Carbon Compounds

Life’s molecular diversity is based on the properties of carbon

Chain Ring Branching chain

The Chemistry of Carbon

: carbon based

• Carbon can make 4 covalent bonds

• The foundation of organic chemistry are • Made of carbon and hydrogen only

• Non-polar therefore

Macromolecules

are very large molecules• Ex. DNA, proteins, carbohydrates and fats

• Macromolecules are made by piecing small molecules ( ) into chains of repeating units ( )

• 2 important chemical reactions for making and breaking down macromolecules:

: building reaction, monomers are linked together into polymers (polymerization)

: breaking reaction, polymers are dissembled into monomers

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Monomers

Polymer

(Sugars)

• Structure (what it is made of)• C, H, O (usually following the ratio 1C:2H:1O)

• Contain –OH groups and C=O groups

• Monomers:

• Polymers:

• Often, names end in –ose

• Function (purpose)• Energy

• Structure (building material for cells)

Carbohydrates Examples

(Quick Energy)• Monosaccharides

(blood sugar)

(honey)

(made of 2 monosaccharides)

(table sugar): combination of fructose and glucose

(milk)

(Energy Storage and Structure)• Made in animals:

(energy storage)

(structure)

• Made in plants:

(energy storage)

(structure)

Lipids (Fats)

• Structure:• Mostly C and H

• Contain –OH and –COOH groups

• Non-polar (hydrophobic)

(closest thing to a polymer)

(kind of a monomer)

• Three (kind of a monomer)

• Functions• Energy storage

• Chemical barriers

• Waterproof coverings

• Chemical messages (steroids)

Lipid Examples

• Triglycerides• Store energy in adipose (fat) cells

fatty acids• Contain at least 1 C-C double bond

• Liquid at room temp

• Ex. Oils

fatty acids• No double bonds

• Solid at room temp

• Ex. Butter

• Protect plants and animals from water

: fats that create barriers (membranes) in cells• Made of 2 fatty acids (like in

triglycerides) and 1 phosphate group

• Have a end and a hydrophobic hydrocarbon tail

• Made of 4 fused carbon rings

• Send messages in living things (testosterone and estrogen)

Nucleic Acids

• Structure• Contain C, H, O, N and P

• Monomers are called and are made of

3 smaller subunits:• Nitrogen base

• Phosphate group

• 5-carbon sugar

• Polymer:

• Functions and Examples• Store and transmit information

( and )

• Acts as a battery for the cell ( )

Proteins Structure

• Proteins are polymers made of monomers called

• All Amino acids have 3 functional groups and contain C, H, O and N

• Carboxyl group (-COOH)

• Amino group (-NH2))

(portion of the amino acid that makes each unique)

• AA can be joined using covalent bonds called , a chain of an amino acid is a

• The information for how to create the correct sequence of AA’s is contained in DNA

• There are 20 different AA

• AA have chemical diversity they can be…

• Hydrophilic or Hydrophobic

• Neutral, positively charged or negatively charged

• Acidic/basic or neutral

Protein Function/Examples

: control the rate of reactions in the body ( )

• Regulate processes in the body ( )

• Building material ( )

• Transportation of materials ( )

• Fight disease ( )

Chemical Reactions

• A chemical reaction is a process that leads to changes in the composition of matter.

• Reactants are found on the left side of the reaction arrow, productions on the right

• Chemical reactions do not create or destroy matter, they just change it.

• During a chemical reaction heat can either be released or it can be absorbed.

An example reaction

Reactants

Energy-absorbing

Can occur

spontaneously

Requires more

energy to get started

Has a lower activation

energy

Will proceed more

quickly

Enzymes lower activation energy and speed up chemical reactions of cells:

Enzymes speed up the cell’s chemical reactions by lowering energy barriers• Most reactions in living things require enzymes to help break

bonds that hold them together.• Enzymes are proteins that act as biological catalysts which help

to lower the activation energy of a given reaction.• The energy of activation is the amount of energy required to

start a reaction.

Enzymes are specific for the reaction they catalyze

• Every enzyme is unique and only fits a specific reactant (known as a substrate in enzyme catalyzed reactions)

• The substrate fits into a part of the enzyme called the active site (like a key fits a lock)

• Enzymes change shape to force a bond to be made or broken.

Active Site

• The active site of the enzyme and the substrate have complimentary shapes.

Effects on enzyme activity

• An enzyme’s shape is essential to its function.

• Enzymes can be exposed to environments that cause them to lose their shape or denature – you can think of it as melting.

• Enzymes are permanently damaged from:

• High temperature

• Salt concentration

• pH

• Enzymes can lose their flexibility but not their shape. If temperature is too low, activity will stop but as they are warmed to appropriate temperature they will work again.