e.
6 carbons= Hexoses
CHEMICAL COMPONENTS OF THE CELL
- can be divided into two major groups:
Organic and Inorganic compounds
A. ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
- are chemical compounds that contain the
element carbon -Organic compounds in the
cell include carbohydrates, protein, lipids
and nuclei acids. Some of these compounds
are synthesised by the cell itself.
- are carbon containing compounds, and
make up about 95% of the dry weight of
the protoplasm
THE IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
IN THE CELL:
A. CARBOHYDRATES
- components carbon “carbo” and
components of water “hydrate”
- Supply energy for cell processes
- A means of storing energy
- Give structural support to cell walls
- classfified into 4 subtypes:
1. MONOSACCHARIDES
- mono= “one”; saccar= “sweet”
- simple sugars, most common of which is
Glucose
- number of carbons usually ranges from 3-7
- most monosacc ends with the suffix -ose
- If sugar has:
a. Aldehyde group= known as Aldose
b. Ketone group= Ketose
c. 3 carbons= Trioses
d. 5 carbons= Pentoses
 GLUCOSE (C6H1206) (ENERGY)
- important source of energy for humans
- during cellular respiration, energy is
released from here and that energy is
used to help make ATP (adenosine
triphosphate)
- plants synthesize Glucose using CO2 and
water and Glucose is used for energy
requirements for the plant
- excess glucose is often stored as starch
that is catabolized by humans and other
animals that feed on plants
- Aldose
 GALACTOSE (MILK SUGAR)
- part of lactose
- Aldose
 FRUCTOSE (FRUITS)
- found in sucrose
- Ketose
2. DISACCHARIDES
- di= “two”
- form when two monosaccharides undergo a
dehydration reaction
- Dehydration Reaction- to put together while
losing water
-monomers combine with each other
using covalent bonds to form larger
molecules known as Polymers and so
monomers release water molecules as
byproducts
- Hydrolysis- Polymers are broken down into
monomers
-a reaction in which a water molecule is
used during breakdown
 LACTOSE (MILK)
- disaccharide consists of monomers Glucose
and Galactose
 MALTOSE (MALT SUGAR)
- formed by a dehydration reaction between
two glucose molecules
 SUCROSE (TABLE SUGAR)
- composed of monomers Glucose and
Fructose
3. POLYSACCHARIDES
- poly= “many”
- a long chain of monossacharides linked by
glycosidic bonds
 STARCH (WATER)
- stored from of sugars in plants
- made up of a mixture of amylose and
amylopectine
- plants are able to synthesize glucose
- excess glucose is stored in different plant
parts
- starch in seeds provide foods for the embryo
- starch consumed by humans are broken
down by enzymes into smaller molecules
such as maltose and glucose
-made up of glucose monomores
 GLYCOGEN (HUMAN)
- storage form of glucose in humans and
other vertebrates
- made up of monomers of glucose
- animal equivalent of starch and is highly
branched molecule usually stored in liver
and muscle cells
- whenever blood glucose levels decrease,
glycogen is broken down to release glucose
with process glycogenolysis
 CELLULOSE
- most abundant natural biopolymer
- cell wall of plants is mostly made up of
cellulose; provides structural support to the
cell
B. LIPIDS
- from the Greek word lipos, meaning "fat"
- are naturally occurring, nonpolar substances
that are mostly insoluble in water (with
the exceptions being the short-chain volatile
fatty acids and ketone bodies), yet soluble in
nonpolar solvents (like chloroform and
ether)
- Store large amounts of energy over long
periods of time
- Act as an energy source
- Play a major role in the structure of the cell
membranes
- Act as a source of metabolic water
- Reduce the loss of water by evaporation
- They serve as membrane components
(cholesterol, glycolipids and phospholipids),
storage forms of energy (triglycerides),
precursors to other important biomolecules
(fatty acids), insulation barriers (neutral fat
stores), protective coatings to prevent
infection and excessive gain or loss of water,
and some vitamins (A, D, E, and K) and
hormones (steroid hormones)
- major classes:
1. Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids
(short, medium, and long-chain)
2. Triglycerides, lipoproteins {i.e.,
chylomicrons (CMs)
3. Very low density (VLDL),low density (LDL),
intermediate density (IDL), and high
density lipoproteins (HDL)}
4. Phospholipids and glycolipids, steroids
(cholesterol, progesterone, etc.), and
eicosanoids (prostaglandins,
thromboxanes, and leukotrienes)
- All lipids can be synthesized from acetyl-CoA,
which in turn can be generated from
numerous different sources, including
 carbohydrates, amino acids, short-chain
volatile fatty acids (e.g., acetate), ketone
bodies, and fatty acids.
- Simple lipids include only those that are
esters of fatty acids and an alcohol (e.g.,
mono-, di- and triglycerides)
- Compound lipids include various materials
that contain other substances in addition to
an alcohol and fatty acid (e.g.,
phosphoacylglycerols, sphingomyelins, and
cerebrosides)
- derived lipids include those that cannot be
neatly classified into either of the above
(e.g., steroids, eicosanoids, and the
fat-soluble vitamins)
C. PROTEINS
- Act as building blocks of many structural
components of the cell ; required for growth
- Form enzymes which catalyse chemical
reactions
- Form hormones which control growth and
metabolism
- are amino acid polymers responsible for
implementing instructions contained within
the genetic code
- Twenty different amino acids are used to
synthesize proteins, about half are formed
as metabolic intermediates, while the
remainder must be provided through the
diet.
- Each protein formed in the body, unique in
its own structure and function, participates
in processes that characterize the
individuality of cells, tissues, organs, and
organ systems
- A typical cell contains thousands of different
proteins, each with a different function, and
many serve as enzymes that catalyze (or
speed) reactions
- Other proteins transport different
compounds either outside or inside cells; ex:
 lipoproteins and transferrin (an
iron-binding protein) in plasma
 bilirubinbinding proteins in liver cells
- some act as storage proteins; ex:
 myoglobin binds and stores O2 in
muscle cells)
- others as defense proteins in blood or on
the surface of cells; ex:
clotting proteins and immunoglobulins
- others as contractile proteins; ex:
 the actin, myosin and troponin of keletal
muscle fibers
- others are merely structural in nature; ex:
 collagen and elastin
D. NUCLEIC ACIDS
- Play a vital role in protein synthesis
- are nucleotide polymers (from the Greek
word poly, meaning "several", and mer,
meaning "unit"), that store and transmit
genetic informatio of cell
- Genetic information contained in nucleic
acids is stored and replicated in
chromosomes, which contain genes (from
the Greek word gennan, meaning "to
produce")
- A chromosome is a deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA) molecule, and genes are segments of
intact DNA.
- When a cell replicates itself, identical copies
of DNA molecules are produced, therefore
the hereditary line of descent is conserved,
and the genetic information carried on DNA
is available to direct the occurrence of
virtually all chemical reactions within the
cell.
- The flow of information from nucleic acids
to protein:
DNA —> messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA)
—> transfer RNA (tRNA) —> ribosomal RNA
(rRNA) —> protein
- The nucleotide sequence in a gene of DNA
specifies the assembly of a nucleotide
 sequence in an mRNA molecule, which in
turn directs the assembly of the amino acid
sequence in protein through a tRNA and
rRNA molecule
B. INORGANIC COMPOUNDS
- Water is an inorganic compound which is
composed of hydrogen and oxygen. It is an
important compound in the cell.
- Hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, sulfur,
and phosphorus normally makeup more
than 99% of the mass of living cells.
- Ninety-nine percent of the molecules inside
living cells are water molecules.
- Cells generally contain many more protein
molecules than DNA molecules, yet DNA is
typically the largest biomolecule in the cell.

THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER IN THE CELL REFERENCE:

- Water is important for life because its
chemical and physical properties allow it to Chapter 1, Introduction to Human
sustain life. Anatomy/physiology (PDF)
- Water is a polar molecule which consists of
2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom. A Introduction to Physiology: The Human Body.
polar molecule is a molecule with an John P. Fisher, Adapted from Textbook of
unequal distribution of charges. Each Medical Physiology, 11th Ed. Arthur C. Guyton,
molecule has a positively charged and a John E. Hall, Chapter 1
negatively charged end. Polar molecules
attract one another as well as ions. Because The chemical components of the cell. Haixu Tang.
of this property, water is considered the School of Informatics (PPT)
solvent of life.
- It is the transport medium in the blood NOTE: Some information were gathered online
- It acts as a medium for biochemical and others were from PDFs downloaded years
reactions. ago.
- Water helps in the maintenance of a stable
internal environment within a living
organism. The concentration of water and
inorganic salts that dissolve in water is
important in maintaining the osmotic
balance between the blood and interstitial
fluid.
- It helps in lubrication.
- Water molecules have very high cohesion.
- Water molecules tend to stick to each other
and move in long unbroken columns
through the vascular tissues in plants.
 TYPE EXAMPLES FUNCTIONS
Digestive Amylase, Help in
Enzymes Lipase, Pepsin, digestion of
Trypsin food by
catabolizing
nutrients into
monomeric
units
Transport Hemoglobin, Carry
Albumin substances in
the blood or
lymph
throughout the
body
Structural Actin, Tubulin, Construct
Keratin different
structures like
the
cytoskeleton
Hormones Insulin, Coordinate the
Thyroxine activity of
different body
systems
Defense Immunoglobuli Protect the
ns body from
foreign
pathogens
Contractile Actin, Myosin Effect muscle
contraction
Storage Legume storage Provide
proteins, egg nourishment in
white (albumin) early
development of
the embryo and
the seedling
Percenta
ge of
Element Usage
Body
Weight
This element is obviously
the most important
element in the human
body. Oxygen atoms are
present in water, which is
65% Oxygen the compound most
common in the body, and
other compounds that
make up tissues. It is also
found in the blood and
lungs due to respiration.
Carbon is found in every
organic molecule in the
body, as well as the waste
18.6% Carbon product of respiration
(carbon dioxide). It is
typically ingested in food
that is eaten.
Hydrogen is found in all
water molecules in the
9.7% Hydrogen body as well as many other
compounds making up the
various tissues.
Nitrogen is very common in
proteins and organic
compounds. It is also
3.2% Nitrogen
present in the lungs due to
its abundance in the
atmosphere.
This element is common in
Phosphor
1.0% the bones and teeth, as well
us
as nucleic acids.
Potassium is found in the
0.4% Potassium muscles, nerves, and
certain tissues.
Sodium is excreted in
0.2% Sodium sweat, but is also found in
muscles and nerves.
Chlorine is present in the
0.2% Chlorine skin and facilitates water
absorption by the cells.
Magnesium serves as a
Magnesiu
0.06% cofactor for various
m
enzymes in the body.
Sulfur is present in many
0.04% Sulfur
amino acids and proteins.
Iron is found mostly in the
0.007% Iron blood since it facilitates the
transportation of oxygen.
Iodine is found in certain
0.0002
Iodine hormones in the thyroid
%
gland.

Calcium is a primary
component of the skeletal
system, including the teeth.
1.8% Calcium
It is also found in the
nervous system, muscles,
and the blood.