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Questions and Answers
What is the main function of starch in plants?
Glycogen is found in plant cells.
False
What is the function of heparin in the body?
Heparin is an anti-coagulant.
The two types of plant starch are ___________________ and ___________________.
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What is the characteristic of amylose?
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Cellulose is digestible by humans.
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Match the following polysaccharides with their characteristics:
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Heparin is secreted by ___________________ cells in the liver.
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What is the function of dextrin?
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What is the characteristic of amylopectin?
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Study Notes
Biological Molecules
- The four most common elements in living organisms are hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, accounting for over 99% of the atoms found in all living things.
- Carbon is particularly important because it can form long chains or ring structures, serving as the basic skeletons of organic molecules to which groups of other atoms are attached.
- Organic molecules always contain carbon and hydrogen.
Molecules and Macromolecules
- A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds.
- A macromolecule is a large biological molecule such as a protein, polysaccharide, or nucleic acid.
- A monomer is a relatively simple molecule used as a basic building block for the synthesis of a polymer.
- A polymer is a giant molecule made from many similar repeating subunits joined together in a chain.
Formation of Monomers and Polymers
- Hydrolysis reaction: water is added, and the lysis of the polymer occurs, forming monomers.
- Condensation reaction (dehydration synthesis): removal of water, forming polymers from monomers.
Major Macromolecules
- The four major macromolecules that make up all cells are:
- Carbohydrates
- Lipids
- Proteins
- Nucleic acids
Carbohydrates
- Carbohydrates are the most abundant organic molecules in nature.
- They are present in humans, animal tissues, plants, and microorganisms.
- Carbohydrates are biological molecules consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms, usually with a hydrogen-oxygen atom ratio of 2:1.
- The suffix -ose indicates that a molecule is a carbohydrate.
- Carbohydrates can be classified as:
- Simple sugars (monosaccharides and disaccharides)
- Complex sugars (polysaccharides)
Classification of Carbohydrates
- Monosaccharides: single sugar unit
- Disaccharides: two sugar units
- Oligosaccharides: 3 to 10 sugar units
- Polysaccharides: more than 10 units
Monosaccharides
- Monosaccharides are simple sugars with a free aldehyde or ketone group and two or more hydroxyl groups.
- Examples of monosaccharides include glucose, fructose, and galactose.
- Most monosaccharides have a sweet taste and are freely soluble in water but insoluble in nonpolar solvents.
- The backbones of common monosaccharides are unbranched carbon chains with single bonds.
Disaccharides
- A disaccharide consists of two monosaccharide units held together by a glycosidic bond.
- Examples of disaccharides include maltose, sucrose, lactose, and lactulose.
- Disaccharides are formed by condensation reactions between monosaccharides.
Polysaccharides
- Types of polysaccharides include:
- Starch: a polymer of glucose, the storage form of carbohydrate in plants
- Cellulose: a form of fiber, indigestible by humans, found in plant cell walls
- Glycogen: the storage form of glucose in the body, found in the liver and muscles
- Dextrin: an intermediate product in the hydrolysis of starch, found in small quantities in plants
- Heparin: an anti-coagulant present in liver, lungs, and spleen
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Description
This quiz covers the structure and function of biological molecules, including carbohydrates, and their classification into monosaccharide, disaccharide, oligosaccharide, and polysaccharide.
