CO4 Terms and processes
BIOMOLECULES
Carbohydrates – Hydrocarbon Chains/structures used for Energy and Structure (ex.
Glucose, Maltose)
Monosaccharides- single unit carbohydrate (ex. Glucose, Fructose)
Disaccharide- Two monosaccharides bonded together. (ex. Sucrose (Glucose +
Glucose), Lactose (Galactose + Glucose)
Polysaccharide- Multiple units of monosaccharides (ex. Chitin, Cellulose, Starch)
*Formation of Disaccharides and Polysaccharides from Monosaccharides are
done by Dehydration synthesis reaction to remove water and form Glycosidic
linkages.
*Breaking of these bonds is done through Hydrolysis Reaction which is the
addition of water.
Aldose- Have the Carbonyl group
Ketose- Have the Ketone group
Lipids- Energy storage, Insulation, Cell membranes, Biochemical balance
Fats and Oils (Neutral Lipids)
i. Fat- generally semisolid at room temperature
ii. Oil- generally Liquid at room temperature
iii. Insoluble in water (Hydrophobic)
iv. Formed from Triglyceride (Combination of glycerol backbone with three
fatty acid tails)
Linkage between the glycerol backbone and fatty acid tails is
called the Ester linkage
Saturated- Composed of only Single Bonds carbon chain of fatty acid
tail.
Unsaturated- Contain Double bonds on the carbon chain of the fatty
acid tail.
o Monounsaturated- Single double bond
o Polyunsaturated- multiple double bonds
Trans-fat- Double bond in trans-position causing the carbon chain to
appear straight.
Phospholipids- Found in cellular membranes as structure, support, and
protection
i. Composed of a Glycerol backbone, two Fatty acid tails, and A
phosphate group.
ii. The phosphate group creates a polar head. (hydrophilic)
iii. The fatty acid tails are non-polar. (hydrophobic)
iv. The structure of the phospholipid enables it to form Phospholipid
bilayers that compose cell membranes.
Sterols- (Steroids)
i. Structure contains four Carbon rings
ii. Mostly hydrophobic but single hydroxyl (-OH) group gives Dual
solubility properties.
iii. Cholesterol- Found in cell membranes to maintain fluidity and stability
during temperature changes.
iv. Steroid Hormones- Regulatory molecules for biochemical processes and
development (Ex. Sex Hormones (Testosterone, Estrogen)
Proteins- Enzyme activity, Structural support, and cell regulation.
Proteins are made up of Amino Acids (20)
i. Essential- Must be consumed
ii. Non-Essential- Can be synthesized by the body
Through Dehydration synthesis, Amino acids bond using Peptide bonds
LEVELS OF PROTEIN STRUCTURE
i. Primary
The Sequence of Amino Acids
ii. Secondary
The structure formed by Hydrogen bonds between amino
acids in the structure
i. Alpha helix
ii. Beta strand
iii. Tertiary
Conformation (three-dimensional shape)
Interaction between the Side-chains
Proteins are “helped” to fold into their tertiary structures
by Chaperone proteins (Chaperonins)
Determined by primary structure
Determines protein function
iv. Quaternary
Formed by Multiple peptide chains
Subdivided into Domains
Motifs are specialized subgroups of the structure with
specific functions
Nucleic Acids- “Blueprint” for organisms, Energy storage
DNA- (Deoxyribonucleic acid)
Long double helix strand (in eukaryotes) containing all genetic
information of the organism. Found in all cells of the organism.
RNA- (Ribonucleic acid)
Transfer information from the DNA to protein assembly
o Monomer- Nucleotide (that bond using (Phosphodiester bonds)
o Composed of Nitrogenous base, Five-carbon sugar, and One or more
phosphate groups
o Nitrogenous base
Pyrimidines- one carbon nitrogen ring
o Uracil (U)
o Thymine(T)
o Cytosine(C)
Purines- two-carbon nitrogen ring
o Adenine(A)
o Guanine(G)
o Specific Bases Pair together to form the double Helix
o Cytosine(C)-Guanine(G)
o Adenine(A)-Thymine(T) (in DNA)
o Adenine(A)-Uracil(U) (in RNA)
o Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)- The main “currency” of energy in the cell
is a nucleic acid.
