Biological Molecules

The Building Blocks of Life

 W
O
• Before we begin, get out a piece of paper,
R
put your name on it, and do the following: K
• As review, sketch a diagram of an atom
T
and label the particles. O
G
• Sketch a water molecule, and state what E
kind of bonds form between the oxygen T
and hydrogen atoms in water. H
E
R
Which four elements make up about 96% of
living matter?
1. carbon, hydrogen,
81%
nitrogen, oxygen
2. carbon, sulfur,
phosphorous,
hydrogen
3. carbon, oxygen,
sulfur, calcium
13%
4. oxygen, hydrogen,
4% 2%
calcium, sodium
1 2 3 4
An atom of nitrogen attracts electrons more strongly
than an atom of hydrogen. Which of the following
best describes ammonia (NH3)?
25% 25% 25% 25%
1. The nitrogen is
slightly negative.
2. The nitrogen is
strongly positive.
3. The hydrogens are
slightly negative.
4. The hydrogens are
strongly positive.
1 2 3 4
Carbon is the backbone of organic molecules. With
an atomic number of 6, carbon can form up to ___
different ___ bonds.
25% 25% 25% 25%

1. 6; ionic
2. 6; covalent
3. 4; ionic
4. 4; covalent

1 2 3 4
Atoms to Molecules
In our model of scale, remember that the marble
represented a small monomer, such as glucose.
 Functional Groups
Functional groups
determine how a
molecule will
interact with other
molecules.

Why does sugar dissolve in water?

 The methyl group, consisting of carbon bonded to
hydrogen, is an area of ___ in an organic molecule.
50% 50%

1. Polarity
2. Non-polarity

1 2
If you see oxygen or nitrogen in the structure of an
organic molecule, expect that area to be:
50% 50%

1. Polar
2. Non-polar

1 2
 One glucose molecule alone is a
monomer.

Two or more
glucose molecules
linked together can
make a polymer.
 Dehydration Synthesis

Two glucose
molecules ...can bond together
(monomers)... to make maltose
(dimer).
 Hydrolysis

A dimer such as
...can be broken apart
maltose, or any
into its constituent
other polymer...
monomers.
 Making/Breaking Molecules
Monomers or
Polymers?
The process The process
occurring between occurring between
C and A is: A and C is:
Hydrolysis Dehydration
Synthesis

What is taken What is given

up here? off here?
H2O H2O

Monomer or
Polymer?
In our model of scale, large chain molecules (polymers) are
represented by the cat.
Carbohydrates
 Monomers
Simple sugars, such as
glucose, are the
monomers of complex
carbohydrates.

Label a hydrogen group

and hydroxyl group on the
glucose diagram. What
are some properties of
these groups?
What is similar about
these four simple
sugars?
What is different?
 glucose fructose sucrose

What process do you see happening here to create this glycosidic

linkage between the two sugars?

What is the scientific term for a pair of monomers linked

together?
 Glycosidic linkages between many
sugar molecules create complex
carbohydrates, such as starch.

What is the scientific

term for many monomers
linked together?
 Cellulose

Hemp
Cotton
Rayon

Dietary
Linen “fiber”
What do you see in the structure of cellulose that tells you that
it is a carbohydrate?

How is cellulose similar to starch?

 Cellulose vs. Starch

We can digest starch (amylose) but not cellulose. What

difference do you see that might be the reason behind
this?
 Chitin

Pectin
In general, how
can we describe
complex
carbohydrates?
 White death?
Some people claim that sugar is harmful, toxic, or
addictive. Is it?

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-sugar-affects-the-brain-nicole-avena
Fake sugar?
Complex carbohydrates are:
1. Polymers of simple 50% 50%
sugars.
2. Monomers of
simple sugars.

1 2
True or false: Sugars and starch have a lot of fat
in them.
1. True 50% 50%
2. False

1 2
 W
O
• Look around you. What are some R
specific examples of carbohydrates that K
are in this room right now?
T
• List some specific carbohydrates that O
G
you ate for breakfast. Not the foods that
E
they were in – name the carbohydrates T
themselves. H
E
R
Lipids
 Label a methyl group and a hydroxyl group on one of
the fatty acids. What are some properties of these
groups?

What process do
you see
happening here to
create these ester
bonds between
the fatty acid
chains and the
glycerol in this
triglyceride?
 Lipids that are solid at
room temperature are
composed mostly of
saturated fatty acids.

Stearic acid (found in wax and

lard) and butyric acid (found
in butter) are examples of
saturated fatty acids.
Lipids that are liquid at
room temperature are
composed mostly of
unsaturated fatty acids.

Oleic acid and linoleic acid

are unsaturated fatty acids that
are common in vegetable oils.
Saturated vs. Unsaturated
 A puzzle:

Shortening and margarine labels

often brag that their products are
made with healthy, unsaturated
vegetable oils. Vegetable oils are
liquid at room temperature. So
why are shortening and margarine
solid at room temperature?
 Trans fats?
Unsaturated fats bend Trans configuration results in an
because of the cis unsaturated fatty acid that is a
configuration straight chain like a saturated
fatty acid

Trans fats are rare in nature. Hydrogenation can create both

saturated and trans fatty acids.
 Phospholipids
Saturated or
unsaturated?

