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Biology
Higher Level
Leaving Certificate

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 Biology – The Elements of life
Marie Thérèse Molloy & Stéphanie Ledwith

The elements involved in life forms:

When atoms from these elements are bonded together into molecules inside a living cell the
Biomolecules are formed.
Some biomolecules are found in our food and we study three types
-Carbohydrates
-Fats (Lipids)
-Proteins

Carbohydrates:
• Made from the elements Carbon Hydrogen Oxygen

• CHO in a Fixed Ratio Cx(H2O)y

(When x=y)

Monosaccharides
• Provide instant energy for respiration (reducing sugars)

Examples include Glucose (C6H12O6) and Fructose

*** TEST FOR SIMPLE SUGARS***

Benedicts Solution with Heat
Royal blue to Brick red / orange

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 Biology – The Elements of life
Marie Thérèse Molloy & Stéphanie Ledwith

Disaccharides (Plant energy store)

• Maltose Sucrose

Polysaccharides
• cellulose (structural carbohydrate in plants.. cell walls)

• Glycogen (animal storage)

• Chitin (structural)..insect exoskeletons and fungal cell walls

• Starch (energy storage carbohydrate)

Test for Starch: Iodine will turn from: yellow/orange to blue/black if present.

Uses of Carbohydrates in living things:

Carbohydrates have two types of role:

1. Structural role
2. Metabolic or Chemical Role

Structural Carbohydrates
• Cellulose is a plant structural carbohydrate

• Lignin is a plant structural Carbohydrate

Structural Carbohydrates, Chitin in
• Chitin is animal structural carbohydrate eg insect ladybird exoskeletons and fungi
exoskeletons. Chitin is also the material found in cell structures, cellulose is found in wood
walls of fungi.

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 Biology – The Elements of life
Marie Thérèse Molloy & Stéphanie Ledwith

Metabolic role of Carbohydrates

• Glucose – instant energy source for respiration

• Sucrose, Maltose, starch, etc are plant energy storage

• Glycogen is Animal energy storage.

Lipids (Fats):
• Made from the elements C H O

• There is no particular ratio

• Oxygen content in Lipids is low

• A lipid that is a liquid at room temperature is called an oil

• A lipid that is a solid at room temperature is called a fat.

The unit of lipids is called the Triglyceride Fats & oils – examples of
lipids

See Video

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 Biology – The Elements of life
Marie Thérèse Molloy & Stéphanie Ledwith

Testing for Fats:

Brown paper test see video

• Translucent spot

Sources of lipids

Role of lipids in living organisms:

• Source of energy storage

• Protection

• Insulation (Blubber)

Proteins
Made from the elements C H O N(S)

The simplest unit is called an Amino acid:

Amino acids Peptides Polypeptides

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 Biology – The Elements of life
Marie Thérèse Molloy & Stéphanie Ledwith

As the replaceable side chain changes we get different amino acids:

There are 20 common amino acids and another 6 rare ones needed by living organisms.
Amino acids are attached to each other by bonds called peptide bonds:

More than two amino acids bonded together form a peptide. When the number of amino acids bonded
exceeds 20 it is referred to as a polypeptide.

Finally a protein is formed when the polypeptide chain exceeds 200 amino acids. The type of protein
formed is determined by the sequence of amino acids (ie order) and the way in which it is folded eg.
Structural or metabolic proteins.

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 Biology – The Elements of life
Marie Thérèse Molloy & Stéphanie Ledwith

Sources of Protein:
Meat, fish, eggs, tofu, pulses, beans

Amino acids build two types of proteins:

1. Structural proteins
2. Metabolic proteins

Metabolic/Chemical/ Globular role:

Structural role: This type gets involved in chemical reactions.
This type is used in building Antibodies and enzymes facilitate chemical reactions.
structures in an organism.

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 Biology – The Elements of life
Marie Thérèse Molloy & Stéphanie Ledwith

Vitamins:

Apart from the three biomolecules just mentioned we need small amounts of Vital biomolecules called
vitamins

Vitamins are divided into two categories

• Water soluble

• Fat soluble

Water soluble vitamin C:

• Lack of Vitamin C causes scurvy -deficiency disease (gums ulcerate
and lesions)

Sources of vitamin C are citrus and most other fruit, broccoli

• It is essential for the growth and repair of body tissues, it is needed for
blood vessel maintenance, it helps heal wounds and repairs and maintains
healthy cartilage, bones, teeth and skin.

Fat soluble vitamin D

• Needed for healthy bone formation

• Lack of vitamin D results in the inability of the body to mineralise bone

properly using osteoblasts.

Deficiency disease Rickets ( children) and osteomalacia (adult)

Sources of vitamin D:
• ultraviolet rays from sunlight trigger vitamin D synthesis in our skin

• Food sources include milk, cheese, fatty fish and egg yolks

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 Biology – The Elements of life
Marie Thérèse Molloy & Stéphanie Ledwith

Minerals

• Essential elements in salt form needed in the organism

Animals need:
• Fe Iron for haemoglobin in red blood cells to transport oxygen

• Ca Calcium for bones and teeth

• Na Sodium for nervous system and body fluids

Plants need:
• Ca Calcium to stick cell walls together

• Mg Magnesium to make Chlorophyll for the process of photosynthesis to happen. These

minerals are taken in from the soil

Water:
Although not a biomolecule, Water is essential for life because it is a:
• solvent (taste, smell, dissolves CO2, Glucose etc)

• Transport medium (Blood and circulates heat)

• Involved in many metabolic reactions (photosynthesis)

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 Biology – The Elements of life
Marie Thérèse Molloy & Stéphanie Ledwith

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 Biology – The Elements of life
Marie Thérèse Molloy & Stéphanie Ledwith

FOOD SAMPLE PAPER

(a)(i)The same elements are found in carbohydrates and fats.Name these elements.
(ii)State one way in which carbohydrates differ from fats.
(iii)How do phospholipids differ from other lipids? (9)
(b)Carbyhydrates are classified as monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides.
(i)Name a monosaccharide and state a role for it in living organisms
(ii)What is a disaccharide?
(iii) Cellulose is a polysaccharide. What is it formed from?State a role for cellulose in living
organisms.
(iv)Name a polysaccharide that has a different role to cellulose. What is the role of the
polysaccharide that you have named?
(v) Describe a test for a named polysaccharide. (27)
Answer the following in relation to a test for
1. A reducing sugar 2. A protein
(i) Name the reagents used
(ii) State the initial colour of the reagent
(iii) State whether the test requires heat
(iv) What colour indicates a positive result? (24)

Answers
Marking scheme to Q10 SAMPLE 2003
(a)(i)C H O (3)
(ii) fats have less Oxygen/ fats have no particular ratio(3)
(iii) one fatty acid is replaced by a phosphate group(3)

(b) (i)Name: Glucose (3) Role: source of energy (3)

(ii) where 2 monosaccharides are bonded together(3)

(iii)glucose molecules , structural in plant cell walls/ or as roughage in animal digestive

systems(3)

Test for starch(3)

Two test tubes one containing water another containing starch solution(3)

To both test tubes add an equal amount of Iodine solution(3)

Record observations

Result= starch turns blue/black (3)

control test tube containing the water only remains yellow the colour of the iodine. (3)

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 Biology – The Elements of life
Marie Thérèse Molloy & Stéphanie Ledwith

Test for… Reducing sugar protein

Reagent used Benedicts solution(3) Biuret reagent(3)
Initial colour of the Blue(3) Blue(3)
reagent
Heat required? Yes(3) No(3)
Colour indicating a Brick red/ orange(3) Purple(3)
positive result

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