Bio 4.1.1 by Jade Shepherd
Compare the structures and functions of the major biological molecules (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids) as related to the survival of living organisms.
Organic Molecules
Organic Molecules are found in everything that grows and are pertinent to the survival of living organisms. They are known as "organic" because they contain carbon-hydrogen bonds. Another way that these molecules are classified by organic is that they are the chemicals of life. They are produced, found in, and produced by living organisms. The four main classes of organic molecules are carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. There is more information about each of these listed below.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are comprised of carbon hydrates, one carbon molecules for every water molecule. There are three types of carbohydrates or sugars. They are monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. Each of these basing off of the name saccharide, a synonym for carbohydrate.
Monosaccharides
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Disaccharides
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Polysaccharides
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Proteins
Proteins, also known as polypeptides, play many roles within an organism. They are enzymes, part of our immune system, part of cell membranes, and help protect us against invading microbes. The base of a protein is an amino acid. These amino acids join together in a long chain, like pearls on a necklace, to form proteins. Proteins are vital for our bodies to function appropriately.
Lipids
Lipids are the good fats necessary in our bodies. Because lipids are hydrophobic, water will always separate when place in a bottle together. There are four main groups of lipids that help our bodies individually.
Fats
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Phospholipids
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Waxes
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Steroids
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Nucleic Acid
Nucleic acids contain three main parts, a nitrogen base, a sugar, and a phosphate group. It is the base of DNA and RNA. The bases of a nucleic acid will either be adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C). The phosphates and sugars of each form together, making a backbone for a double helix. Then, the bases pair, A to T and G to C. Then two strands connect, forming a double helix DNA strand.