Organic Molecules

• Some organic molecules in life are
  • Carbohydrates and Lipids à C, H and O
  • Proteins à C, H, O, N & sometimes S
  • Nucleic acids à C, H, O, N & P

                     Can also contain traces of Mg and Fe (e.g. in proteins)

• Functional groups è atoms that tend to react a certain way
  • Contribute to chemical & physical properties of the molecule
  • E.g.

                       Alcohols à hydroxyl group (-OH)

                      Carboxylic Acids à carboxyl group (-COOH)

                      Amino à amine/amide (NH)

                      Sulfhydryl à (-SH)

                      Phosphates à (-OOP=O)

                      Carbonyl à Aldehydes and Ketones (=O)

o   Can participate in redox, acid-base, condensation/dehydration & hydrolysis reactions

• The oxidation of alcohols into aldehydes into carboxylic acids
  • Important for fatty acids
  • Thiols è form disulfide linkages upon oxidation àimportant in protein synthesis (formation of macromolecules)
• Carbon
  • Has four valence electrons and can form straight branched chains or rings
  • Provides a backbone for biological molecules
  • C-H are non-polar bonds
  • Link up with atoms to form functional groups
• Biological macromolecules
  • Large molecules (polymers) made of repeating subunits (monomers)

                     Carbohydrates à glucose subunits (sugars)

                     Proteins à amino acid subunits (enzymes)

                     Lipids à glycerol and fatty acid subunits (triglycerides)

                    Nucleic acids à nucleotide subunits (DNA and RNA)

                 o   Monomer must have at least 1 functional group to form a monomer

                     1 functional group è dimer