BIOMOLECULES Overview

Four Groups of Organic Compounds That Make Up Living Things Nucleic Acids Lipids Carbohydrates Proteins

Nucleic Acids (NA) Large, complex molecules that contain H, O, C, N, and P; they are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) Function in storing and passing on genetic information Composed of nucleotides Nucleotides are made of a phosphate group, a nitrogenous base, and a 5 carbon monosaccharide, either deoxyribose or ribose

Lipids Include fats, oils, phospholipids and steroids Insoluble in water Composed of C, H, and O Functions include: Provide long-term energy storage Act as insulators Important in cell membranes Act as hormones

Lipids (cont.) Structure: Fats: a glycerol and 3 fatty acids Phospholipids: a glycerol, a phosphate group and 2 fatty acids Steroids: three hexagonal rings bonded to a pentagonal ring

Carbohydrates Includes sugars, starches, and cellulose Function to store energy and to provide shape to organisms Composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen

Proteins Made up of C, H, O, and N Have several functions including: Movement (muscles) Structure (collagen) Regulation (enzymes) Transport (hemoglobin) Nutrition Defense (antibodies)

Proteins (cont.) Structure is a complex molecule composed of 20 different, smaller molecules called amino acids The amino acids are bound to each other by a peptide bond.