Biological Molecules

The Building Blocks of Life

 Before we begin, get out a piece of paper,

put your name on it, and do the following:
As review, sketch a diagram of an atom
and label the particles.
Sketch a water molecule, and state what
kind of bonds form between the oxygen
and hydrogen atoms in water.

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Which four elements make up about

96% of living matter?
1. carbon, hydrogen,
nitrogen, oxygen
2. carbon, sulfur,
phosphorous,
hydrogen
3. carbon, oxygen,
sulfur, calcium
4. oxygen, hydrogen,
calcium, sodium

An atom of nitrogen attracts electrons

more strongly than an atom of hydrogen.
Which of the following best describes
ammonia (NH3)?
1. The nitrogen is
slightly negative.
2. The nitrogen is
strongly positive.
3. The hydrogens are
slightly negative.
4. The hydrogens are
strongly positive.

Carbon is the backbone of organic

molecules. With an atomic number of 6,
carbon can form up to ___ different ___
bonds.
1.
2.
3.
4.

6; ionic
6; covalent
4; ionic
4; covalent

Atoms to Molecules

In our model of scale, remember that the

marble represented a small monomer, such as
glucose.

Functional Groups
Functional
groups
determine how a
molecule will
interact with
other molecules.

Why does sugar dissolve in water?

The methyl group, consisting of carbon

bonded to hydrogen, is an area of ___ in
an organic molecule.

1. Polarity
2. Non-polarity

If you see oxygen or nitrogen in the

structure of an organic molecule, expect
that area to be:

1. Polar
2. Non-polar

One glucose molecule

alone is a monomer.

Two or more
glucose
molecules
linked together
can make a
polymer.

Dehydration Synthesis

Two glucose
molecules
(monomers)...

...can bond
together to make
maltose (dimer).

Hydrolysis

A dimer such as
maltose, or any
other polymer...

...can be broken
apart into its
constituent
monomers.

Making/Breaking
Molecules
The process
occurring
between C and
A is:
Hydrolysis

Monomers or
Polymers?
The process
occurring
between A and
C is:

Dehydratio
n
Synthesis

What is
given off
here?
H2O

What is
taken up
here?
H2O
Monomer or
Polymer?

In our model of scale, large chain molecules

(polymers) are represented by the cat.

Carbohydrates

Monomers
Simple sugars, such
as glucose, are the
monomers of
complex
carbohydrates.
Label a hydrogen
group and hydroxyl
group on the glucose
diagram. What are
some properties of
these groups?

What is similar
about these four
simple sugars?
What is different?

glucose

fructose

sucrose

What process do you see happening here to create

this glycosidic linkage between the two sugars?
What is the scientific term for a pair of monomers
linked together?

Glycosidic linkages between

many sugar molecules create
complex carbohydrates, such as
starch.

What is the
scientific term for
many monomers
linked together?

Cellulose

Cotton

Linen

Hemp
Rayon

Dietary
fiber

What do you see in the structure of cellulose that

tells you that it is a carbohydrate?
How is cellulose similar to starch?

Cellulose vs. Starch

We can digest starch (amylose) but not

cellulose. What difference do you see that
might be the reason behind this?

Chitin

In general,
how can we
describe
complex
carbohydrates
?

Pectin

White death?
Some people claim that sugar is harmful,
toxic, or addictive. Is it?

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-sugar-affects-the-brain-nicole-av
ena

Fake sugar?

Complex carbohydrates
are:
1. Polymers of simple
sugars.
2. Monomers of
simple sugars.

True or false: Sugars and starch have

a lot of fat in them.
1. True
2. False

 Look around you. What are some

specific examples of carbohydrates that
are in this room right now?
List some specific carbohydrates that
you ate for breakfast. Not the foods that
they were in name the carbohydrates
themselves.

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Lipids

Label a methyl group and a hydroxyl group

on one of the fatty acids. What are some
properties of these groups?
What process
do you see
happening
here to create
these ester
bonds
between the
fatty acid
chains and the
glycerol in this
triglyceride?

Lipids that are

solid at room
temperature are
composed mostly
of saturated fatty
acids.

Stearic acid (found in

wax and lard) and
butyric acid (found in
butter) are examples of
saturated fatty acids.

Lipids that are liquid

at room temperature
are composed mostly
of unsaturated fatty
acids.

Oleic acid and linoleic

acid are unsaturated
fatty acids that are
common in vegetable
oils.

Saturated vs.
Unsaturated

A puzzle:
Shortening and margarine
labels often brag that their
products are made with
healthy, unsaturated
vegetable oils. Vegetable
oils are liquid at room
temperature. So why are
shortening and margarine
solid at room temperature?

