Molecules of Life

Elements of Life

Carbon - C Hydrogen - H Oxygen - O Nitrogen - N Phosphorous – P Sulfur - S

Carbohydrates

Examples Bread, pasta, potatoes, sugar

Uses Energy storage The more complex the carbohydrate chain,

the longer it takes your body to break down -ose word ending Broken down into sugar (glucose)

Monosaccharide – 1 sugar

C6H12O6

Glucose, Fructose, Galactose, Ribose Cells use this to generate ATP

Disaccharide – 2 sugars

C12 H22O11 (C6H12O6 + C6H12O6 - H2O)

Sucrose (Glucose + Fructose) “table sugar”

Maltose (Glucose + Glucose) “malt sugar”

Lactose (Galactose + Glucose) “milk sugar”

Polysaccharide – many sugars

3 or more monosaccharides linked together Starch: energy storage in plants Glycogen: energy storage in animals Cellulose (plant fiber) (very long chain) Chitin (insect/crustacean outer covering)

Proteins or Polypeptides

Examples Nuts, meat (muscle), beans

Uses Muscle, hair, nails, skin, enzymes

Made from Amino Acid chains that can be thousands of amino acids long There are only 20 amino acids in nature!

Polypeptide: Many amino acids Tripeptide: Three amino acids Dipeptide: Two amino acids

Enzymes

Large, complex proteins –ase word ending (Lactase breaks down lactose) Activity varies with pH Can be denatured by extreme heat (shape is

changed) Can be reused over and over again “Lock & Key”

Active Site: attracts and holds only molecules that have the right shape

Substrate: molecule that is changed by the enzyme – must have the right shape

Enzmyes

Example: Lactose Intolerance

Lactose is a sugar found in most milk products

Lactase is an enzyme that breaks down lactose

People who are missing lactase (can no longer produce it) can’t eat lactose unless they get artificial lactase.

Example: Lactose Intolerance

Energy in Reactions

ENERGY is required for most synthesis reactions creation of a new, complex molecule

ENERGY is released in decomposition reactions Breakdown of complex molecules

Photosynthesis

6 CO2 + 6 H2O + (light E) → C6H12O6 + 6 O2

Stores light E as chemical E in GLUCOSEOccurs in chlorophyll pigment of green plants

Inside chloroplastsSource of E for almost ALL ORGANISMS

Cellular Respiration

Plants AND Animals respirate (breath) Releases stored chemical E from bonds of

glucose (mono-saccharides)

C6H12O6 + O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O + 38ATP

Nucleic Acids

Building Blocks Your body builds nucleic acids from amino

acids that come from proteins

Uses DNA, RNA

Storage, transmission and expression of genetic information

DNA/RNA

Outer Structure: Sugar

Ribose (RNA) Deoxyribose (DNA)

Phosphate

Inner Structure: 4 base pairs Nucleotides

DNA Chemical Structure

Fats or Lipids

Examples Butter and oils Steroids and hormones Wax

Uses Long term energy, cushion, insulation, waterproofing Contains more than twice as much energy as an equal

amount of carbohydrate

Structure of Fats

Made from triglycerides 1 glycerol 3 fatty acids

Types of fatty acids change how fats behave Saturated: solid at room temperature Unsaturated: liquid at room temperature

TriglycerideGlycerol

3 Fatty Acids

Saturated Fats

All single C-C bonds Straight fatty acids can stack and clog

Animal Products: Meats (edge and marbling) Milk (cream and butter) Egg (the YOLK…the rest is protein)

Plant Products: Coconut, Palm and Cocoa “Butter”

Unsaturated Fats

Some double C=C bonds Causes bends: cannot stack, stay more liquid

Plant Products: Seeds and their oils Nuts and their oils

Can be HYDROGENATED Become more saturated/solid Vegetable oil, shortening, margarine

Other examples of fats

Hormones Steroids Cholesterol Plant waxes (think Bee’s wax)

Lipids

ATP- adenosine triphosphate

Most important energy transfer compound in all organisms Undergoes a “small change” for temporary energy

storage

Cellular respiration releases energy from glucose and stores it in the bond holding the 3rd phosphate group ATP becomes ADP (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) Tri-phosphate becomes a Di-phosphate

ATP Conversion to ADP

When a cell needs energy, it breaks the 3rd phosphate off ATP.

Adenosine P P P This creates ADP – Adenosine diphosphate ATP ADP + phosphate + energy Cell rebuilds ATP from ADP 38 ATP are obtained from 1 glucose molecule

during cellular respiration

Marathon Mouse

Review

To give you a sense of scale…

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/scale/