Organic compounds contain carbon and are found in living things.

They usually contain C-H or C-C bonds. The organic compounds we study can be used in metabolic reactions.

Vitalism – a paradigm shift in biology

• Vitalism was the belief that living organisms and non-living organisms have different properties

• Called the “vitalistic element”, this was believed to distinguish living from non-living matter

• This theory was disproved by a chemist – Friedrich Woehler.

• He synthesized artificial urea by mixing cyanic acid and ammonium.

• This discovery was the first time an organic substance was made from inorganic material

Carbohydrates!

Glucose

General formula: C6H12O6

We count the carbons in clockwise direction, starting with the first carbon after the oxygen atom in the ring.

This is the basic mono-saccharide (single-unit) hexose (6-carbon) sugar molecule that is used in respiration. It is a chemical store of energy.

This is a diagram of beta-D-Glucose

Ribose

General formula: C5H10O5

We count the carbons in clockwise direction, starting with the first carbon after the oxygen atom in the ring.

This is the basic mono-saccharide (single-unit) pentose (5-carbon) sugar molecule. It is found in RNA and a similar version in DNA.

What happens if you connect many monomers together, what do that look like?

Glycogen is an insoluble storage molecule in the liver. When blood glucose is high, the pancreas releases insulin, telling theliver to capture blood glucose and combine molecules of glucose tomake the polysaccharide glycogen, through condensation reactions.

This stores energy for later.

When blood glucose drops, the hormone glucagon causes the glycogen to be broken down (hydrolysis reactions) to glucose andthen released back into the blood.

Liver from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Leber_Schaf.jpg

blood glucose too high

blood glucose too low

Lactose

Breastfeeding logo from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Breastfeeding-icon-med.svg

Lactose is a disaccharide produced in mammal mothers.It consists of glucose and galactose and is easily digested by the lactase enzyme in the young animal’s digestive system.

By producing a small disaccharide that can be broken down by lactase, the mother can provide her young with a source of energy that can be quickly digested after feeding and then readily used in respiration.

Lipids!

Fatty Acids & GlycerolFatty acid chains can be of many lengths, extended by adding CH2 units. They are an efficient store of energy and bond with glycerol (a simple sugar alcohol) to make triglycerides – lipids.

The different types of Fatty Acids

What are some uses of lipids in living things?

Lipids are useful storage mechanisms because they are insoluble in water.If the human body stored glucose, which is soluble in water, what would happen to the cells as they stockpiled more and more glucose?

How does it all come together?

Calculating your BMIFormula One – for the civilized world Formula two – for ‘murica (and Estonia)

BMI = weight (kg)/[height (m) x height (m)]

BMI = weight (lb)/ [height (in) x height (in)] x 703

Example 1 – Person who is 1.70m tall and weighs 58 kg.

BMI = 58/(1.7x1.7) BMI = 20.1

Example 2 – Person who is 5’10” and weighs 235 lb.

BMI = 235/(70x70) x 703BMI = 33.7

But what does that mean for you?Take the time to calculate your own BMI using the formula.

Use this as guidance for how you structure your diet.

Carbohydrates vs Lipids for energy storage

ribose

glucose

amino acid (glycine)

glycerol

Proteins!

Amino Group (-NH2) Carboxylic Acid Group (-COOH)

A generalized amino acid

The amino group is one of the reasons why nitrogen is an

important element in living things.

The carboxylic acid group contains an oxygen double-bonded to the carbon and a hydroxyl group (-OH) that can be lost to form new bonds.

The basic structure of the amino acids is common. There are 22 different protein-making amino acids, though only 20 are coded for in genetic code. Each has its own unique R-group. Some are polar, others non-polar and their different properties determine their interactions and the shape of the final protein.

Methionine: an amino acidMethionine is an important amino acid as it is coded by the START codon in mRNA (AUG). This means that is is the first amino acid in all polypeptide chains as it is the first produced in transcription in the ribosomes.

Although methionine (Met) has quite a large R-group, we can still identify the amino group and carboxylic acid group on the amino acid.

Sulphur forms strong bonds (disulphide bridges) with other S-containing amino acids.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methionine

The simplest amino acid is glycine, with H in the R-group position.

Animation: http://is.gd/PeptideBond

Animation: http://is.gd/PeptideBond

Protein Structure• Proteins have four main levels to

their structure:• Primary protein structure: the

sequence of amino acids within the protein; this sequence determines the three-dimensional shape

• Secondary protein structure: repetitive shapes of either a helix (a spiral staircase shape) or a pleated sheet, such as in spider silk

• Tertiary structure: a shape often described as globular, such as in enzymes

• Quaternary: two or more polypeptides combined together to make a single functional protein, such as in hemoglobin

Protein FunctionRubisco Enzyme that catalyzes the first reaction of

the carbon fixing reactions of photosynthesis

Insulin Hormone produced by the pancreas that results in a decrease of blood sugar levels

Immunoglobulin Antibody that recognizes an antigen as a part of the immune response

Rhodopsin Pigment found in the retina of the eye that is particularly useful in low light conditions

Collagen Main protein component of connective tissue, which is abundant in skin, tendons, and ligaments

Spider silk Fibrous protein spun by spiders for making webs, drop lines, nest building and other uses

Denaturation can occur to proteins when they are exposed to high temperatures or extreme pH.

Denaturation causes a protein to lose its shape, and therefore lose its properties.

High temperature causes bonds to break from extra energy

High pH causes hydrogen bonds to break, causing loss of structure

this one(glycine)

Condensation reactions make bonds.Hydrolysis bonds break these bonds.

Watch these three animations and make a generalisation about the processes:- function, roles of enzymes, roles of water

http://is.gd/PeptideBond http://is.gd/MaltoseGIF http://is.gd/TriglycerideGIF