Macromolecule Notes General Vocabulary Monomers Subunits that make

Macromolecule Notes

General Vocabulary • Monomers: Subunits that make up larger molecules. “Parts that make up the whole” Polymers: A bunch of monomers all hooked together. The whole thing! Can you think of some examples?

Examples • Legos vs Legoland • Bono vs U 2 • A cinderblock vs Hamilton High School

General Vocabulary Continued • Dehydration Synthesis: Also known as CONDENSATION REACTION. • Used in anabolic reactions. (Anabolism, or biosynthesis, is the process by which living organisms synthesize complex molecules of life from simpler ones. ) • amino acid + amino acid --> dipeptide + water

Why was water formed during the reaction? • amino acid + amino acid --> dipeptide + water • In order to hook subunits together, they need to be able to share electrons. If there are no electrons to share, won’t/don’t need to share a bond, so by removing a –H from one subunit and –OH from another subunit, free electrons can now bond together. Monomers are now linked together by covalent bonds. The H and OH form water.

General Vocabulary continued • Polymerases: In the body, anabolic reactions are carried out by enzymes called polymerases. • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Uy. Dnn. D 3 f. Ma. U

Hydrolysis: Process used to release monomers from the larger polymer • Used in catabolic reactions. ( Reactions which break down molecules. ) • Water is used during the process to break the covalent links. • This leaves “unhappy” atoms with electrons to share, so…….

End of Hydrolysis • Water breaks up into -H and –OH and attaches to make each side happy. • In the body, catabolic reactions are carried out by enzymes generally known as HYDROLASES

General Vocabulary End • Polymerization: Process that creates polymers from monomer subunits • Macromolecules: Organic molecules found in the body can be classified as one of four things: Proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates and lipids.

Macromolecules Continued • Macromolecules can be very LARGE molecules. • These are the “bricks and mortar” of our bodies… they make up all the cells and everything in them. • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Q 1 d. Rmb. CCO 4 Y

CARBOHYDRATE Structure • Only made of Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen • The formula: Characteristics in 1: 2: 1 ratio • The names: most end in “OSE” • Shape: Hexagon shape, but check ratios. If not listed, each corner of the hexagon is a CARBON. • Monomer: Simple sugar/monosaccharide • Polymer: Polysaccharide.

Types of Carbohydrates • A) Monosaccharide. (aka simple sugar) examples: glucose, fructose, galactose • Interesting notes: All of the above examples have the same molecular formula. So how are they different? The atoms are hooked together differently. These are called ISOMERS

TYPES OF CARBOHYDRATES (Cont’d) • DISACCHARIDES ( aka simple carbohydrate) • Examples: sucrose, maltose, lactose • POLYSACCHARIDES (aka complex carbohydrates) • Examples: Cellulose, glycogen, chitin, starch

Interesting • All of those polysaccharide examples are made of polymers of glucose. • They differ in the way that the glucose molecules are attached. . Cellulose and chitin are STRUCTURAL polymers made with one type of glucose. Glycogen and starch are ENERGY polymers made with the other form of starch.

Who cares? • Cellulose and chitin are used in plants and animals for constructing cell walls and exoskeletons. We don’t have the enzymes that recognize how the glucose molecules are hooked together in this form so we don’t digest these forms!

Testing for Carbs • 1) Iodine test • Indicates the presence of starch. A positive test turns purple • 2) Benedicts test • Indicates the presence of monosaccharides. • A positive test turns orangish

Put it all together so far. . • http: //www. mindbites. com/lesso n/3956 -biology-dehydrationsynthesis-hydrolysis

LIPIDS Structure • How can you tell a lipid apart from other molecules? • Made of Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen AND other elements… typically phosphorus and notrogen • Formula: No characteristic ratio • Names: No fancy way to tell • Structure: Each of the 3 classes has its own recognizable shape. (See types)

Lipids (cont’d) • Monomers: ? • Polymers: Three kinds of polymers • A) fats • B) phospholipids • C) Steroids

Types of Lipids A) Fats Made by attaching the glycerol head to the 3 fatty acid tails (aka triglycerides) • Dehydration synthesis hooks the tails to the head • The fatty acid can be saturated or unsaturated depending on the presence or absence of double bonds. • Tails can be all saturated, all unsaturated or a combination.

Types of Lipids B) Phospholipids • Made by taking off one of the fatty acid tails and replacing it with a molecule known as a “phosphate group”. • By adding this group, a portion of the molecule becomes hydrophobic (the tails) and portion is now hydrophilic (the head). So what? Now this molecule can be used as a type of sack. When dropped in water, they form spheres with the heads facing the water and tails facing inside.

Types of Lipids C) Steroids • Made by combining tons of fatty acids into rings. • Characterized by looking for the fused rings: (Don’t worry about the numbers!)

Testing for Lipids • 1) Emulsification Test: Forms two layers when heated in water and subsequently having ethanol poured in. • 2) Brown Paper Bag Test • 3) Sudan IV test: Turns red in the presence of a fat.

PROTEINS Structure • How can you tell proteins apart from other molecules? • Made of Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, etc • Formula: No characteristic ratio • Name: most end with “-in” • Structure: Look for the N-C-C • Monomer: Amino Acid • Polymer: Protein or polypeptide

Proteins Levels of Organization • 1) Primary structure: A simple chain of monomers. The order the amino acids line up is dictated by the DNA code. • 2) Secondary Structure: The chain starts to coil (aka Alpha helices) like a telephone cord. Other parts of the chain will accordion fold (aka beta-pleated sheets) • KEY Maintain shapes because parts of backbone forms H bonds. N from one amino group bonds to O in carboxyl group of the other amino acid

Levels of Organization (cont’d) • 3) Tertiary Structure: The coils and pleats now start folding in on each other. • KEY: shape is maintained by bonding at the R group level! The hydrophobic amino acids will cause the protein to bend (during folding) away from the water. The hydrophilic ones won’t be bothered in the presence of water