1. Organic Compounds Essential Questions:
What does the term “Organic” mean?
What are the 4 major Organic Compounds?
What is their structure?
What is their function?

2. Spontaneous Generation
What do we already know?
Aristotle:
Spontaneous Generation
Spontaneous Generation
Disproved!
Boiled broth, curvy neck no growth.
Boiled broth, curvy neck removed  growth.
Louis Pasteur:
Alexander Oparin:
He believed that energy from lightning and the sun can spark chemical reactions to create macromolecules like proteins.
Miller and Urey:
Created the basic building blocks of life under conditions that
mimicked the conditions of early earth.
Sidney Fox:
Created and studied coacervates.

3. What are coacervates?
In the warm primordial ocean, aggregates of amino acids, proteins, and other hydrocarbons came together into a form called *coacervates*. Amino acids will spontaneously form coacervates in the same way that beads of vinegar in oil come together. The Miller-Urey experiment showed that amino acids form under conditions similar to the Earth's primordial environment.
It is not known whether these coacervates were life-like or not. Recall that life must be able to feed and reproduce itself. The earliest life was probably much like coacervates however, and scientists think that this early life probably used a chemical process to process naturally produced organic compounds from the early ocean for food. 

4. Organic Molecules make up all organisms

5. What does “Organic” Mean?
In Biology, organic means “relating to organisms.”
NOT food grown without the use of pesticides, antibiotics, or other industrial chemicals.
What do all organic compounds contain?
CARBON
All organic molecules contain
covalently bonded Carbon.

6. What does “Organic” Mean?
Carbon cycles through all living things through the processes of photosynthesis, cellular respiration, death, and decomposition.
We’ll talk more about the Carbon Cycle in a few weeks!

7. 4 Why Carbon is so Awesome...
How many bonds/shared electrons can a Carbon atom make?
Carbon can bond to other carbon atoms, which gives carbon the ability to form chains that are almost unlimited in length.
These carbon-carbon bonds can be single, double, or triple.
The chains can be straight, branched, or even ring-shaped.
Therefore, carbon is unique in that it can form millions of different large and complex structures.

8. How are the Four Organic Macromolecules Formed?
Dehydration synthesis: joins molecules by removing a molecule of water.
Polymerization: small units (monomers) are joined together to form large units (polymers.)
Monomer +
monomer =
Polymer!
Hydrolysis: breaks apart molecules by adding water (the opposite process)

9. What are the four organic molecules?
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Lipids
Nucleic Acids
We get
from food!
Resides (stays)
in our cells as DNA and RNA

10. What is in a cheeseburger?
Nutrition Facts (Big ‘N Tasty at McDonalds):
Total Fat: 29 grams
Saturated Fat: 9 grams
Carbohydrates: 41 grams
Protein: 24 grams

11. Which part of the cheeseburger has the most carbohydrates?

12. Carbohydrates
Glucose
Composed of Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen in a 1:2:1 Ratio.
Used for short term energy storage (quick energy!) and structural support
Ending “-ose” = sugar
Starch
Cellulose
How many sugars?
Examples
1 sugar
Monosaccharide
Monomer
Plants: glucose, fructose
Animals: galactose (milk)
2 sugars
Disaccharide
Polymer
Plants: sucrose, maltose
Animals: lactose (milk)
3+ sugars
Polysaccharide
Plants: starch, cellulose
Animals: glycogen

13. Monomer + monomer =
Polymer!
One sugar =
Monosaccharide!
Two sugars =
Polysaccharide!
Three or more sugars =
Polysaccharide!

14. Why Carbohydrates? Many animals store extra sugar as glycogen.
Glycogen stored in your muscles supplies energy for movement.
Glycogen stored in your liver is released when the glucose (sugar) in your blood runs low.
Recall: What is this an example of?
Homeostasis!
Plants store excess sugar as starch.
Plants also make cellulose, a strong, rigid fiber used for support.
Starch, cellulose and glycogen are all…
Polysaccharides!

15. What other part of the Big N’ Tasty is composed of carbohydrates?
Cellulose!

16. Which part of the cheeseburger is the best source of protein?

17. Proteins
Proteins are present in every cell, tissue and organ in our bodies.
These proteins are constantly being broken down and replaced.
Composed of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Sulfur
All cells make Protein!
Provide structure for:
cells, bones, muscles, tissues, organs, hormones…most everything in the body!
Special Function: Proteins are responsible for cell metabolism (via enzymes)

18. Proteins
The protein in the food we eat is digested (broken down) into amino acids that are later used to build and replace other proteins in our bodies.
Monomers = amino acids
Polymers = proteins
When the amino acids join, they form a polymer called a polypeptide.
The monomers in an amino acid are held together by peptide bonds.
Proteins can be destroyed by extreme heat (fever) = denature

19. Protein Structure Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins.
There are 20 essential amino acids.
All amino acids have the same Amino group and carboxyl groups, but each amino acid has its own unique R- group. Only 20 amino acids can combine in different arrangements to form all of the many different kinds of proteins in our bodies!
Shape is very important; If a protein loses its structure, it will not function (or may have only partial function)!

20. Which part of the cheeseburger is a source of fat?

21. What is fat? Fats are a type of lipid.
Lipids are hydrophobic (water-fearing) organic molecule including fats, oils, waxes, phospholipids and steroids.

22. Lipids Monomers: 1 glycerol & 3 fatty acid chains Polymer: lipid
Long chains with lots of Carbon and Hydrogen (long chains), but little or no oxygen
Monomers: 1 glycerol & 3 fatty acid chains
Polymer: lipid
If we know that lipids (fat) are hydrophobic and take a long time to break down, what could it be useful for??
Long term energy storage
Protection
Insulation
Waterproofing
Cell Membranes
Chemical Messengers (steroids)

23. Lipids come in two flavors…
Saturated: Single Bonds
Animal Fats
Harder to digest
Solids at room temperature
Holds as many Hydrogen atoms as possible
Unsaturated: Double Bonds
Vegetable Oils
Easier to digest
Liquids at room Temperature
Does not hold as many hydrogen atoms as possible
Your Turn! Make a quick hypothesis to why Unsaturated Fats are easier to break down (thus healthier for you) than Saturated Fats!
It is easier for your body to break double bonds than single bonds due to the number of electrons. Aka, it’s easier to steal 1 electron from Carbon when it is sharing two versus just that one! (Like borrowing money!)

24. Common Misconceptions: Lipids – Good & Bad Cholesterol
You’ll be amazed at what you find online about the different types of cholesterol! You should check it out!

25. What is a nucleic acid?
DNA:
Deoxyribonucleic
Acid

26. How do nucleic acids relate to the cheeseburger?
DNA  RNA  Proteins!
DNA
Is transcribed into RNA, which is then translated into proteins.

27. Nucleic Acids
Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and two Phosphorus atoms arranged in 3 groups (monomers)
Used for storing and transmitting cellular information in a code called DNA or RNA.

28. Nucleic Acids Monomer: Nucleotide Polymer – DNA or RNA Nitrogen Base
A, G, C, T or U
5-Carbon Simple Sugar
Deoxyribose (DNA)
Ribose (RNA)
Phosphate group
Polymer – DNA or RNA
Nitrogen Base
Phosphate group
Simple Sugar

29. Organic molecules are the building blocks of life
They are broken down into monomers, then rebuilt into polymers, then broken down again, then rebuilt again! And so life goes on…

30. Your turn! What kind of macromolecules did you/will you eat today?