WORKTEXT 1

Cell and Molecular Biology

Name: PERALTA, Kelsi Kyla C. Date February 24, 2021

BIOMOLECULES: MOLECULES OF LIFE

Part 1. Carbohydrates & Lipids

Direction: Watch the Video on “Biomolecules Part 1: Introduction – Carbohydrates & Lipids”
and fill-in the blank spaces based on the video being provided.

Biomolecules are organic molecules…

Organic molecules –

● Molecules that contain carbon

● Composed primarily of C, O, H & N with smaller amounts of sulfur and phosphorus
● Abundant in living organisms
● Macromolecules are large, complex organic molecules
Four major types of organic molecules:

(1) Carbohydrates
(2) Lipids
(3) Nucleic Acid
(4) Proteins

CARBOHYDRATES

● Organic molecules that contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen

-CnH2n On or (CH2O)n

Functions Examples

Energy Source Sugars such as (5) glucose, sucrose, fructose, galactose, maltose

Energy Storage (6) Starch such as (Plants), Glycogen (animals),

Structural (7) Cellulose (plants fiber), Chitin (exoskeleton, fungus cell wall)

Note: - glucose ends in “ose” – it means sugar; carbohydrates in animals are stored as glycogen
 in muscles and liver; carbohydrate end in “ate”, which means oxygen is present
-Polymers are molecules built from many individual parts such as polysaccharides are
built from many individual parts such as polysaccharides are built from individual
sugars or (8) Saccharides

CARBOHYDRATES
-A carbohydrate is a biological molecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen(H) and
Oxygen (O) atoms, usually with hydrogen-oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water).
-with empirical formula of CnH2n On or (CH2O)n; some exceptions exist; for example,
deoxyribose, a sugar component of DNA

Why are carbohydrates soluble in water? (9) because carbohydrates are small polar
molecules that contains several –OH functional group, which makes them hydrophilic.

Common Forms of Carbohydrates: Monosaccharides, Disaccharides & Polysaccharides

Monosaccharides = simple sugars

Isomers –
● One of several organic compounds with the same molecular formula but
different structures and different properties.
● Compounds that have the same molecular formula but different structures and
have different properties.
Glycosidic bond

● In chemistry, a glycosidic bond or glycosidic linkage is a type of covalent bond

that joins a carbohydrate (sugar) molecule to another group, which may or may
not be another carbohydrate.
● Because sugars contain many hydroxyl groups, glycosidic bonds can join one
monosaccharide to another. Oligosaccharides (with 3-9 sugars) are built by
linkage two or more monosaccharides by O-glycosidic bonds.
● The fact that monosaccharides have multiple hydroxyl groups means that
various glycosidic linkages are possible. Indeed, the wide array of these linkages
in concert with the wide variety of monosaccharides and their many isomeric
forms make complex carbohydrates information-rich molecules.

Organic molecules are built by dehydration synthesis

What is dehydration synthesis or condensation reaction? (10) Dehydration

synthesis is the creation of larger molecules from smaller monomers where a water
molecule is released.

Double sugars or Disaccharides are built through dehydration synthesis

C6 H12 O6 + C6 H12 O6 C12 H22 O11 + H2O

What is hydrolysis?

(11) Hydrolysis is a chemical process in which a molecule of water is added to a substance.

Sometimes this addition causes both substance and water molecule to split into two parts.
Polysaccharides

-Polysaccharides are long chains of monosaccharides linked by glycosidic bonds.

-Three important polysaccharides, starch, glycogen, and cellulose, are composed of
Glucose units.
-Starch and glycogen serve as short-term energy stores in plant and animals,
respectively.
-Cellulose is the most abundant organic molecule on earth since it is the main
component of the plant cell walls.
LIPIDS
-Non-polar, hydrophobic molecules; building blocks are fatty acids
-Common characteristic: don’t dissolve in water
-Functions: various

Functions of Lipids
Functions Examples
Energy Storage (11) Fats an oil
Structural (12) phospholipids, cholesterol
 Water barrier (13) oils and wax
Messenger Molecules (14) steroids

3 Main Types:

1) Triglycerides: fats (animals), oil (plants)

-Glycerol + 3 fatty acids
-Saturated and unsaturated
2) Phospholipids: structure of plasma membrane around cells
3) Steroids: cholesterol, testosterone, estrogen

Triglycerides

Fats: -Triglycerides = 3 fatty acids + glycerol

-Building blocks – fatty acid; What functional group is present in an acid?
(15) Carboxyl G

Saturated vs. Unsaturated Fats

Saturated = joined by only (16) Single bonds

Unsaturated = joined by at least one (17) Double bond

● Hydrolysis pf triglycerides in adipose tissue releases free fatty acids.

-Free fatty acids can be converted in the liver to ketone bodies.
-Excess ketone bodies can lower pH.

Fatty acids

-Saturated – all carbons are linked by single covalent bonds

 ⮚ Tend to be solid at room temperature
⮚ “Sat” in saturated is “satisfied” or “sated” which means its “full”

-Unsaturated – contain one or more double bonds, unsaturated means not “

(18) Not Full”

⮚ Can be-
-Monounsaturated – with 1 double bond
-Polyunsaturated – with 2 or more double bonds
⮚ The fatty acid will have a kink in its shape where ever a double bond
occurs (prevent the molecules from packing together closely enough o
solidify at room temperature).
Lipids -insoluble in water because these are nonpolar molecules

Phospholipids = phosphate + fatty acid

⮚ Phosphate end is polar = hydrophilic
⮚ Fatty acid end is nonpolar = (19) Hydrophobic
Steroids = with (20) Four carbon rings or aromatic rings = three 6-carbon rings
joined to a 5-carbon ring

⮚ Steroid hormones are cholesterol derivatives

Waxes – long-chain fatty acids linked to long chain alcohols or to carbon rings
-wax secretions help form coats on leaves, fruits, animal skin, feathers, and fur
-beeswax is a structural material used to construct honeycomb of beehives
-in some plants, waxes are important components of cutin, a secretion that covers
and waterproofs stem, leaf and fruit surface and impart some resistance to
disease causing-organisms

Honeycomb of beehives constructed from waxes

-END-
Prepared by:

Dr. Lynnette A. Ejem

February 2021