Lab report introduction ( Boya 1006) - Biomolecules

Atom is the smallest unit of every living organism on Earth and that it
cannot be broken down into smaller pieces. When two or more atoms
bond together they become molecules which the molecules can be
categorized into organic and inorganic ones. Inorganic molecules usually
bond together using ionic bonding causing them to contain charges.
They are synthesized (human-made) and are not associated with living
organisms. On the other hand, organic molecules or biomolecules are
linked to living organisms as the prefix bio means related to life
(notebook). They always contain carbon and hydrogen that help living
things to function (Markgraf, 2018). Biomolecules are large and carry
out a huge number of atoms, which is why they are also called
macromolecules (notebook). Macromolecules are large molecules that
are made up of thousands of polymers and each polymer consists of
many repeating units called monomer. All in all, biomolecules are
classified into four types: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic
acids. Firstly, carbohydrates are the main source of short-term energy
that are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in the ratio of 1:2:1
and can be divided into two forms: simple and complex. Simple carbs or
simple sugars are monosaccharides and disaccharides. Monosaccharides
are single sugar as mono means ‘one’ and saccharide means ‘sugar’
(notebook). They are glucose, fructose, and galactose. These types of
monosaccharides are different in structure and function and can be found
in different places such as fructose can be found in fruits and galactose
can be found in dairy products. When two monosaccharides join
together they become disaccharides for instance glucose and galactose
join together to form lactose, and glucose and fructose join together to
form sucrose (notebook). When thousands of monosaccharides combine
together, they form complex sugar called polysaccharides (notebook).
Polysaccharides play its role in storing energy and support the structure.
They provide energy for plants in the form of starch and in animals in
the form of glycogen. They perform structural support as cellulose in the
cell wall of plants and chitin in exoskeleton of animals (notebook).
Secondly, lipids, the hydrophobic biomolecules, are made of three
elements which are carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They are insoluble in
water as they are called hydrophobic where hydro means water and
phobic means scared of. Their general functions are to store long-term
energy, protect certain parts of the body, help with cell communication,
and compose cell membrane. The four major types of lipids are
triglycerides, phospholipids, steroids, and waxes (notebook).
Triglycerides are also known as fats and oils. They are composed of one
glycerol and three fatty acids that are bonded in a process called
dehydration synthesis. Fatty acids are divided into three parts: acid
group, hydrocarbon chain, and methyl chain (RicochetScience, 2016).
Fatty acids are sorted into saturated and
unsaturated ones. The saturated fat only has a
single bond between carbon so their
hydrocarbon chains are straight while
unsaturated fat has various double bonds so
their hydrocarbon bonds are bent (worksheet)
(RicochetScience, 2016). Butter is saturated fat
thus saturated fats are solid at room temperature. In contrast, vegetable
oil is unsaturated fat thus unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature
(worksheet). The second type of lipids is phospholipids. Phospholipids
are composed of one glycerol that is attached to two fatty acids and a
phosphate group (notebook). The phosphate group of a phospholipid is
polar therefore hydrophilic (water-loving). On the other hand, the fatty
acid chains that are attached to the polar head are hydrophobic.
Phospholipids made up cell membranes, and because most parts of the
body of living organisms are composed of water, the phospholipids tend
to form themselves into lipid bilayer
where the hydrophobic tails are
attached to each other with the
hydrophilic heads on the outer part as
shown in the picture (CrashCourse,
2012) (notebook). Phospholipids help
transport liquid in plasma and form insulating white matter in the brain
and nervous system (worksheet). The next type of phospholipids is
steroids. Steroids do not have any fatty acid chains but four interlocking
chains (worksheet). The basic type of steroid is cholesterol. The function
of steroids is to help with cell communication and to form cell
membrane of animals (worksheet). The last type is waxes. Waxes are
long chains of fatty acid and alcohol and used for protection which are
commonly found in earwax and beeswax (worksheet). Thirdly, 50% of a
cell is protein. Proteins have chemical composition of carbon, hydrogen,
oxygen, and nitrogen (notebook). Each type of the protein functions
differently as they are different in structure. Proteins provide structural
support for living things for example keratin that makes hair and nails,
collagen that give strength to skin (notebook). They help with the
transportation of oxygen from lungs to the rest of the body. They also
speed up chemical reaction in the body by using enzyme inside them as
well as fight against diseases, allowing muscles to move and contract,
and regulate what enter and exit the cell (notebook). Proteins are
polymers of amino acid. Amino acids are linked together by peptide
bond (covalent bond between amino acids). When amino acids are
joined together in a long chain, they are called polypeptides.
Polypeptides are folded into particular shapes to form different function,
therefore becoming proteins, whose shape are determined by the “R
group”. The final type of biomolecules is nucleic acids, which are our
genetic code, having combination of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen,
nitrogen, and phosphorus. Nucleic acids are the polymers of nucleotide
which each of the nucleotide are made up of a phosphate group, a
pentose sugar, and a nitrogen containing base. There are three types of
nucleic acid: DNA, RNA, and ATP. DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, is a
double-strand molecule located in the nucleus of the cell. It stores
genetic information and orders the amino acid sequence. RNA,
ribonucleic acid, is a single-strand molecule, can be found in nucleus
and cytoplasm of the cell. It provides various functions in cells and
carries out the order from DNA to produce protein. Another type of
nucleic acid is adenosine triphosphate or ATP. ATP stores large amount
of energy that is required for the cell reaction (notebook).
To further explain the characteristics of these biomolecules, we will
perform an experiment that will mainly focus on testing the substances
and predicting whether they are organic molecules or not. We will be
using indicators to test the presence of carbohydrates and proteins. We
will use absolute ethanol to test for lipids, benedict and iodine solution
for different types of carbohydrates, and biuret reagent for protein.
The purpose of the lab is to show the reaction of each substance with the
indicators.
Reference:
Markgraf, B. (2018, December 06). What is an Organic Compound?
Retrieved from
https://sciencing.com/what-is-an-organic-compound-13712143.html

RicochetScience (2016, April 12). Lipids. Retrieved from

https://youtu.be/5BBYBRWzsLA

CrashCourse (2012, February 13). Biological Molecules - You Are What

You Eat: Crash Course Biology #3. Retrieved from
https://youtu.be/H8WJ2KENlK0