The Biomolecules

Complex
Carbohydrat
e

Monosacchar
ide
Disaccharide

(Polysacchari

Cell Wall

Carbohydrates are polymers of monosaccharides and disaccharides. These monosaccharides

and disaccharides are usually referred to simply as sugars. Complex carbohydrates can also be
called polysaccharides, and they can be recognized by the five and six sided shapes that are
made by these sugars. These polymers are made through photosynthesis. Carbohydrates, like
starches and sugars, can be easily used by cells as a quick source of energy. This is because
carbohydrates can be easily digested and converted into useable energy by cells. Plant cells,
fungal cells and certain types of bacterial cells have cell walls. Cell walls are primarily made
from complex carbohydrates. For example, plant cell walls are made from the carbohydrate
cellulose, and fungal cell walls are made from the carbohydrate chitin. Complex carbohydrates
can be linked together to create very strong, flexible structures.
Lipids are a group of organic biomolecules that
Phospholipid
include triglycerides, waxes, steroids and
phospholipids. Triglycerides are commonly called
fats, and they are made of a glycerol molecule
bonded to three fatty acids. Because lipids are
made from very different subunits, they are not
considered polymers. Another unique characteristic of lipids is that
they are nonpolar molecules. Nonpolar molecules like
lipids are also called hydrophobic molecules because they
repel water and will not mix together with it. Lipids, like
fats, actually contain more energy per gram than
carbohydrates, but lipids are more difficult for cells to
Lipids like this fat
digest. So even though lipids have more energy, it takes
molecule are better for
more time and effort for cells to release the energy that is
long-term energy storage
stored inside them. However, since fats
and other lipids are able to store energy
more efficiently than carbohydrates, they
are better at providing long-term energy
storage
for the
cell. By
Blubber helps to insulate this walrus from the cold
storing
energy in the form of fats, animals can store energy that they
Phospholipid bilayer
may need when food supplies are low without adding
unnecessary weight to their bodies.
Every cell is surrounded by a cellular membrane, and the main component of cell membranes
is a special lipid called a phospholipid. Individual phospholipids are not linked together, and this
creates a very fluid cell membrane. Phospholipids are a unique type of lipid because they have a
phosphate group attached them.

Genetic Information
Nucleic acids are polymers of nucleotides. Each
nucleotide contains three parts of its own: a sugar, a
phosphate group and a nitrogen base. Nucleic acids
can be recognized by their unique structure and the
presence of both nitrogen and phosphate groups.

Nucleotide Deoxyribonucleic Acid

(DNA)

Ribonucleic Acid
(RNA)
Nucleic acids, like DNA and RNA, make up the genetic material found in every
living cell. DNA is a nucleic acid that carries the blueprint for every cell in an
organism. The information inside nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA is
carried in the sequence of nucleotides. This information is used by the
cells to make all of its proteins. So nucleic acids actually carry instructions
for making a completely different type of biomolecule!
DNA molecule
Nucleotides are also used to distribute energy more efficiently. The energy
from 1 glucose is placed in to 36 ATP molecules. ATP is a nucleotide. Instead of 1 phosphate
group, there are 3 phosphate groups. The bonds between these extra phosphate groups is
where the energy is stored. ATP stands for Adenosine Triphosphate, but you can remember that
it gives cells All The Power!
ATP

The Many Roles of Proteins

Proteins are polymers of amino acids. There are 20 commonly occurring amino acids which
can be placed together into any sequence to create proteins that are hundreds of amino acids
long. The bonds that hold amino acids together are called peptide bonds, so short chains of
amino acids can also be called polypeptides. Proteins can be recognized by looking for
nitrogen atoms along the chain, and in some cases sulfur atoms will also be present.
Proteins are built using 20 different amino acids, and proteins can be
made that are very long or very short. Because proteins can be
made in so many different ways, proteins serve an enormous
number of functions in the cell. Within a single cell there may be
thousands of different types of proteins, and each of these proteins
performs a different task inside the cell. Structural proteins can be
used to create a cytoskeleton in the cell, and this cytoskeleton helps
the cell keep its shape. Protein channels and carrier proteins can be
Protei
found in the cell membrane, and these help molecules enter and exit the cell. Possibly the most
n up and
important type of protein is enzymes. These are the proteins that are used to speed
direct all of the chemical reactions that happen in a cell. These are just a few examples of the
different types of proteins that can be found performing important tasks in all living cells. 1.
Enzymes can break apart or digest large molecules into smaller pieces. Enzymes can also
synthesize large molecules by putting small pieces together.
Digesti
on
Synthe
sis

Protein
(Polypeptide)
Amino Acid

All four classes of biomolecules are considered organic compounds. This is because
they are all based on the element carbon.