MOLECULES OF LIFE
• organic molecules
– Are molecules containing carbon
– Macromolecules (“large molecules)• made of long chains of carbon compounds• building blocks called monomers, I.e. “single
units”• monomers may be bonded together into
polymers, i.e.“many units”
CARBOHYDRATES• means “hydrated carbon”, i.e. carbon + water
– general formula = CH2O
– Made up of C,H and O
– simple carbohydrates are monomers• called monosaccharides, or sugars
– 6 carbon monosaccharides (C6H12O6)• called “hexoses”• glucose, fructose, galactose
– 5 carbon monosaccharides (C5H10O5)• ribose
• deoxyribose
Making Disaccarides
• When two monomers come together and pair up, you have a disaccaride.
• Famous disaccarides include1. glucose + glucose = maltose
2. glucose + fructose = sucrose
3. glucose + galactose = lactose
Here’s a brief animation of condensation synthesis also known as dehydration synthesis because WATER IS LOST!
COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES ARE CALLEDPOLYSACCARIDES
1. Starch = Plant Polysaccharides- Plants stitch glucose together to form long chains of
starch as stored energy
- Starch tends to form single chains, but doesn’t branch nearly as much as glycogen
2. Glycogen = Animal Polysaccharides– polymer of glucose
– branched chain
– animals• stored in muscles and liver
COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES…(cont’d)
Cellulose – plants– dietary fiber– straight chain glucose– provides structural support in plants– Note the diagonal links at sharp angles between
glucose molecules.