BIOLOGY 172 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Glycerol, Adenine, Electronegativity
Document Summary
Chemical processes in the cell depend on carbon based molecules: most of these molecules are polymers = molecules made up of smaller, repeated simpler units, proteins- structural support, act as a catalyst in chemical reactions. Carbohydrates- source of energy and make up the cell wall in bacteria/plants/algae. Lipids- store energy, signaling molecules, cell membrane (different type of polymer, defined by structure vs. chemical structure), made up of fatty acids. The way in which the building blocks of polymers are arranged to make macromolecules determines their function and purpose: limitless rearrangement provides for a lot of options and diversity. Functional groups: attached to non-polar core of carbon atoms, groups of one or more atoms that have particular chemical properties on their own regardless of what they are attached to: ex. Nh2, -cooh, -oh: many functional groups are polar, when with other non polar molecules in turn become soluble and more likely to be soluble (disperse) in the cells aqueous environment.
