Building Blocks Of Life

Organic Molecules . Organic molecules contain carbon and hydrogen atoms . Both atoms can form hydrocarbon chains and rings . The four major classes of organic molecules: carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. Functional groups . Functional groups are reactive molecules that usually contain oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus or sulfur . They are responsible for some of the unique properties of a molecule . Some examples of functional groups . Alcohols . Aldehyde . Amides . Carboxyl groups . Ketones Carbohydrates (basic building blocks of life) Carbohydrates . These are organic molecules that contain carbon, hydrogen andoxygen . Their general formula is CnH2nOn . Carbohydrates are a source of energy . Carbohydrates are also known as sugars . They have a suffix of "ose" . Some types of carbohydrates . Monosaccharide . These are simple sugar carbohydrates . Example of monosaccharide are hexose sugars . glucose, fructose, galactose . Disaccharides . These are two monosaccharides joined together covalently . Some examples: . Sucrose (table sugar) . Glucose + fructose . Lactose . Glucose + galactose . Polysaccharides . These are numerous monosaccharides that are joined together covalently . Examples: . Starch . Glycogen . Cellulose Lipids (basic building blocks of life) Lipids . These are molecules that are insoluble in polar solvents . Lipids are nonpolar and hydrophobic . Lipids dissolve in nonpolar solvents . Lipids consists of hydrocarbon chains and rings . Triglyceride (Triacylglycerol) . Includes fat and oil . Triglycerides are formed by condensation of one glycerolmolecule with three fatty acid molecules . Each fatty acid is a nonpolar chain with a carboxyl group (COOH) . Saturated . Carbon atoms within the hydrocarbon chain are joined bysingle covalent bonds . Unsaturated . There are double covalent bonds within the hydrocarbon chain . Ketone bodies . Fatty acids that are converted in liver . Ketosis = rapid breakdown of fat and an increase of ketone bodies in the blood . Ketoacidosis = a sufficient amount of ketone bodies that can lower the blood pH . Phospholipids . These are lipids containing phosphate groups . A 3 carbon glycerol is attached to two fatty acids and a phosphate group . Micelles . These are polar hydrophilic heads of phospholipids that face outside, while the hydrophobic tails are sequestered (covered) inside . Sterols . These are lipids (nonpolar and insoluble in water) . Sterols have three 6-carbon rings joined to one 5-carbon ring . Cholesterol is the precursor for steroid hormones, bile salts and vitamin D3 . Prostoglandins . This is a type of fatty acid with cyclic hydrocarbon group . It helps regulate blood vessel diameter, ovulation, inflammation, and blood clots. Proteins (basic building blocks of life) . Proteins are large molecules composed of amino acid subunits . There are 20 different amino acids . The difference between the amino acids is the functional group "R" . Amino acids are joined together by dehydration synthesis . In the dehydration synthesis, a hydrogen of the amine group from one amino acid end combines with an OH group of the carboxyl group of another amino acid . Amino acids are held together by peptide bonds . Proteins have different levels or structures . 1° structure . This portion entails the sequence of amino acids in protein . 2° structure . Weak hydrogen bonds form between the hydrogen of the amino group of one amino acid and the oxygen of the carboxyl group of another amino acid . Forms polypeptide chain . Can have two shapes . Alpha helix . Beta pleated sheet . 3° structure . The polypeptide chains will bend and fold themselves to form a 3D shape. . 3° structure is stabilized by covalent bonds (i.e. disulfide bond) or hydrogen bonds . Each protein will have its own unique 3° structurebecause the folding that is produced by different bonds between different amino acids will occur at different regions . In other words, bonds can form in different regions of the polypeptide chain . However, the 3D shape can be disrupted by high temperatures orpH change causing denaturation . Denaturation is irreversible such that the same exact 3D form will unlikely form . 4° structure . Different polypeptide chains will covalently bond together . One example is hemoglobin . Some different types of proteins . Glycoproteins . Proteins that are combined with carbohydrates . Lipoproteins . Proteins that are combined with lipids . Functions of protein . Protein can act as enzymes, antibodies, receptors, carriers, channels and structural components . Enzyme . Enzymes are proteins and are also known as biological catalysts . Catalyst is a chemical that: . Increase the rate of reaction . Catalysts will speed up the reaction by lowering activation energy . Doesn`t change the nature of the reaction or the product result . Itself is not changed at the end of the reaction . Enzyme names will end with the suffix -ase . Some exceptions are pepsin, trypsin and renin . Isoenzymes refer to the different models of the same enzymes

Nucleic Acids (basic building blocks of life) Nucleic Acids . DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) . Contains a 5 carbon sugar, phosphate group andnitrogen base . These are the three components of a nucleotide . Nucleotides are subunits of nucleic acids that bind together by dehydration synthesis . In DNA, the 5 carbon sugar (ribose)lacks an oxygen atom at the 2` carbon position . This carbon sugar is calleddeoxyribose . In DNA, the nitrogen bases are: Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine and Thymine . Adenine and Guanine arepurines . Cytosine and Thymine arepyrimidines . Adenine bonds with Thymine . There are 2 hydrogen bonds . Guanine bonds with Cytosine . There are 3 hydrogen bonds

. RNA (ribonucleic acid) . Contains a 5 carbon sugar, phosphate group and nitrogen base . But what`s the difference? . RNA contains the sugar called ribose . DNA has deoxyribose . Uracil replaces Thymine . DNA does not have Uracil, but instead it has Thymine . RNA is normally composed on single nucleotide strand . DNA is normally double stranded