Carbon and Macromolecules in Biology

Carbon's Role in Life

• Carbon is a fundamental element found in all living organisms.
• Carbon forms the backbone of all biological molecules.
• Carbon has four electrons in its outermost shell, enabling it to form four covalent bonds.
• These bonds allow carbon to create a wide range of molecules, including long chains, branched chains, and rings.

Macromolecules: The Building Blocks of Life

• Macromolecules are large molecules formed by joining smaller organic molecules together.
• They're also called polymers.
• Polymers consist of repeating units of monomers linked by covalent bonds.

Carbohydrates: Energy Powerhouses

• Carbohydrates are organic molecules made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a 1:2:1 ratio.
• Their general formula is (CH2O)n, where 'n' represents the number of CH2O units.
• Carbohydrates are essential for energy storage and structural support in organisms.
• They are classified as either simple (sugars) or complex (polysaccharides) based on their structure.

Simple Carbohydrates: Sweet Energy

• Simple carbohydrates are sugars made of single or two sugar molecules.
• Monosaccharides are single sugar units, like glucose, fructose, and galactose.
• Disaccharides are two monosaccharides bonded together, like sucrose (table sugar).

Complex Carbohydrates: Long-Chain Energy

• Complex carbohydrates contain long chains of multiple monosaccharides.
• Each monosaccharide is a monomer in the long chain, forming a polymer.
• Examples of polysaccharides include cellulose for structural support in plants, starch for energy storage in plants, and glycogen for energy storage in animals.

Lipids: The Fats and Oils

• Lipids are organic molecules primarily made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, often with a high proportion of carbon and hydrogen.
• They are essential components of cell membranes and serve as long-term energy storage.
• Lipids include fats, oils, waxes, and steroids.

Fatty Acids: Building Blocks of Lipids

• Fatty acids are the monomers of lipids, containing a chain of carbon atoms with attached hydrogen atoms.
• Saturated fatty acids have only single bonds between carbons, are saturated with hydrogen, and are typically solid at room temperature.
• Unsaturated fatty acids contain at least one double bond between carbon atoms, have gaps in hydrogen saturation, and are typically liquid at room temperature.

Triglycerides: Energy Storage

• Triglycerides are lipid polymers formed when three fatty acids bond to a glycerol molecule.
• Saturated triglycerides contain only saturated fatty acids.
• Unsaturated triglycerides contain at least one unsaturated fatty acid.

Proteins: The Versatile Workers

• Proteins are organic molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
• They play various roles in the body, including structural support, transport, signaling, speeding up chemical reactions, and controlling cell growth.
• Proteins are made of amino acids joined by peptide bonds.

Amino Acids: Protein Building Blocks

• Amino acids are the monomers of proteins, containing an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a unique side chain (R group).
• There are 20 different amino acids, each with a unique R group.
• Peptides are small proteins made up of few amino acids.
• Polypeptides are long chains of amino acids that make up a protein.

Protein Structure: Form Function

• A protein's shape is crucial to its function.
• Proteins can have up to four levels of structure: primary (amino acid sequence), secondary (helix or pleated sheet), tertiary (globular), and quaternary (combination of proteins).
• Denaturation occurs when a protein's shape changes, but not its amino acid sequence.
• Heat or chemicals can cause denaturation, which is often irreversible.

Nucleic Acids: The Information Carriers

• Nucleic acids are organic macromolecules that store and transmit genetic information.
• They consist of nucleotides linked together in a chain.
• DNA and RNA are the two main types of nucleic acids.

Nucleotides: Building Blocks of Nucleic Acids

• Nucleotides are composed of a phosphate group, a five-carbon sugar (pentose), and a nitrogenous base.
• DNA contains four nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G).
• RNA contains four nitrogenous bases: adenine (A), uracil (U), cytosine (C), and guanine (G).
• Nucleotides bond through their phosphate group and sugar to form nucleic acid polymers.

DNA and RNA: Blueprints of Life

• DNA is a double-stranded nucleic acid, with two strands linked by hydrogen bonds between nitrogenous bases.
• RNA is a single-stranded nucleic acid.

Explore the crucial role of carbon in forming the backbone of biological molecules and its importance in macromolecules. This quiz covers the structure and function of carbohydrates, the building blocks of life, that provide energy and structural support. Test your understanding of these foundational concepts in biology.