Carbon Chemistry

Instructor

Terry Wiseth

CARBON COMPOUNDS

Exceptional bonding properties

can form covalent bonds to other carbons

ORGANIC MOLECULES

carbon chain or ring backbone

1) sugars (carbohydrates)

2) fatty acids (lipids)

3) amino acids (proteins)

4) nucleotides (nucleic acids)

serve as an energy source

serve as building blocks for macromolecules

FUNCTIONAL GROUPS

atoms or clusters of atoms bonded to the carbon backbone

Methyl groups

Hydroxyl groups

Amino groups

Phosphate groups

METHYL GROUPS

butter

fats

wax

- CH3

non-polar covalent bonds link hydrogen to carbon

water cannot form hydrogen bonds with non-polar groups

HYDROXYL GROUPS

Alcohols

sugars

-OH

water can form hydrogen bonds at hydroxyl groups

thus sugars dissolve in water

AMINO GROUPS

amino acids

proteins

-NH2 or -NH3

can combine with H+ and so act as buffers against decreases in pH

PHOSPHATE GROUPS

ATP

ADP

- P

combines with adenosine molecules

ORGANIC REACTIONS

1) Electron transfer

2) Condensation

3) Hydrolysis

ELECTRON TRANSFER

one or more electrons stripped from one molecule are donated to another molecule

ex. electron transfer phosphorylation

Kreb’s cycle

CONDENSATION

through covalent bonding, two molecules combine to form a larger molecule

covalent linkage of molecules in a reaction that can form water

starches and other polymers are formed by repeated condensation reactions

HYDROLYSIS

a type of cleavage reaction which is like condensation in reverse

molecules are cleaved into two or more parts by reaction with water

polymers are hydrolyzed to use the subunits as building blocks or energy sources

MOLECULES OF LFE

Carbohydrates

Lipids

Proteins

Nucleic acids

CARBOHYDRATES

most abundant biological molecule

Monosaccharides

Oligosaccharides

Polysaccharides

MONOSACCHARIDES

simplest carbohydrate

most are sweet tasting

dissolve readily in water

consist of 5 - 6 carbons in a ring structure

function primarily as an energy source

ribose

deoxyribose

glucose

fructose

OLIGOSACCHARIDES

short chain of two or more covalently bonded sugar units

function primarily energy transport and cell membrane operation

disaccharides have two sugar units

Lactose

milk sugar

Sucrose

table sugar

Maltose

POLYSACCHARIDES

branched chain of many sugar units

function primarily in structural support and energy storage

Starch

Cellulose

Glycogen

Chitin

STARCH

plants store sugar molecules as starch

CELLULOSE

plants primarily use cellulose as a structural molecule in cell walls

GLYCOGEN

sugar storage molecule in animals

found mostly in liver and muscle tissues

CHITIN

chitin reinforced cuticle of a tick

chitin has nitrogen atoms attached to the backbone

LIPIDS

most contain fatty acid components

long water-insoluble chains of carbon and hydrogen

dissolve readily in one another

nonpolar (ether)

do not dissolve in water

polar

lipids act as the main reservoirs of stored energy

lipids also act as structural materials in cell components

Triglycerides

Phospholipids

Waxes

Sterols

FATTY ACIDS

long carbon backbone

typically stretch out like long flexible tails when combined with other molecules

saturated fatty acids

unsaturated fatty acids

SATURATED FATTY ACIDS

solid at room temperature

single bonds only in the carbon backbone

saturated fatty acids line up in parallel giving the substance a solid consistency

butter

lard

UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS

liquid at room temperature

oils

required in the human diet

one or more double bonds in the carbon backbone

double and triple bonds put "kinks" in the tails

does not pack together and thus imparts fluidity to substances

POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACID

Many carbon double bonds

TRIGLYCERIDES

Butter

Fats

Oils

fatty acid tails attached to a backbone of glycerol

yield twice as much energy as carbohydrates

rich source of stored energy

thick layers of triglycerides also insulate

triglycerides are stored as fat droplets in adipose tissue

PHOSPHOLIPIDS

main components of cell membranes

backbone of glycerol

two fatty acid tails which are hydrophobic

hydrophilic "head" that includes a phosphate group

main components of cell membranes

WAXES

long chain fatty acids

tightly packed and linked to long chain alcohols or carbon rings

repel water and are solid at room temperature

plant cuticles

sebum

beeswax

STEROLS

ex:

