2. Organic Compounds (Biomolecules/Macromolecules)

3. Many organic compounds in biology are polymers

4. What is a polymer ? A polymer is made up of many repeating units called monomers Look at the prefixes mono and poly (what do they mean?)

5. Polymer basics Usually, monomers are connected together through the process of dehydration synthesis (condensation synthesis or condensation reaction)

6. Conversely, polymers are broken apart using hydrolysis (think: “hydro lysis”) Helper molecules called enzymes are often needed for this process

7. Why are polymers important? An immense variety of polymers can be built from a small collection of monomers. The order and number of monomers in a polymer will determine the function of the polymer.

8. The Four Big Polymers in Bio… Carbohydrates Lipids* (technically not a polymer) Proteins Nucleic Acids

9. Carbohydrates Functions: energy source structure

10. Carbohydrates Contains C,H,O sometimes in a 1:2:1 ratio: (C 6 H 12 O 6 ) Monomers of carbohydrates are simple (single) sugars (mono saccharides): glucose fructose galactose

11. The monosaccharides… Glucose is the preferred energy source for most all organisms. Note the chemical formula for all three of these substances is C 6 H 12 O 6 The unique properties of each of these substances is due to the arrangement of atoms around each other.

12. Dimers: (double sugars or disaccharides) includes: sucrose maltose lactose

13. Sucrose: a double sugar (disaccharide)

14. Polymers (complex carbohydrates, polysaccharides) includes: starch cellulose chitin glycogen (animal starch)

15. Starch formed from dehydration synthesis of glucose

16. Comparison of starch and cellulose Note the opposite arrangements of glucose units in cellulose that make it unable to be digested directly by most vertebrates.

17. Comparison Between the Structural Differences Between Chitin and Starch

18. Energy content of “carbs”: 4 calories/gram for the carbohydrates we can digest –In order for us to be able to get the carbohydrate into the bloodstream to be turned into energy, it needs to be broken down into a monosaccharide (the smallest type of sugar) 0 calories for the carbs we can’t digest: »Chitin »Cellulose*** even though we can’t digest cellulose, we still need it…why?