1.3 MACROMOLECULES- The Molecules of Life Flashcards
What are all cells composed of?
Organic molecules
What does Organic molecules contain?
- Carbon and hydrogen atoms
- Additional elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur
What are macromolecules?
Very large molecules essential for life processes
2 types of macromolecules
- Polymers: made of repeating subunits (called monomers) linked together
- Composite molecules: not made of repeating subunits
True or False (get from Aksi)
FOUR CLASSES OF MACROMOLECULES
1) Carbohydrates (polymers) 2) Lipids (composite molecules)
3) Proteins (polymers)
4) Nucleic Acids (polymers)
1) Carbohydrates (polymers)
monomer?
a carbon ring of usually
- 5 or 6 carbon atoms
- with hydrogen
- and oxygen in the following ratio: (CH2O)n
- monomer glucose
FUNCTIONS of Carbohydrate
-Primary energy source for many animal- beacuse easier to process than fats
- structural purposes (cellulose, chitin).
4 classification of Carbohydrates
1) monosaccharides
2) disaccharides
3) polysaccharides
4) chitin
Monosaccharides
- What is it?
- Type of energy source
- What does it include? (3)
- single ring sugars;
- very quick energy source;
- Includes
> glucose (fuel to power cellular respiration in nearly all living things)
>fructose (fruit sugar)
>galactose (milk sugar)
Disaccharides
What does it include (3)?
- double ring sugars
- Includes:
> sucrose (table sugar)
> maltose (malt sugar)
> lactose (milk sugar).
Polysaccharides
- Includes (3)?
- 10-1000s of monosaccharides joined together
i)starch - storage form of glucose in plants, ex: breads, rice, potatoes, pasta.
ii)cellulose - tough material, used in plant cell walls, humans can’t digest but, it works as roughage to help move food through intestines.
iii)glycogen - storage form of glucose in animals mostly in liver and muscles.
Chitin
- What is it?
- Type of energy source
- tough material of exoskeleton of insects and crustaceans.
- Not a source of energy,
- indigestible.
2) Lipids: (COMPOSITE MOLECULES)
- Large composite molecules - made up of long hydrocarbon chains.
FUNCTIONS of Lipids
- long term energy storage
- main structural components of cell membranes
- chemical messengers called hormones.
4 different classes of lipids:
i) triglycerides
ii) phospholipids
iii) steroids
iv) waxes
i) Triglycerides
- made up of
- energy source
- made up of glycerol + 3 fatty acids
- typically call “fats”
- 2x energy than carb/ proteins per grams
- main form of fat storage in plants and animals.
ii) Phospholipids
- made up of
- placed in water?
- made up of glycerol + 2 fatty acids + phosphate + choline
- Naturally form phospholipid bilayers when placed in water
iii) Steroids
- made up of
- Main group of steroid & its function
- built upon a 4 carbon ring structure, with different side groups
- main steroid is cholesterol whose function is to give fluidity to the cell membrane
- cholesterol builds steroid hormones such as estrogen and testosterone as well as making Vitamin D.
iv) Waxes
- made up of
- function
- cuticle of plants
- made up of esters of fatty acids & long alcohol chains
- used by plants to reduce water loss from from leaves
ex: bees use waxes to build honeycombs
3) Proteins (Polymers)
-made up of?
- how many amino acids in our body? we make? for diet?
- Unbranced chains of similar monomers called “amino acis”
- form the most complex molecules in living things.
- 20 amino acids in our body–> 12 we can make, 8 we need to obtain through diets: “essential amino acids”
Functions of Proteins
- carrier or channel proteins embedded in the cell membrane act as “border control” : control the movement of material in and out of the cell
- enzymes (biological catalysts) - speed up the rate of a biochemical reactions in cells
- structural component of hair, nails, muscles, tendons, collagen, hemoglobin, etc.
structural component of hair, nails, muscles, tendons, collagen, hemoglobin, etc.
4) NUCLEIC ACIDS: (POLYMER)
- polymer of similar monomers called nucleotides
- Nucleotides are composite molecules made up of sugar + phosphate + nitrogenous base
DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid)
- function
- location
- deoxyribose
- stores and passes on genetic information
- located in the nucleus
- Deoxyribose: double stranded ; nitergoneous base down the center
