Chapter 4:

Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life

Katerina Tsouma, Ph.D.

BIO 151- Concepts of Biology I
Department of Biology, University of Dayton
 Carbon: The Backbone of Life
➢ Carbon accounts for the diversity of biological
molecules

➢ Carbon is unparalleled in its ability to form

large, complex, and diverse molecules

➢ Proteins, DNA, carbohydrates, and other

molecules that distinguish living matter are all
composed of carbon compounds

Carbon is Tetravalent
4 valancy electron

So what??
 Organic Chemistry

❖The study of compounds that contain carbon

❖Organic compounds range from simple

molecules to colossal ones

What is a Hydrocarbon??

The molecules of life are organic!

 Hydrocarbons : C & H

• Hydrophobic (why??)
non polar
electro negative
same sharing of electron

• We love them because…

they undergo reactions that
release energy!!
 Organic Molecules: Variation in Shape
Tetrahedron

Methane

Ethane

Ethene

❖ When a carbon atom has four single bonds to other atoms, the molecule has a tetrahedral
shape
❖ However, when two carbon atoms are joined by a double bond, all atoms attached to those
carbons are in the same plane and the molecule is flat
 Isomers
✓ Isomers have the same molecular formula but
different structures and chemical properties
There are three basic types of isomers:
• Structural isomers
• Geometric isomers
• Enantiomers

C5H12
a. Structural isomers have
different covalent
arrangements of their atoms
 Isomers
b. Geometric (Cis-trans ) isomers have the same covalent
arrangements, but differ in their spatial arrangements

Cis= on the same side, trans= on the other side (across, as in transatlantic)
 Isomers

c. Enantiomers (=opposite parts) are isomers

that are mirror images of each other
 Applied Science: Enantiomers
➢ Enantiomers are important in the
pharmaceutical industry

➢ Two enantiomers of a drug may have

different effects

➢ Differing effects of enantiomers

demonstrate that organisms are sensitive
to even subtle variations in molecules

Video: before and after L-Dopa administration

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf1N0Zf5IqA
 Functional Groups
The addition of certain chemical groups to hydrocarbon molecules can give
them very distinctive properties

✓ Functional groups are the components of organic molecules that are most commonly
involved in chemical reactions
✓ The number and arrangement of functional groups give each molecule its unique
properties
Top 7 biologically important functional groups:
Functional,
Hydroxyl group Amino group Hydrophilic

polar group Methyl group Non- Polar

as nitrogen is strong
electronegative
its polar So Hydrophobic

Carbonyl group Sulfhydryl group

Hydrophobic,
Reactive groups
Tag
polar group

Carboxyl group Phosphate group

* Functional groups affect the
properties of a molecule &
participate in chemical reactions
polar again
hydrophillic
Concept 4.3: A few chemical groups
are key to molecular function Fig 4.9
Top 7 biologically important functional groups
Top 7 biologically important functional groups
Amino Acids
Top 7 biologically important functional groups
Top 7 biologically important functional groups

phosphate are made up of 4 oxygen and 1 phophate .

they are very good in reaction of water.
dna also have many phosphate
atp also is a phosphate
 Functional groups: PHOSPHATE
➢ A special phosphate-containing molecule, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), is the
primary energy-transferring molecule in the cell
phosphate groups release energy in reaction with water

➢ ATP consists of an organic molecule called

adenosine attached to a string of three
phosphate groups
 By now you should be able to answer the following:
➢What is defined as “organic chemistry? What is a hydrocarbon?
➢Explain how carbon’s electron configuration explains its ability to form large, complex,
diverse organic molecules
➢Describe how carbon skeletons may vary and explain how this variation contributes to the
diversity and complexity of organic molecules
➢Know the structure of methane, ethane, propane and butane; be able to draw their
structural formulas
➢Name the major functional groups found in organic molecules; describe the basic structure
and functional properties of each functional group
➢Explain how ATP functions as the primary energy transfer molecule in living cells
What type of chemical bond joins a functional group to the carbon skeleton of a
large molecule?
a) covalent bond
b) hydrogen bond
c) ionic bond
d) double bond
e) disulfide bond
Which type of molecule may contain sulfhydryl groups?

a) carbohydrate
b) DNA
c) protein
d) all of the above
Which functional group is not found in biological organic molecules?

a) amino
b) hydroxyl
c) carboxyl
d) cyanate
e) phosphate
Which functional group behaves as an acid in organic molecules?

a) amino
b) carboxyl
c) carbonyl
d) sulfhydryl
e) hydroxyl
Acknowledgements

➢Campbell and Reece, © Benjamin

Cummings, 2017
➢David J. Wright and Karolyn M.
Hansen
➢huffingtonpost.com
➢almanac.com
➢thinglink.com
➢wikipedia.org
➢chemguide.co.uk
➢bcachemistry.wordpress.com