BIOCHEMISTRY

ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

LIPIDS

PROTEINS
NUCLEIC ACIDS

CARBOHYDRATES

CARBOHYDRATES

Living things use carbohydrates as a

key source of ENERGY!
Plants use carbohydrates for
structure (CELLULOSE)
include sugars and complex

carbohydrates (starches)
contain the elements carbon, hydrogen,
and oxygen (the hydrogen is in a 2:1
ratio to oxygen)

Monosaccharides (simple sugars)

all have the formula C6 H12 O6

all have a single ring structure
(glucose is an example)

Disaccharides (double
sugars)

all have the formula C12 H22 O11

sucrose (table sugar) is an
example

Polysaccharides

Formed of three or more simple sugar

units
Glycogen - animal starch stored in liver
& muscles
Cellulose - indigestible in humans forms cell walls
Starches - used as energy storage

How are complex

carbohydrates formed
and broken down?

Dehydration Synthesis

Combining simple molecules to form a

more complex one with the removal of
water
ex. monosaccharide + monosaccharide ---->

disaccharide + water
(C6H12O6 + C6H12O6 ----> C12H22O11 +
H2O

Polysaccharides are formed from

repeated dehydration syntheses of water
They are the stored extra sugars known as

starch

Hydrolysis

Addition of WATER to a compound

to SPLIT it into smaller subunits
(also called chemical digestion)
ex. disaccharide + H2O --->
monosaccharide +
monosaccharide
C12 H22 O11 + H2 O ---> C6 H12 O6 + C6
H12 O6

Lipids (Fats)

Fats, oils, waxes, steroids

Chiefly function in energy storage,
protection, and insulation
Contain carbon, hydrogen, and
oxygen but the H:O is not in a 2:1
ratio
Tend to be large molecules -- an
example of a neutral lipid is below

Neutral lipids are formed from the union

of one glycerol molecule and 3 fatty
acids
3 fatty acids + glycerol ----> neutral fat
(lipid)
Fats -- found chiefly in animals
Oils and waxes -- found chiefly in plants
Oils are liquid at room temperature,
waxes are solids
Lipids along with proteins are key
components of cell membranes
Steroids are special lipids used to build
many reproductive hormones and
cholesterol

PROTEINS

contain the elements carbon, hydrogen,

oxygen, and nitrogen
composed of MANY amino acid subunits
It is the arrangement of the amino acid
that forms the primary structure of
proteins.
The basic amino acid form has a carboxyl
group on one end, a methyl group that
only has one hydrogen in the middle, and
a amino group on the other end.
Attached to the methyl group is a R
group.

AN R GROUP IS ANY GROUP

OF ATOMS THIS CHANGES
THE PROPERTIES OF THE
PROTEIN!

FUNCTIONAL GROUPS
There are certain groups of atoms that
are frequently attached to the organic
molecules we will be studying, and
these are called functional groups.
These are things like hydroxyl
groups which form alcohols,
carbonyl groups which form
aldehydes or ketones, carboxyl
groups which form carboxylic acids,
and amino groups which form
amines.

Major Protein Functions

Growth and repair

Energy
Buffer -- helps keep body pH
constant

Dipeptide

formed from two amino acid subunits

Formed by the process of
Dehydration Synthesis
amino acid + amino acid ----dipeptide + water

Hydrolysis of a dipeptide

Breaking down of a dipeptide into

amino acids
dipeptide + H2O ---> aminoacid +
amino acid

Polypeptide (protein)

composed of three or more amino

acids linked by synthesis reactions
Examples of proteins include insulin,
hemoglobin, and enzymes.
** There are an extremely large
number of different proteins.
The bases for variability include
differences in the number, kinds and
sequences of amino acids in the
proteins

NUCLEIC ACIDS

in all cells
composed of NUCLEOTIDES
store & transmit heredity/genetic
information
Nucleotides consist of 3 parts:
1. 5-Carbon Sugar
2. Phosphate Group
3. Nitrogenous Base

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

contains the genetic code of

instructions that direct a cell's behavior
through the synthesis of proteins
found in the chromosomes of the
nucleus (and a few other organelles)

RNA (ribonucleic acid)

directs cellular protein synthesis

found in ribosomes & nucleoli