Carbon Compounds and Organic Chemistry

The Chemistry of Carbon  Whole branch of chemistry dedicated to carbon compounds- Organic chemistry  Carbon can bond with many elements including hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur, nitrogen  More importantly, carbon can bond with other carbon atoms  Giving it the ability to form many different and very large complex structures (ex)

Macromolecules  Made up of thousands or even ten thousand smaller molecules  Formed by polymerization  Smaller units called monomers join together to form polymers, or larger molecules  Polymers can be formed by identical or different monomers  Macromolecules are formed into four groups of organic compounds  Carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins

Carbohydrates  Carbohydrates are compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms  Living things use carbohydrates as their main source of energy  The breakdown of sugars supplies immediate energy for all cell activities  Living things store extra sugar as complex carbs known as starches

Carbs cont.  Single sugar molecules are called monosaccharides  Glucose  Galactose- component of milk  Fructose- found in many fruits  Macromolecules formed from monosaccharides are called polysaccharides  Many animals store excess sugar in a polysaccharide called glycogen  Stored glycogen supplies energy for movement

Lipids   Lipids are made mostly from carbon and hydrogen atoms  Common categories of lipids include  Common categories of lipids include fats, oils, and waxes  Lipids can be used to store energy  Lipids are formed when a glycerol molecule combines with compounds called fatty acids  When a lipid contains the maximum amount of hydrogen atoms, it is saturated (solid at room temp)  When a lipid contains at least one carbon-carbon double bond, it is unsaturated (liquid at room temp)

Nucleic Acids  Nucleic acids are macromolecules that contain hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus  Nucleic acids are made up of individual monomers called nucleotides  Nucleotides consist of 3 parts- a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogen base  Nucleic acids store and transmit hereditary, or genetic, information  DNA  RNA

Proteins  Proteins are macromolecules that contain nitrogen as well as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen  Proteins are polymers made up of molecules called amino acids  Proteins are among the most diverse macromolecules  Some proteins control the rate of reactions and regulate cell processes  Some are used to form bones and muscles  Others transport substances into or out of cells or help fight disease

Enzymes  Catalyst  Chemical that lowers activation energy levels or speeds up a reaction  Enzyme  Bodies Catalyst  Ends in ASE

The End