Organic vs Inorganic

Organic Compounds

•Must contain Carbon and Hydrogen

•Can contain other elements as well, like oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus

•Make up most of our body weight

Inorganic Compounds

•Do not contain Carbon and Hydrogen

Hydrocarbons

•Only contain Carbon and Hydrogen

•NOTHING ELSE!

•CH4

•C2H6

Why is carbon so important?

•Carbon has 4 valence electrons, so it can form 4 bonds

•It can bind with itself to form Carbon skeletons, rings or even long chains.

Functional groups

•Special groups that give molecules different properties

•Attach to carbon skeletons

•Examples:

•Amino, Carboxyl, Phosphate, Hydroxide

Four Organic Compounds of Life

•Carbohydrates

•Proteins

•Lipids

•Nucleic acids

Macromolecules

•Large molecules found in living things

•Polymerization:

•When you combine smaller subunits to make a chain or polymer

Monomer

Polymer

Making and breaking chains

•To add or remove monomers from a chain a reaction must occur

Dehydration Synthesis

•The adding of monomers, to form a chain, by the removal of water.

Hydrolysis

•The addition of water to break down polymers