Macromolecules Flashcards

Major Classes of Macromolecules

• Four classes: Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, Nucleic Acids

Monomers and Polymers

• Monomers: small, individual molecules that join to form polymers
• Polymers: long chains of monomers connected by covalent bonds

Types of Carbohydrates

• Monosaccharides: simple sugars; basic building blocks of carbohydrates
• Disaccharides: formed from two monosaccharides by glycosidic linkage
• Polysaccharides: large macromolecules composed of hundreds to thousands of monosaccharides for storage or structure

Glycosidic Linkage

• Creates bonds between glucose molecules, forming disaccharides like maltose

Lipid Structure

• Fats: consist of glycerol and three fatty acid chains linked via ester linkage
• Phospholipids: contain glycerol, two fatty acids, and a phosphate group; exhibit hydrophobic tails
• Steroids: include cholesterol and functional hormones

Types of Fats

• Saturated Fat: contains maximum hydrogen atoms in fatty acid chains, resulting in straight structures
• Unsaturated Fat: contains fewer hydrogens due to double bonds, creating kinks in the chain

Energy Storage

• Plants store energy primarily as starch
• Animals store energy as glycogen, synthesized in the liver

Protein Structure and Function

• Proteins serve in transport, storage, signaling, movement, and enzymatic functions; composed of folded amino acids
• Polypeptides are chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds

Amino Acid Composition

• Four components of amino acids:
  • Asymmetrical carbon
  • Amino group
  • Hydrogen
  • R group (variable)
  • Carboxyl group

Secondary Protein Structure

• Alpha Helix: coiled structure
• Beta Pleated Sheet: formation of repeated folds

Protein Denaturation

• Proteins can be denatured by extreme heat, high or low pH, ionization of medium, or environmental changes

Nucleic Acids

• Nucleotides: building blocks of nucleic acids, consisting of a 5-carbon sugar, phosphate group, and nitrogenous base

Nitrogenous Bases

• Pyrimidines: single-ring structure bases (thymine, cytosine, uracil)
• Purines: double-ring structure bases (adenine, guanine)

Nucleosides and Sugars

• Nucleosides: consist of a nitrogenous base and five-carbon sugar
• Ribose: five-carbon sugar found in RNA
• Deoxyribose: five-carbon sugar found in DNA

DNA Structure

• DNA is a double helix with anti-parallel strands; base pairs consist of purines pairing with pyrimidines

Polymerization Reactions

• Dehydration Reaction: bonds two monomers with the loss of a water molecule
• Hydrolysis: splits polymers into monomers by adding water

Identifying Carbohydrates

• Monomers in carbohydrates: monosaccharides; polymers are known as polysaccharides
• Disaccharides: consist of two monosaccharides linked by a glycosidic bond