Amino Acids and Nucleic Acids

Amino Acids

• 20 amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, composed of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur.
• Divided into two categories: Essential Amino Acids (gained from diet) and Non-Essential Amino Acids (synthesized from the body).

Nucleic Acids

• DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) is a double-helix molecule composed of deoxyribose, phosphate backbone, and nitrogenous bases (adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine).
• DNA contains genetic instructions.
• RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) is a single-helix molecule composed of ribose sugar, phosphate backbone, and nitrogenous bases (adenine, uracil, guanine, and cytosine).

Importance of Biomolecules

• Carbohydrates are the major source of energy for humans, used for energy production, energy storage, building macromolecules, sparing proteins, and assisting in lipid metabolism.
• Lipids are another source of energy, used as structural components of cells, energy storage, and signaling molecules.
• Proteins help build tissues, repair damage, function as hormones and enzymes, provide fluid, and are involved in wound-healing and energy production (ATP).
• Nucleic acids are essential for DNA, the blueprint for life, and RNA, necessary for creating proteins.

Chemical Reactions

• A chemical equation is a shorthand notation for a chemical reaction, showing reactants, products, and phases.
• The equation consists of reactants (left) and products (right).

Carbohydrates

• Monosaccharides are single-unit sugars, such as glucose (dextrose), fructose (fruit sugar), and galactose.
• Disaccharides are two-unit sugars, such as sucrose (found in fruits and vegetables), lactose (found in milk), and maltose (used for germinating seeds).
• Polysaccharides are many-unit sugars, with examples including starch (primary source of food energy), glycogen (provides quick energy boost), and cellulose (stabilizes cell walls).

Lipids

• Lipids are water-insoluble and composed of CHO, with building blocks of glycerol.
• Examples include triglycerides (fats and oils, such as olive oil and butter), phospholipids (similar to triglycerides but with a phosphate group), and cholesterol (containing various hydrocarbon ring structures).

Proteins

• Proteins are polypeptides containing long chains of amino acids connected by a peptide bond.
• Consist of three parts: alpha carbon, amino group, carboxyl group, and R-group.
• Amino acids are classified based on their polarity and electrical charge.

Charles' Law

• Made by French physicist Jacques Charles (1746-1823).
• States that the volume of a given mass is directly proportional to the temperature of the gas, given constant pressure.
• Linking to Kinetic Molecular Theory, an increased energy inhibits rapid moving molecules, explaining heat and requiring gas to expand.
• The Kelvin scale is used, with 0K representing complete stoppage of molecules.