Trans fats?
Unsaturated fats
bend because of
the cis
configuration

Trans configuration results

in an unsaturated fatty
acid that is a straight
chain like a saturated
fatty acid

Trans fats are rare in nature. Hydrogenation can

create both saturated and trans fatty acids.

Phospholipids
Saturated or
unsaturated?

Label the phosphate

group on this
phospholipid. What are
some properties of this
group?

Steroids

Fake fat?

What do you see in this molecular

structure that suggests why
Olestra is not digested? Why
might it cause the symptoms
described on the label?

 List some examples of lipids or fatty

acids not the foods that contain them,
but specific lipids.
How are carbohydrates and lipids
different from one another?

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A fatty acid consists of:

1. A chain of carbon
and hydrogen
atoms.
2. A chain of sugar
molecules.
3. A chain of any
carbon-containing
monomers.

Why cant you mix oil and water?

1. Oil floats on water.
2. Oil is more dense
than water.
3. Oil is non-polar,
while water is
polar.
4. Oil is an organic
molecule, while
water is not.

Which of these is the largest

object?
1.
2.
3.
4.

A carbon atom.
A fatty acid.
A phospholipid.
A cell membrane.

Proteins

Monomers
Amino
group

Carboxylic acid
group

Amino acids are the monomers of proteins.

On your diagram, label the amino group and the
carboxylic acid group. What are some properties
of these groups?

R-groups
determine
the
properties of
individual
amino acids.

What process do you see happening here to create

this peptide bond between the two amino acids?
What is the scientific term for many monomers
linked together?

Some proteins, like keratin, are structural proteins.

Actin and myosin fibers in muscle cells, spider webs,

and silk are also structural proteins.

Some proteins, such as insulin, are hormones.

Some proteins are enzymes that build or break down

other molecules in living cells.

Some proteins are structured to carry or move

substances, such as hemoglobin that carries
oxygen, or cell membrane proteins that move
substances across the membrane.

Heat, acidity, or both can denature proteins.

Denaturing changes the shape of a protein, which
changes its appearance and functionality.
Denaturing is what happens when we fry an egg
(egg whites contain albumin protein) or use acids
to turn milk into cheese (milk solids contain casein
proteins).

The shape of a protein determines its function.

The shape of an individual protein is determined by
the order of amino acids in the primary chain, which
affects how the amino acid chain twists and folds
into the final shape of the protein.
DNA contains the code that instructs the cell
machinery to put amino acids together in a
particular order to make a particular protein. As long
as the DNA contains the correct code, the protein
will function. Mistakes in the code (mutations)
change the order of amino acids, which changes the
structure of the protein, which prevents the protein
from carrying out its function.

True or False: Meat is an

example of a protein.
1. True: Meat is an
important dietary
protein.
2. False: Meat is muscle
tissue that is made up
of many different
proteins, lipids, and
other molecules.

___ bonds are responsible for primary

structure of proteins, while ___ bonds
contribute to the secondary structure.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Ionic; covalent
Peptide; hydrogen
Peptide; covalent
Hydrogen; ionic

When we say proteins are made

of amino acids, it means that:
1. Proteins are larger
than amino acids.
2. Amino acids are
larger than
proteins.
3. Both amino acids
and proteins are
about the same
size.

 List some examples of specific proteins

again, not foods that contain proteins,
but specific proteins.
Why are there so many different kinds
of proteins?

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Nucleic Acids

Monomers
Label the
parts on this
nucleotide.
Is this a
nucleotide of
DNA or RNA?
How can you
tell?

Nucleotides link together to form nucleic acids.

The sugars bind to the phosphate groups to form
the backbone of the chain.

DNA is two strands

of nucleotides sideby-side.
What is the type of
bond that forms the
cross-links holding
the two strands
together?

ATP
Adenosine
triphosphate, the
universal energy
carrier, is a single
nucleotide
(adenine) with
two extra
phosphate groups
attached.

DNA is found inside of the

nucleus of a:
1. Cell
2. Atom
3. Both

Try to fill in this table from memory:

Monomers
Simple sugars
Amino acids
Fatty acids &
glycerol
Nucleotide

Polymers

Examples

Complex
Carbohydrat
es

Starch,
Cellulose,
etc.
Hemoglobin,
Keratin, etc.

Proteins
Lipids

Nucleic
Acids

Fats, waxes,
oils,
steroids.
DNA, RNA

 Observe the structure of each of these

monomers and identify them.
1

Amino Acid

Sugar

3
Fatty Acid

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 The circled objects in our scale model

represent...
Atom

Small
Molecul
e

Chain
Molecul
e

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Recap
Atoms of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and a
few other elements bond together covalently
to make the biological molecules.
Monomers (small molecules, such as glucose)
bond together to form polymers (large chain
molecules, such as complex carbohydrates).
The four classes of biological molecules are
carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic
acids.