Label the phosphate group on

this phospholipid. What are
some properties of this group?
Steroids
 Fake fat?

What do you see in this molecular structure

that suggests why Olestra is not digested?
Why might it cause the symptoms
described on the label?
 W
O
R
• List some examples of lipids or fatty K
acids – not the foods that contain them,
T
but specific lipids.
O
G
• How are carbohydrates and lipids
E
different from one another? T
H
E
R
 A fatty acid consists of:
1. A chain of carbon 85%
and hydrogen
atoms.
2. A chain of sugar
molecules.
3. A chain of any
carbon-containing
monomers. 7% 9%

1 2 3
 Why can’t you mix oil and water?
1. Oil floats on water.
93%
2. Oil is more dense
than water.
3. Oil is non-polar,
while water is
polar.
4. Oil is an organic
molecule, while
water is not. 0%
7%
0%

1 2 3 4
 Which of these is the largest
object?
1. A carbon atom. 25% 25% 25% 25%

2. A fatty acid.
3. A phospholipid.
4. A cell membrane.

1 2 3 4
Proteins
 Monomers

Amino group Carboxylic acid

group

Amino acids are the monomers of proteins.

On your diagram, label the amino group and the carboxylic
acid group. What are some properties of these groups?
 R-groups
determine the
properties of
individual
amino acids.
What process do you see happening here to create this peptide
bond between the two amino acids?

What is the scientific term for many monomers linked together?

Some proteins, like keratin, are structural proteins.
Actin and myosin fibers in muscle cells, spider webs, and silk are
also structural proteins.
Some proteins, such as insulin, are hormones.
Some proteins are enzymes that build or break down other
molecules in living cells.
Some proteins are structured to carry or move substances, such as
hemoglobin that carries oxygen, or cell membrane proteins that
move substances across the membrane.
Heat, acidity, or both can denature proteins. Denaturing changes
the shape of a protein, which changes its appearance and
functionality. Denaturing is what happens when we fry an egg
(egg whites contain albumin protein) or use acids to turn milk
into cheese (milk solids contain casein proteins).
 The shape of a protein determines its function.

The shape of an individual protein is determined by the order of

amino acids in the primary chain, which affects how the amino
acid chain twists and folds into the final shape of the protein.

DNA contains the code that instructs the cell machinery to put
amino acids together in a particular order to make a particular
protein. As long as the DNA contains the correct code, the protein
will function. Mistakes in the code (mutations) change the order
of amino acids, which changes the structure of the protein, which
prevents the protein from carrying out its function.
True or False: Meat is an example of a
protein.
1. True: Meat is an
85%
important dietary
protein.
2. False: Meat is muscle
tissue that is made up
of many different
proteins, lipids, and
other molecules.
15%

1 2
 ___ bonds are responsible for primary structure of
proteins, while ___ bonds contribute to the secondary
structure.
1. Ionic; covalent 42%
2. Peptide; hydrogen
3. Peptide; covalent
26%
4. Hydrogen; ionic
21%

12%

1 2 3 4
When we say “proteins are made of amino
acids,” it means that:
1. Proteins are larger 33% 33% 33%
than amino acids.
2. Amino acids are
larger than
proteins.
3. Both amino acids
and proteins are
about the same
size.
1 2 3
 W
O
R
• List some examples of specific proteins K
– again, not foods that contain proteins,
T
but specific proteins.
O
G
• Why are there so many different kinds
E
of proteins? T
H
E
R
Nucleic Acids
 Monomers

Label the parts on

this nucleotide.

Is this a
nucleotide of
DNA or RNA?
How can you tell?
Nucleotides link together to form nucleic acids. The sugars
bind to the phosphate groups to form the backbone of the
chain.
 DNA is two strands of
nucleotides side-by-side.

What is the type of bond

that forms the cross-links
holding the two strands
together?
 ATP

Adenosine
triphosphate, the
universal energy
carrier, is a single
nucleotide (adenine)
with two extra
phosphate groups
attached.
DNA is found inside of the nucleus
of a:
1. Cell 33% 33% 33%
2. Atom
3. Both

1 2 3
 Try to fill in this table from memory:

Monomers Polymers Examples

Complex Starch,
Simple sugars
Carbohydrates Cellulose, etc.

Hemoglobin,
Amino acids Proteins
Keratin, etc.

Fatty acids & Fats, waxes,

Lipids
glycerol oils, steroids.

Nucleotide Nucleic Acids DNA, RNA

 W
• Observe the structure of each of these O
monomers and identify them. R
K
1 2
T
O
G
Amino Acid Sugar E
T
3 H
Fatty Acid E
R
• The circled objects in our scale model W
represent... O
Small R
Molecule Chain K
Atom
Molecule
T
O
G
E
T
H
E
R
 Recap
• Atoms of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and a
few other elements bond together covalently
to make the biological molecules.
• Monomers (small molecules, such as
glucose) bond together to form polymers
(large chain molecules, such as complex
carbohydrates).
• The four classes of biological molecules are
carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic
acids.