BIOLOGICAL

MOLECULES
Flashcards - Topic 4 Biological Molecules - CAIE Biology IGCSE - PMT (phy
sicsandmathstutor.com)
 List the molecules that support
life

Learning State the unit molecules that

make up each biological
objectives molecule

State the elements found in

different types of biological
molecules
Vocabulary

Atom Element Molecule Metabolic

reactions
Biological molecules
• Biological molecules are chemicals that
support life
The are used to make the structure of
living things
They are involved in chemical reactions
that support life
 Biological
molecules
The groups of biological molecules are:

Carbohydrates
Proteins
Lipids
Nucleic acids
Carbohydrates
 Carbohydrate
s

• Long chains of simple sugars

• Glucose is a simple sugar ( a
monosaccharide)
• When 2 glucose molecules join
together maltose is formed (a
disaccharide)
• When lots of glucose molecules join
together starch, glycogen or
cellulose can form (a polysaccharide)
 Carbohydrates are made of

carbon,

Carbohydrat
es
hydrogen, and

oxygen.
Structure of
glucose
Functions of carbohydrates

• They are used as a source of energy for the body.

• Store energy
• Used to make cell walls in plants
 •Monosaccharides (i.e., glucose) are the simplest
form of sugars.
•They are a single unit, and they cannot be broken
down any further to make a simpler sugar.
Types of
carbohydrates
• Disaccharides are literally two monosaccharides
joined together, e.g., maltose
•Polysaccharides are large chains of monosaccharides
joined together 
• Starch is a polysaccharide made of large chains of
glucose and
• glycogen is also a polysaccharide made up of
chains of glucose
• Cellulose is a polysaccharide made of large chains
of glucose 
Proteins
 Proteins
• Long chains of amino acids
• There are about 20 different amino acids
They all contain the same basic
structure, but the ‘R’ group is different for
each one
• When amino acids are joined together a
protein is formed
• The amino acids can be arranged in any
order, resulting in hundreds of thousands of
different proteins
• Even a small difference in the order of the
amino acids results in a different protein
being formed

Q. Name the elements that make up amino acids

Functions of proteins
Proteins are made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sometimes sulfur or phosphorus.
They are extremely important to the body and serve many different functions.

Growth

Tissue repair 

Cell membrane formation

Source of energy 
Lipids: Fats and oils
Fats and oils

Most fats (lipids) in the body are made

up of triglycerides

Their basic unit is 1 glycerol molecule chemically

bonded to 3 fatty acid chains
Fats and oils are made up carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen
The fatty acids vary in size and structure

Lipids are divided into fats (solids at

room temperature) and oils (liquids at
room temperature)
Functions of fats

• Fats are made of carbon, hydrogen, and

oxygen. The oxygen content is lower
than in carbohydrates. Fats have various
purposes in the body:
• Source of energy. In fact, they have two
times higher energy content than
carbohydrates!
• Heat insulation
• Myelin sheath formation
• Cell membrane formation
Biological
molecules
Video analysis
• Key points