Carbon-based molecule showcase:

• Beignet (pronounced ben-YAY)-Celtic word bigne

meaning "to raise." It is also French for "fritter." Beignets,

a New Orleans specialty, are fried, raised pieces of yeast

dough, usually about 2 inches in diameter or 2 inches

square. After being fried, they are sprinkled with sugar or

coated with various icings.

• Beignets are like a sweet doughnut, but the beignet is

square shaped and without a hole. When you hear

people in New Orleans say, "Goin' fo' coffee an'

doughnuts," they mean coffee and beignets.

Macromolecules/Compounds

Organic compound foldable-In groups of 4,

go to

http://chem4kids.com/files/bio_intro.html

each person in the group will choose one

macromolecule (carbohydrate, protein,

lipid, or nucleic acid) to research for the

foldable and then share that information

with the group. Use your time wisely, you

only have 20 minutes!

Macromolecules/Compounds

• Large molecules or compounds

• There are 4 different types of

macromolecule compounds in living

things: proteins, carbohydrates, lipids,

and nucleic acids. These

macromolecules are organic

compounds

C is for carbon • Organic means:

molecule that contains

Carbon and is found

in living cells and

tissue. “Natural

farming” and natural

products are not

organic compounds,

although they are

most likely made of

them if they are a food

product….

1. Protein • Molecule composed of one or more chains of amino

acids linked together in a particular order specified

by a gene's DNA sequence.

• Proteins are the major structural component/part of

all body tissue; necessary for muscular growth and

cellular repair, movement, vision, and digestion.

• Proteins perform a

wide variety of

functions in the cell;

these include serving

as enzymes, structural

components, or

signaling molecules

like hormones.

Describe the structure: http://chem4kids.com/files/bio_

proteins.html

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7

dxi4ob2O4&feature=related

Example: Amylase

enzyme breaks down

starch

a. Amino acids • Building blocks or monomers of protein –

20 amino acids are commonly found in

animals and humans. Your cells can make

12 of the required 20 amino acids, the rest

need to come from food!

*Think: What does the word monomer

mean? (Each “bead” of the necklace below is a single amino acid)

a. Amino acids

• A peptide bond is a chemical bond formed

between two amino acids.

• All amino acids have the same structure

except for one group, called the “R group”.

The basic structure that all amino acids

share-The carboxyl group (COOH) and the

(H2N) amine group R

Fig. Basic

shape of

one single

amino acid

b. Protein structure: Polymers of amino acids

are called polypeptides (up to about 50 amino acid

combinations from the 20 available).

• Proteins are polypeptides of more than 50

amino acids- Example of protein: the egg white

called albumin.

• All proteins are polypeptides, but not all

polypeptides are protein!

b.Protein structure-

The sequence or order of amino

acids in a protein and hence

protein function are determined

by the genetic code and

assembled by RNA.

-primary structure is the order of

amino acids

-secondary structure is the shape

of the polypeptide-alpha helix or

beta sheet

-tertiary contains both helix’s and

beta sheets

-quaternary is more than one

polypeptide chain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7dxi4o

b2O4&feature=related

2. Lipids • Animal or plant fat substances that

are not soluble in water (non-polar).

• Lipids are used for long-term energy

storage, insulation, padding,

membranes, vitamin absorption (A,

D, K, E) , steroid

messengers/hormones like

testosterone.

• Long chains of fatty acids

Fig. Basic

shape of one

fatty acid is

represented

by one tail of

phospholipid

2. Lipids continued Characteristics of fats

a. Saturated fats contain the maximum number of

Hydrogen bonds. Example: butter which is solid at

room temperature.

b. Unsaturated fat oils contain carbon=carbon

double bonds. These are liquid at room temperature and

generally come from plant products.

c. Polyunsaturated oils have many health benefits.

Specifically, Omega-3 fatty acids can improve heart

health and vision.

-Sources of healthy omega-3’s include: fatty fish like

salmon, nuts, beans, seeds like kidney beans, vegetable

oils like olive oil, fruits and vegetables like spinach.

3. C is for Carbohydrates

• Organic compounds from plants,

including sugars, starches and fiber,

that are a major source of energy for

animals.

• Function in energy storage, energy

transport, and plant structure. Include

simple carbohydrates (sugar, fruit)

and complex carbohydrates

(vegetables, starches). Made up of

carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

3. Carbohydrates Saccharides a. The chemical term for carbohydrates:

“saccharide” b. Names for sugars end in “ose”. Example: a single sugar monomer is called a

monosaccharide and one name for a particular monosaccharide is “glucose”.

c) Two sugars combined: di saccharide. Example: Sucrose or table sugar is a disaccharide made of fructose + glucose.

d) Many sugars in a polymer chain: polysaccharides like starches (potato) and cellulose (cell walls)

* Draw the monosaccharide, glucose, as a hexagon (C6H12O6)

Fig. 1

Whole

polymer of

starch

Fig. 2

Basic

shape of

one single

glucose

Cellulose

4. Nucleic acids: DNA and RNA • Long polymer chains nucleotides, that perform

important functions in the cell; two kinds of

nucleic acids function in the cell are DNA and

RNA. The individual monomer nucleotides of

DNA are thymine, cytosine, guanine, and

adenine.

Fig. 1

Whole

Nucleic

Acid

Fig. 2

Basic

structure

of one

single,

nucleotide

a. DNA • Deoxyribonucleic acid – The

hereditary material inside the

nucleus of cells that carries

genetic information.

• Stores detailed instructions

that encode proteins. Proteins

are necessary for

enzyme/metabolism, cell

structure, cell reproduction and

other functions.

b. RNA

• Ribonucleic acid - A chemical

found in the nucleus and

cytoplasm of cells; it plays an

important role in protein

synthesis and other chemical

activities of the cell. The

structure of RNA is similar to

that of DNA.

ATP • Adenosine tri-phosphate. A high energy

phosphate molecule required to provide energy

for cellular function. - It is the single most

important molecule in all living things since it

serves as the currency for energy in biological

systems.

• ATP is a molecule which consists of the

nitrogenous base adenine linked to the sugar

ribose and which has a chain of three

phosphate groups attached to the ribose in a

linear fashion. - energy is released when ATP is

hydrolyzed (looses a phosphate) into ADP.

Inorganic molecules

• Molecules other than organic molecules.

Inorganic molecules are generally simple

and are not normally found in living things.

Although all organic substances contain

carbon, some substances containing

carbon, such as diamonds, are considered

inorganic.

Although these are some inorganic

molecules that are bodies use:

• Water

• Oxygen

• Carbon

dioxide