Different molecules found in cells are composed of carbon bonded to other carbons and atoms of other elements.

tend to be non-polar molecules because they are made only of C and H.  Examples:

CH4 is methane

C3H8 is propane

C8H18 is octane

There are a variety of hydrocarbon structures.

They are represented by

1.  Length.   Carbon skeletons vary in length.

Four Ways That Carbon Skeletons Can Vary 

Size and shape of its carbon skeleton

2)  Groups of atoms (functional groups) attached to it.

There are two basic parts to an organic molecule:

Consists of a hydrogen atom bonded to an oxygen atom. Organic compounds containing this group are known as alcohols. 

Examples:

CH3OH is methanol

C2H5OH  is ethanol

C3H7OH is 2-propanol or isopropyl alcohol

What is isopropyl alcohol? Have you ever usedthis compound? 

Consists of a phosphorus atom bonded to four oxygen atoms.

Molecules with phosphate groups are often involved in energy transfer such as ATP (adenosine triphosphate)

1.  Carbohydrates2.  Proteins

Lipids4.  Nucleic acids

There are four classes of molecules important to organisms:

Think of a train (polymer) consisting of a chain of cars (monomers).

The variety of polymers is what makes organism unique.  The monomers used to make those polymers are universal.

Cells make their diverse macromolecules from about 40-50 common monomers and a few rare ones.

There are about a trillion different proteins (polymer) that are made from only 20 different amino acids (monomer).

The proteins in your body and those in a tree or an ant are all assembled from the same 20 amino acids, they are just arranged in different sequences!

DNA (polymer) is built from just four kinds of nucleotides (monomer).

Polymers are broken down to monomers by 

= water 

 break 

Protein(polymer)Amino acids (monomers)

Most of the organic molecules in your food are polymers and are too big to enter your cells.  So they have to be broken down into monomers.

are the main fuels for cellular work

Also used as raw materials to manufacture other organic molecules such amino acids and fatty acids.

Glucose and fructose are

They contain the same atoms (C6H12O6) but in different arrangements.

These minor differences give different properties e.g. fructose taste much sweeter

function as:

Storage molecules

Structural compounds

Poly = ; sacchar = 

is composed of glucose monomers.

Used by plants for energy storage – “carb bank”

Humans and animals can hydrolyze (break down) plant starch to glucose.

Potatoes, wheat, corn and rice are examples of starches in the human diet.

is composed of glucose monomers.

Used by YOU and animals for energy storage – “carb bank”

Glycogen is stored in human muscle and liver cells.

is composed of glucose monomers but is arranged differently than glycogen and starch.

Component of plant cell walls – very tough!

Its bonds cannot be hydrolyzed by most animals – so cellulose is not a nutrient for humans – but it does contribute to digestive system health

From a nutrition standpoint, cellulose is known as 

It passes through our digestive tract unchanged and provides the “bulk” for our stools.

We obtain it by eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.  Remember, we gain no nutrients from cellulose. 

 Cows and termites have cellulose-hydrolyzing microorganisms in their digestive tracts – so they can derive fuel from cellulose.

are usually hydrophilic (water-loving) due to their hydroxyl groups (-OH).

Cotton bath towels which are mostly cellulose, are highly water absorbent!

is a fat molecule consisting of three fatty acids linked to glycerol.

Steroids are lipids in which the carbon skeleton contains four fused rings (3 six-sided rings and one five-sided ring).

is a common component in animal cell membranes and is the starting material for making other steroids such as sex hormones (estrogen, testosterone).

Are synthetic variants of testosterone

Mimic testosterone and can cause a buildup of muscle and bone mass

They are prescription drugs and are often prescribed to treat general anemia and some diseases that destroy body muscle

Each amino acid is composed of:

Primary structure

Secondary structure

Tertiary structure

Quaternary structure

Five-carbon sugar called ribose in RNA and deoxyribose in DNA

2) A phosphate group

3) A nitrogenous base

DNA nitrogenous bases are adenine (A), thymine (T),cytosine (C), and guanine (G).

RNA also has A, C, and G, but instead of T, it has uracil (U).