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Published byTimothy Ross Modified over 9 years ago
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All living things are made up of a collection of atoms and molecules that work together to support life Nearly all living things on planet Earth are supported by one atom, an atom of Carbon There are Four primary Carbon Based Molecules supporting all life on our planet: › Carbohydrates ~ sugars › Lipids ~ fats › Proteins ~ amino acid chain (polypeptide) › Nucleic acids ~ DNA, RNA, & ATP
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Carbon based molecules can be small and they can be very large. The smallest are called monomers and usually consist of one carbon ring or molecule Larger carbon based molecules are made up of many monomers to form a polymer › Mono = one › Poly = many
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Carbohydrates as carbon based molecules › Also known as “sugars” › Made up of three elements: Carbon Hydrogen Oxygen › A couple of the simplest carbohydrates are fructose and glucose These are single carbon ring molecules that provide energy for cellular respiration
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Carbohydrates can be a simple sugar like Glucose or many Glucose monomers linked together A Disaccharide is a sugar that has two Glucose monomers › The most common disaccharide is sucrose
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Polysaccharides are many Glucose monomers linked together Starch ~ a polysaccharide sugar made by plants to store energy Cellulose ~ a polysaccharide made by plants to form cell walls Glycogen ~ a polysaccharide made by animals to store sugar for energy (usually in the liver)
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Lipids are an important carbon based molecule that can be broken down into energy for the cell and function as part of the cell’s structure They include fats, oils, and cholesterol They are non-polar and repel polar substances like water
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Lipids store a huge amount of energy in their fatty-acid tails A lipid is saturated if the Carbon chain is loaded with Hydrogen atoms A lipid is unsaturated if there are a few or more double bonds between Carbons making it “kink”
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Proteins are another important carbon-based molecule made up of several dozen to thousands of amino acids An amino acid chain is also known as a polypeptide chain because of its many peptide bonds holding the amino acids together
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Nucleic acids are the fourth Carbon based molecule They are all made up of monomers called nucleotides DNA, RNA, and ATP are nucleic acids that are found in all living organisms › ATP pictured here has 3 phosphates bonded to a 5- Carbon sugar and a Nitrogen base
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An enzyme is a protein polymer that is made up of many amino acid monomers Cells use enzymes to catalyze biochemical reactions › To “make them happen” › To “speed up reactions” An enzyme has a unique 3-dimensional shape that defines the role/job that it performs An enzymes shape is maintained by being in the right temperature, pH (acidity), and ionic conditions
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Chemical Reactions Reactants Products › Water + Carbon Dioxide Glucose + Oxygen + Water Activation energy is the “energy required to start a chemical reaction” › Think of pushing a ball to the top of a small hill so that it can roll down a very steep slope on the other side › The energy it took to push the ball to the top of the hill is the activation energy Enzymes often lower activation energies
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When enzymes are present, the breakdown of Glucose happens easier
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An enzyme protein has an active site where a substrate molecule attaches This makes it possible for a chemical reaction to occur and the enzyme acts as a catalyst
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Enzymes are often referred to as having a “lock and key” model Enzymes are affected by temperature and as temp. increases, enzyme activity increases
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