BIO 143 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Heredity, Phospholipid, Glycerol

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Chapter 3: Biological Molecules
Why is carbon an important biological molecule?
What are organic molecules
-molecules that have a carbon skeleton bonded to some hydrogen atoms
-living organisms are able to synthesize and use this type of molecule
Inorganic molecules?
-molecules that include carbon dioxide and all molecules without carbon
So why is carbon so important?
-the carbon atom is versatile because it has four electrons in an outermost shell that can
accommodate eight electrons
-therefore, a carbon atom can become stable by forming up to four bonds
-as a result, organic molecules can assume complex shapes, including branched chains, rings,
sheets, and helices
-attracted to the carbon backbone of organic molecules are functional groups, which are
groups of atoms that help determine the characteristics and chemical reactivity of the
molecules
-functional groups are less stable than the carbon backbone and are more likely to participate
in chemical reactions
How are organic molecules synthesized?
Biological polymers are formed by removing water and split apart by adding water
-small organic molecules are joined to form longer molecules
-biomolecules are joined or broken through dehydration synthesis
How are molecules made?
-monomers are joined together through dehydration synthesis, at the site where an H and an
OH are removed, resulting in the loss of a water molecule
-the openings in the outer electron shell of the two subunits are filled when the two subunits
share electrons, creating a covalent bond
How are molecules broken down?
-polymers are broken apart through hydrolysis
-water is broken into H and OH and is used to break the bond between monomers
All biological molecules fall into one of four categories
-carbohydrates
-lipids
-proteins
-nucleotides/nucleic acids
What are Carbohydrates?
Carbohydrate molecules are composed of C, H, and O in the ratio of 1:2:1
-if a carbohydrate consists of just one sugar molecule, it is a monosaccharide
-two linked monosaccharides form a disaccharide
-a polymer of many monosaccharides is a polysaccharide
Disaccharides consist of two monosaccharides linked by dehydration synthesis
-disaccharides are two part sugars
-sucrose
-lactose
-maltose
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Document Summary

Why is carbon an important biological molecule: what are organic molecules. Molecules that have a carbon skeleton bonded to some hydrogen atoms. Living organisms are able to synthesize and use this type of molecule. The carbon atom is versatile because it has four electrons in an outermost shell that can accommodate eight electrons. Therefore, a carbon atom can become stable by forming up to four bonds. As a result, organic molecules can assume complex shapes, including branched chains, rings, sheets, and helices. Attracted to the carbon backbone of organic molecules are functional groups, which are groups of atoms that help determine the characteristics and chemical reactivity of the molecules. Functional groups are less stable than the carbon backbone and are more likely to participate in chemical reactions. How are organic molecules synthesized: biological polymers are formed by removing water and split apart by adding water. Small organic molecules are joined to form longer molecules.

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