Molecules of Life

Elements of Life Carbon - C Hydrogen - H Oxygen - O Nitrogen - N Phosphorous – P Sulfur - S

Carbohydrates Examples Bread, pasta, potatoes, sugar Uses Energy storage The more complex the carbohydrate chain, the longer it takes your body to break down -ose word ending Broken down into sugar (glucose)

Monosaccharide – 1 sugar C 6 H 12 O 6 Glucose, Fructose, Galactose, Ribose Cells use this to generate ATP

Disaccharide – 2 sugars C 12 H 22 O 11 (C 6 H 12 O 6 + C 6 H 12 O 6 - H 2 O) Sucrose (Glucose + Fructose) “table sugar” Maltose (Glucose + Glucose) “malt sugar” Lactose (Galactose + Glucose) “milk sugar”

Polysaccharide – many sugars 3 or more monosaccharides linked together Starch: energy storage in plants Glycogen: energy storage in animals Cellulose (plant fiber) (very long chain) Chitin (insect/crustacean outer covering)

Proteins or Polypeptides Examples Nuts, meat (muscle), beans Uses Muscle, hair, nails, skin, enzymes Made from Amino Acid chains that can be thousands of amino acids long There are only 20 amino acids in nature! Polypeptide: Many amino acids Tripeptide: Three amino acids Dipeptide: Two amino acids

Enzymes Large, complex proteins –ase word ending (Lactase breaks down lactose) Activity varies with pH Can be denatured by extreme heat (shape is changed) Can be reused over and over again “Lock & Key” Active Site: attracts and holds only molecules that have the right shape Substrate: molecule that is changed by the enzyme – must have the right shape

Enzmyes

Example: Lactose Intolerance Lactose is a sugar found in most milk products Lactase is an enzyme that breaks down lactose People who are missing lactase (can no longer produce it) can’t eat lactose unless they get artificial lactase.

Example: Lactose Intolerance

Energy in Reactions ENERGY is required for most synthesis reactions creation of a new, complex molecule ENERGY is released in decomposition reactions Breakdown of complex molecules

Photosynthesis 6 CO H 2 O + (light E) → C 6 H 12 O O 2 Stores light E as chemical E in GLUCOSE Occurs in chlorophyll pigment of green plants Inside chloroplasts Source of E for almost ALL ORGANISMS

Cellular Respiration Plants AND Animals respirate (breath) Releases stored chemical E from bonds of glucose (mono-saccharides) C 6 H 12 O 6 + O 2 → 6CO 2 + 6H 2 O + 38ATP

Nucleic Acids Building Blocks Your body builds nucleic acids from amino acids that come from proteins Uses DNA, RNA Storage, transmission and expression of genetic information

DNA/RNA Outer Structure: Sugar Ribose (RNA) Deoxyribose (DNA) Phosphate Inner Structure: 4 base pairs Nucleotides DNA Chemical Structure

Fats or Lipids Examples Butter and oils Steroids and hormones Wax Uses Long term energy, cushion, insulation, waterproofing Contains more than twice as much energy as an equal amount of carbohydrate

Structure of Fats Made from triglycerides 1 glycerol 3 fatty acids Types of fatty acids change how fats behave Saturated: solid at room temperature Unsaturated: liquid at room temperature

Triglyceride Glycerol 3 Fatty Acids

Saturated Fats All single C-C bonds Straight fatty acids can stack and clog Animal Products: Meats (edge and marbling) Milk (cream and butter) Egg (the YOLK…the rest is protein) Plant Products: Coconut, Palm and Cocoa “Butter”

Unsaturated Fats Some double C=C bonds Causes bends: cannot stack, stay more liquid Plant Products: Seeds and their oils Nuts and their oils Can be HYDROGENATED Become more saturated/solid Vegetable oil, shortening, margarine

Other examples of fats Hormones Steroids Cholesterol Plant waxes (think Bee’s wax)

Lipids

ATP- adenosine triphosphate Most important energy transfer compound in all organisms Undergoes a “small change” for temporary energy storage Cellular respiration releases energy from glucose and stores it in the bond holding the 3 rd phosphate group ATP becomes ADP (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) Tri-phosphate becomes a Di-phosphate

ATP Conversion to ADP When a cell needs energy, it breaks the 3 rd phosphate off ATP. Adenosine PP P This creates ADP – Adenosine diphosphate ATP ADP + phosphate + energy Cell rebuilds ATP from ADP 38 ATP are obtained from 1 glucose molecule during cellular respiration

Marathon Mouse

Review

To give you a sense of scale… cells/scale/ cells/scale/