steroids

cholesterol

hormones

lipids which have no fatty acid tails

rigid backbone of four fused carbon rings

found in cell membranes

STEROIDS

Steroids are a class of hormones which act as chemical messengers in the body

CHOLESTEROL

cholesterol gives rise to:

vitamin D

estrogen

testosterone

bile salts

PROTEINS

polymers of amino acids

20 different kinds of amino acids

CLASSES OF PROTEINS

enzymes

speed up or slow down chemical reactions

structural

muscles, bone, hoof, claw, hair

transport

cell membrane and body fluids

regulatory

protein hormones

antibodies (immunoglobulins)

body defenses and immune system

PROTEIN STRUCTURE

amino acid chains linked by peptide bonds

form polypeptide chains

sequence of the amino acid links are essential to the operating characteristics of the protein

sequence of amino acid units is unique for each kind of protein

3D STRUCTURE OF PROTEINS

The three dimensional structure of a protein plays an important role in the characteristics of how a protein functions

Fibrous proteins

Globular proteins

FIBROUS PROTEINS

organized as strands or sheets

contribute to the shape, internal organization and movement of cells

keratin

hair, fur

collagen

skin, bones

GLOBULAR PROTEINS

chains are folded into compact, rounded shapes

hemoglobin

enzymes

antibodies

3D STRUCTURE OF PROTEINS

The three dimensional characteristics of proteins is the result of differences at different levels

Primary structure

Secondary structure

Tertiary structure

Quaternary structure

PRIMARY STRUCTURE

protein shape and function arise from its primary structure

amino acid sequence

SECONDARY STRUCTURE

Secondary structure is brought about by hydrogen bonds at regular intervals along the polypeptide chain

coiled, spiral, helical pattern

Secondary structure of proteins is held in place by hydrogen or disulfide bonds

TERTIARY STRUCTURE

Tertiary structure is brought about by further interactions of the backbone resulting in more folding of the polypeptide chain

QUATERNARY STRUCTURE

Quaternary structure may involve more than one protein group called subunits

LIPOPROTEINS

blood proteins combine with cholesterol, triglycerides and phospholipids after a meal

GLYCOPROTEINS

proteins with oligosaccharides covalently bonded to them

oligosaccharide chains may be linear or branched

found primarily attached to animal cell membranes

DENATURATION

breaking the weak bonds of a protein molecule disrupts its three-dimensional shape

hydrogen bonds holding a proteins secondary and tertiary structures intact are easily broken

changes in pH

changes in temperature

ex: albumin (protein) in eggs

"egg white"

NUCLEOTIDES

consist of three components

5-carbon sugar

ribose

deoxyribose

phosphate group

nitrogen base

CLASSES OF NUCLEOTIDES

energy carriers

ATP

ADP

coenzymes

NAD+

FAD

chemical messengers

cAMP

nucleic acids

DNA

RNA

ENERGY CARRIERS

delivers energy from one site to another

ATP

adenosine triphosphate

ADP

adenosine diphosphate

COENZYMES

transport hydrogen atoms and electrons stripped from other molecules

NAD+

FAD

CHEMICAL MESSENGERS

act as chemical messengers within and between cells

cAMP

cyclic adenosine monophosphate

NUCLEIC ACIDS

four different kinds of nucleotides are bonded together in large single or double stranded molecules

sequence of the particular bases is unique to each kind of nucleic acid

genetic information is encoded in such base sequences

NUCLEIC ACIDS

RNA

ribonucleic acid

single stranded

NUCLEIC ACIDS

DNA

deoxyribonucleic acid

double stranded molecule which twists helically like a spiral staircase

hydrogen bonds hold the two strands together

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