Macromolecules | bioinanutshell

Carbohydrates

Simplest form = GLUCOSE

*FRUCTOSE is an isomer of glucose

this means that fructose and glucose are brothers because their chemical formula is the same but the atom arrangement is different
- Ex: they switch the H and OH

When reading these molecule pics, START FROM THE RIGHT
When OH is down, the molecule = ALPHA
When OH is up, the molecule = BETA
Since the OH is down this is ALPHA GLUCOSE

MONOsaccharide = 1 unit

Oligosaccharides

=2 therefore Disaccaride (like lactose and sucrose)

This means that these types of sugars have 2-8 single units (monosacchrides) linked together by ETHER linkages

Polysacchrides

Made of many mono units to STORE ENERGY and to SUPPORT THE STRUCTURE

Examples:

Starch

Plants make too much glucose so they store it in the chloroplasts

Starch is a mixture of amylose + amylopectin

Look at your potatoes: that white stuff inside is amyloplasts

Glycogen

Extra glucose molecules re-link to make glycogen : YOUR STORAGE FORM of glucose, it's in your muscle+liver cells

Cellulose

A.K.A fibre

Plant's cell wall building blocks by hydrogen bonds

Great for colon health: it's soluble so humans can't digest it b/c we don't got the enzyme for it

Chintin

The exoskeletons of insects, crustaceans (like a lobster) and mushrooms

Makes diapers, sponge

Plastic-like

Fats

Don't like water (hydrophobic) making them non-polar

Long term energy storage, make vitamins and hormones, and it's insulation

Triglycerides

Energy storage

= 1 gylcerol on 3 fatty acid chains (by ESTERIFICATION : a condensation rxn btw hydroxyl group and fatty acid's carboxyl group.....makes an ESTER linkage

These fats are the fats that are labelled on the nutrition labels..... SATURATED AND UNSATURATED FATS

SATURATED

have no double carbon bonds
have the max Hydrogen atom #
chains are linear
ex: animal fats
They're bad b/c they pack together

UNSATURATED

1(+) double carbon bonds
Don't have the max amount of Hydron atom #
Chains are kinked
ex: plant oils
They're good b/c they don't pack together

Phospholipids

What the cell membrane is made of

= a glycerol backbone with 2 fatty acid chains (NONPOLAR) + phospate group (POLAR)

The important thing about this is that the hydrophillic head on the outside of the cell can interact with water BUT the nonpolar tail keeps water out

Sterols

= 4 fused hyrdrocarbon rings

Examples are ...

CHOLESTEROL: they're important BUT too much builds up plaque and block the arteries

They make vitamin D and bile salts

SEX HORMONES

Waxes

= long fatty acid chains attached to alcohols (hydroxyls) / carbon rings

Make a hyrdophobic coating

Proteins

The monomer = amino acids

STRUCTURE:

This R group is different all the time b/c it reps the AMINO ACIDS which there is 20 of them so there are many possibilites!!

These form PEPTIDE BONDS, so to link 2 amino acids together, get rid of water (so 2 H's from the amino group, and 1 O from the carboxyl group) this creates some free space for amino acids to join

(Science, 2015)