large biological molecules Flashcards
carbohydrate polmer
It has a monosaccharides with a Glycosidic linkage
carbohydrates
sugar, polymers of sugars
CH2O of multiples
Carbon chain, hydroxyls,oxygen in a carbonyl group
storage compounds, structural components
originally from photosynthesis
Monosaccharides
Carbonyl,hydroxyl,aldose, ketose triose pentoses hexoses
Carbonyl carbon
Number one carbon
Hydroxyl
Suffix “ose” ex. ribose glucose lactose etc. grouped based on
number of carbons in skeleton.
position of carbonyl
left or right enantiomers
aldose
Aldehyde sugar
Ketose
Ketone sugar
Trioses
Three carbon backbone (trimer)
Pentoses
Five carbon sugars
hexoses
Six carbon sugar’s
Monosaccharide facts
They are in equilibrium, tends form rings in solution
Alpha and beta glucose differ in position of hydroxyl group and number one carbon
Important because they have different properties
alpha OH is below one carbon
beta OH is above one carbon
Polymerization
Macromolecules, polymers with a few hundred to a few thousand monosaccharides joined by glycosidic linkages
Disaccharide polymerization
Named for the position of the carbons involved in the reaction
enzyme assisting the reaction
Biological roles polysaccharide
Structural component cells
plants:cellulose
arthropods ,fungi:chitin
Storage of Surplus (energy)
Plants:starch
animals :glycogen
require very little water
storage polysaccharides:
starch: only in glucose, plants stare starch
stored as granules in special organs Ex. roots
different forms: amylase unbranched 1-4 linkage
amylopectin (starch) branched with additional 1-6 linkages
Glycogen-a polymer of glucose that is like amylopectin but more extensively branched , 1 day supply in liver of vertebrae
Structured polysaccharide, cellulose:
Major component of the tough walls that enclose plant cells
glucose monomers only (beta glucose)
1-4 glycosidic linkage
hydrogen bonding between adjacent chains because hydroxyl groups are free, strong molecule (cellulose microfibrils in a plant cell wall)
Digesting cellulose
Some micro organisms can digest cellulose breaking it down into glucose monomers
humans don’t have one but other organisms do:bacteria, protists, in the guts of herbivores
Chitin
Structural polysaccharide of Arthropods (insects ,spiders, crustaceans and related animals) and fungi to build their exoskeletons
contains nitrogen
Exoskeletons
Hard case that surround the soft parts of an animal
made up of Chitin embedded in a layer of protein
Lipids
Hydrophobic molecules:non polar mostly hydrocarbons
membranes
energy storage
hormones, signaling
three types: Fats-> triacylglycerol
phospholipids
steroids
fatty acid-baseFatty acids
fat is constructed of glycerol and fatty acids
glycerol is an alcohol: each of its three carbons has a hydroxyl group
fatty acid has a long carbon skeleton
hydrocarbon chain
carboxyl, methyl
fatty acids vary by
length of hydrocarbon chain presence of double bonds saturated-no double bonds unsaturated- +1 double bonds position of double bonds-location of first double bond from methyl end cis or trans isomers
lipids
backbone for triacylglycerols
triacylglycerols
three fatty acids linked to on glycerol by ester linkages (hydroxyl/carbonyl)
plants and fish oil’s
mostly unsaturated fatty acid’s, oil
liquid at room temperature
Cis
has a kink in the structure
animals
mostly saturated (butter) solid at room temp some exception are coconut oil and duck fat
trans fats
hydrogenation of vegetable oils solidifies them at room temperature
produces saturated fats and unsaturated fats with trans double bonds-trans fats - phospholipids
dietary sources of lipids
plant and fish oil
animals
trans fat
phospholipids
two fatty acids, and a phosphate group (charged) attached to a glycerol
small molecules can be attached to the phosphate groups
self assemble into a bilayer in water
hydrophobic tails pointing toward the interior
steroids
carbon skeleton with four rings
ex. cholesterol (type of steroid, crucial molecule in animals)
synthesized in the liver
cell membranes
precursor to other steroids such as sex hormones
