Carbon Compounds

The chemistry of Carbon Carbon Compounds The chemistry of Carbon Carbon has its own branch of Chemistry to study it (2 reasons) Carbon atoms have 4 valence electrons Each of these valence electrons can form with valence electrons from other atoms to form covalent bonds Can bond with several different elements Carbon atoms can bond to other carbon atoms Can form limitless chains of carbon atoms Can be single, double or triple covalent bonds Chains of carbon atoms can close on themselves and form carbon rings Carbon has the ability to form larger and more complex molecules than any other element

Macromolecules (giant molecules) Made from thousands to hundreds of thousands of other smaller molecules Formed through polymerization, the process by which large compounds are built by joining smaller molecules together Smaller units are called monomers Larger units are called polymers Sometimes the monomers are the same and sometimes they are different

Carbon compounds are classified into 4 groups Carbohydrates – are compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms Usually in ratios of 1C:2H:1O Living things on Earth use carbohydrates as a form of energy Stored as complex carbohydrates such as starch Plants and some animals also use it for structural purposes Monosaccharides are single sugar molecules The large macromolecules formed by monosaccharides are called polysaccharides Animals store excess sugar in a polysaccharide form called glycogen Plants store excess sugar in a polysaccharide form as well called plant starch Plants also use a polysaccharide for structure called cellulose

Lipids – are compounds made up of mostly carbon and hydrogen atoms; this group varies greatly but are generally not soluble in water Common categories of lipids are fats, oils, and waxes Lipids can be used to store energy Some lipids are important parts of biological membranes and waterproof coverings Steroids are also lipids and act as chemical messengers Lipids are formed between a glycerol molecule and a fatty acid molecule A saturated fatty acid is when all the carbon molecules are joined together by single bonds, there by saturating the molecule with H A unsaturated fatty acid is when there is at least one C to C double bond, if there is more than one C to C double bond the fatty acid is said to be polyunsaturated Olive oil is unsaturated Corn, sesame and peanut oils are polyunsaturated

Nucleic Acids – are macromolecules containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus Polymers assembled from monomers known as nucleotides Nucleotides consist of a 5-Carbon sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base Nucleic acids store and transmit genetic information Two kinds of nucleic acids Ribonucleic acid (RNA) Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

Proteins – are macromolecules that contain nitrogen as well as carbon, hydrogen and oxygen Polymers of amino acids Amino acids are compounds with an amino group (-NH2) on one end and a carboxyl group (-COOH) on the other end There are more than 20 different amino acids found in nature All amino acids are identical in the regions where they are joined together by covalent bonds; this allows any amino acid to be joined to any other amino acid by bonding an amino group to a carboxyl group The side chain (R-group) is what makes each amino acid different Proteins have many different functions Control the rate of reactions Regulate cell processes Used to form bones and muscles Transport substances into or out of the cells Help fight disease

Have up to four levels of organization First level is the sequence of amino acids in the protein chain Second level is the amino acids within the chain can be twisted or folded Third level is the chain itself can be twisted or folded Fourth level, if the protein has more than one chain they have specific arrangements in space Van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds maintain a proteins shape When a protein loses it shape it is said to be denatured, this can be caused by many factors, such as change in temperature and pH