BIOMOL E CU LES

IN THIS MODULE, WE WILL LEARN MORE ABOUT COMPOUNDS WHICH IS ESSENTIAL TO

LIFE. THESE COMPOUNDS BELONG TO FOUR MAIN CLASSES OF BIOMOLECULES:
CARBOHYDRATES, LIPIDS, PROTEINS, AND NUCLEIC ACIDS. CARBOHYDRATES AND LIPIDS
ARE GENERALLY MADE UP OF CARBON, HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN. PROTEINS AND NUCLEIC
ACIDS AND SOME DERIVATIVES OF CARBOHYDRATES AND LIPIDS ALSO CONTAIN
NITROGEN.

AT THE END OF THE MODULE, WE WILL BE ABLE TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING KEY
QUESTION.

• What differentiates the biomolecules from each other?

CARBOHYDRATES
• FORMALLY KNOWN AS SACCHARIDES
• THE MAJOR SOURCE OF ENERGY FOR THE BODY
• HYDRATES OF CARBON
• MAIN FUNCTION IS TO SUPPLY THE CELLS WITH “INSTANT ENERGY”
• CARBOHYDRATES ARE THE MOST ABUNDANT ORGANIC MOLECULES IN NATURE.
• THE TERM CARBOHYDRATE IS DERIVED FROM THE FRENCH TERM HYDRATE DE CARBONE I.E. IT IS A HYDRATE OF CARBON OR C, (H2O)N
• CARBOHYDRATES ARE DEFINED AS ORGANIC SUBSTANCES HAVING C, H & O WHEREIN H AND O ARE IN THE RATIO 2:1 AS FOUND IN H ₂O
FUNCTIONS OF CARBOHYDRATES

PRECURSORS FOR MANY ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (FATS, AMINO ACIDS)

PRESENT AS GLYCOPROTEINS AND GLYCOLIPIDS IN THE CELL MEMEBRANE AND FUNCTIONS SUCH AS CELL
GROWTH AND FERTILIZATION
- PRESENT AS STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS LIKE CELLULOSE IN PLANTS, EXOSKELETON OF SOME INSECTS,
CELL WALL OF MICROORGANISMS
- STORAGE FORM OF ENERGY (GLYCOGEN) TO MEET THE ENERGY DEMANDS OF THE BODY.
CARBOHYDRATES
• MOLECULAR FORMULA: SHOWS THE ATOMS AN ITS AMOUNT
• STRUCTURAL FORMULA: SHOWS THE ARRANGEMENTS OF THE ATOMS USING A DIAGRAM.
• RING STRUCTURE: WHEN THE CHAIN ‘CLOSES’
TYPES OF CARBOHYDRATES
• DEPENDING UPON THEIR BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS HYDROLYSIS, CARBOHYDRATES CAN BE OF FOLLOWING
THREE TYPES

•
• MONOSACCHARIDES
• OLIGOSACCHARIDES
• POLYSACCHARIDES
LIPIDS
HAVE THE “JOB” OF STORING ENERGY FOR LATER USE.

ALSO FOUND IN HORMONES AND CELL MEMBRANE COMPONENTS.

ACT AS CHEMICAL MESSENGER (STEROID HORMONE)

• ARE MADE BY LINKING CHAINS OF FATTY ACIDS.

• THEY HAVE IN COMMON THE PROPERTY OF BEING RELATIVELY INSOLUBLE IN WATER AND SOLUBLE IN
NONPOLAR SOLVENTS SUCH AS ETHER AND CHLOROFORM.
COMMON LIPIDS
•FATTY ACIDS OR CARBOXYLIC ACIDS

NEUTRAL FATS OR TRIGLYCERIDES

STEROIDS

• WAXES
FATS AND OIL ALSO CALLED TRIGLYCERIDES – ARE THE MOST ABUNDANT OF THE LIPIDS

FATS – SOLID AT ROOM TEMPERATURE AND CONTAIN SATURATED FATTY ACIDS. ALL SATURATED HYDROCARBONS CONTAIN SINGLE BONDS
AND PRODUCED ONLY BY ANIMALS.

OILS – LIQUIDS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE AND CONTAIN UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS. UNSATURATED HYDROCARBONS CONTAIN ONE OR MORE
DOUBLE BONDS AND PRODUCED BY PLANTS.

STEROIDS – COMPOSED OF FUSED RINGS OF ATOMS.

. CHOLESTEROL – IS STEROL BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE OF ALCOHOL OR THE HYDROXYL FUNCTIONAL GROUP.

• EXCESSIVE LEVELS OF CHOLESTEROL IN THE BLOOD CAN LEAD TO DEPOSITS IN THE ARTERIES OF THE HEART.