BIOMOLECULES The chemicals of life

TERMINOLOGY  MONOMER –A single or simple piece –EX: glucose  POLYMER –Many pieces put together –EX: starch

DEHYDRATION SYNTHESIS  Putting monomers together to form polymers using chemical bonds.  Involves the loss of a water molecule.  Dehydration = loss of water  Synthesis = put together

HYDROLYSIS  Breaking apart polymers by adding a water molecule.  Hydro = water  Lysis = split

CARBOHYDRATES  Sugars and starches  “saccharides” –Three types:  Monosaccharides  Disaccharides  Polysaccharides

MONOSACCHARIDES  Mono = single  Saccharide = sugar  GLUCOSE –Base unit for starch, cellulose and glycogen –C 6 H 12 O 6 –Blood sugar

MONOSACCHARIDES  GALACTOSE –Sugar found in milk  FRUCTOSE –Sugar found in honey

DISACCHARIDES  Double sugar  Two monosaccharides bonded together  C 12 H 22 O 11 sucrose

DISACCHARIDES  SUCROSE –Glucose + Fructose –Table sugar  LACTOSE –Glucose + Galactose –Milk sugar  MALTOSE –Glucose + glucose –Sugar in beer

POLYSACCHARIDES  Poly = many  Many simple sugars chemically bonded together  STARCH –Long strands of glucose –Storage molecule for plants –EX: Potatoes

POLYSACCHARIDES  GLYCOGEN –Strands of glucose  Shorter than starch –Storage molecule for animals  CELLULOSE –Long strands of glucose –Found in wood, paper and cotton –Found in the cell walls of plants

POLYSACCHARIDES

PROTEINS  Long strands of amino acids –Approximately 20 different amino acids  Amino acids are joined by dehydration synthesis (water loss) to form peptide bonds  POLYPEPTIDE = chain of amino acids = protein  PROTEIN = many polypeptides

LIPIDS  Fats  Hydrophobic  Fats and oils are composed of two kinds of molecules –Glycerol –Fatty acids –1 Glycerol + 3 Fatty Acids = Triglyceride

LIPIDS  SATURATED FATS –From animal sources –All single bonds in tail –Solid at room temperature  UNSATURATED FATS –Oils –From vegetable or plant sources –Carbon double-bonded in tail, kinked –Fewer H in tail –Liquid at room temperature

NUCLEIC ACIDS  DNA –Genetic material of organism –“Blueprint” –Found in cell nuclei  RNA –Functions in protein production DNA

NUCLEIC ACIDS  MONOMER = nucleotides  Nucleotide = phosphate + 5-carbon sugar + nitrogen base  DNA 5-carbon sugar = deoxyribose  RNA 5-carbon sugar = ribose

METABOLISM  The sum of all chemical reactions in an organism  CATABOLISM –Breaking down complex molecules into smaller ones.  ANABOLISM –Building more complex molecules from smaller.

ENZYMES  Usually end with –ase  Protein  Lock and key mechanism  Each enzyme fits with a specific substrate  Name usually corresponds with molecule that it breaks apart.

SPECIFIC ENZYMES  SALIVARY AMYLASE –In saliva –Breaks down starch chemically in the mouth  PROTEASE –Breaks down protein in the stomach  SUCRASE –Breaks down sucrose  LIPASE –Breaks down fat in the small intestine

EMULSIFICATION  Break down of larger fat molecules into smaller particles.  EX: Dish soap emulsifies fats