Carbon compounds and macromolecules

Goals

1. To become acquainted with the major classes of organic compounds found in all living things.

2. To understand how the chemical properties of these molecules relate to their functions in living things.

3. To understand how the subunits of these molecules join together to form larger molecules.

Outline

Isomers

Structural isomers -- same atoms put together differently

Geometric isomers -- difference centers around a C=C double bond

Enantiomers -- difference centers around a C with four different things bound to it

Functional groups

functional group	types of compounds
hydroxyl (-OH)	alcohols
carbonyl (C=O)	aldehydes, ketones
carboxyl (-COOH)	(carboxylic) acids
amino (-NH2)	amines
sulfhydryl (-SH)	thiols
phosphate (-PO4=)	organic phosphates

also the methyl group (-CH₃)

Carbon and the chemistry of living things

Each C atom can form four bonds at once -- allows complex molecules

Most organic compounds are of four main types:

• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Nucleic acids
• Lipids

Carbohydrates (CHO)

monosaccharides: the monomers (simple sugars), e.g., glucose, fructose

disaccharides, e.g., sucrose

condensation joins monomers, forming a glycosidic linkage

polysaccharides: the polymers

storage: starch and glycogen

structure: cellulose and chitin

Proteins (CHON and sometimes S)

amino acids: the monomers

have amino and carboxyl functional groups, along with a "side chain" or R group (which may contain S)

side chains are polar, nonpolar or electrically charged

polypeptides: the polymers

condensation joins monomers, forming a peptide bond

broken apart by hydrolysis

has a CCN backbone

protein structure: different levels of complexity

primary structure

sequence of amino acids

held together by peptide bonds

secondary structure

alpha helices and pleated sheets

held together by H-bonds between CCN backbone

tertiary structure

overall shape

held in together by various bonds between R groups

quaternary structure

if protein = more than one polypeptide

functions of proteins

see book.... enzymes, structural proteins, transport proteins, etc.

Nucleic acids: DNA and RNA ...(CHONP)

nucleotides: the monomers

composed of a sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base

sugars and bases differ between RNA and DNA

the DNA double helix: the polymer of DNA

sugar-phosphate backbone

nitrogenous bases of opposing strands held together by H-bonds

Lipids (CHO, and P [and N] in some)

steroids

cholesterol

sex hormones

triglycerides (neutral fats)

triglycerides = 3 fatty acids + a glycerol

functions --

phospholipids

two fatty acids of hydrophobic tail + phosphate-containing hydrophilic head

cell membranes

Vocabulary

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