen
AND other elements… typically
phosphorus and notrogen
• Formula: No characteristic ratio
• Names: No fancy way to tell
• Structure: Each of the 3 classes has
its own recognizable shape. (See
types)
Lipids (cont’d)
• Monomers: ?
• Polymers: Three kinds of
polymers
• A) fats
• B) phospholipids
• C) Steroids
Types of Lipids
A) Fats
Made by attaching the glycerol head to
the 3 fatty acid tails (aka
triglycerides)
• Dehydration synthesis hooks the tails
to the head
• The fatty acid can be saturated or
unsaturated depending on the
presence or absence of double
bonds.
• Tails can be all saturated, all
unsaturated or a combination.
Types of Lipids
B) Phospholipids
• Made by taking off one of the fatty
acid tails and replacing it with a
molecule known as a “phosphate
group”.
• By adding this group, a portion of the
molecule becomes hydrophobic (the
tails) and portion is now hydrophilic
(the head). So what? Now this
molecule can be used as a type of
sack. When dropped in water, they
form spheres with the heads facing
the water and tails facing inside.
Types of Lipids
C) Steroids
• Made by combining tons of fatty
acids into rings.
• Characterized by looking for the
fused rings: (Don’t worry about
the numbers!)
Testing for Lipids
• 1) Emulsification Test: Forms
two layers when heated in water
and subsequently having ethanol
poured in.
• 2) Brown Paper Bag Test
• 3) Sudan IV test: Turns red in
the presence of a fat.
PROTEINS
Structure
• How can you tell proteins apart from
other molecules?
• Made of Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen,
sulfur, etc
• Formula: No characteristic ratio
• Name: most end with “-in”
• Structure: Look for the N-C-C
• Monomer: Amino Acid
• Polymer: Protein or polypeptide
Proteins
Levels of Organization
• 1) Primary structure: A simple chain of
monomers. The order the amino acids line
up is dictated by the DNA code.
• 2) Secondary Structure: The chain starts
to coil (aka Alpha helices) like a telephone
cord. Other parts of the chain will
accordion fold (aka beta-pleated sheets)
• KEY Maintain shapes because parts of
backbone forms H bonds. N from one amino
group bonds to O in carboxyl group of the
other amino acid
Levels of Organization
(cont’d)
• 3) Tertiary Structure: The coils and
pleats now start folding in on each
other.
• KEY: shape is maintained by bonding
at the R group level! The
hydrophobic amino acids will cause
the protein to bend (during folding)
away from the water. The
hydrophilic ones won’t be bothered in
the presence of water
Levels of Organization
(Cont’d)
• 4) Quarternary structure: Two
proteins at the tertiary stage
have combined.
Example: Hemoglobin
Testing for proteins
• 1) Buiret’s test: Turns a pretty
purple if proteins are there.
Nucleic Acids
Structure
• Monomer: Nucleotides
• Polymer:
DNA or RNA
• Testing? Don’t worry about it!
Identify these
macromolecules!