Essential Biology 03.

2: Carbohydrates, Lipids and Proteins

1. Define organic molecule.

An organic molecule is a molecule that contains carbon and generally, but not
always, hydrogen.

2. What are three carbon-containing groups or molecules that are not organic?

Oxides of carbon, carbonates and hydrogen carbonates are not organic.

There are many organic molecules in living things. The same (or very similar)
molecules are used in many different living things for the same purpose.

3. Saccharides are sugars and carbohydrates. Sugars (monosaccharides and

disaccharides) are used to build up carbohydrates (polysaccharides).
a. What happens to the structure of monosaccharides when they are
placed in water?
When monosaccharides are placed in water they get a ring structure.

b. Draw the simplified (ring) structures of glucose and ribose. Number the
carbon atoms correctly. Which sugar is a pentose? Which is a hexose?
How are they named this way?

Glucose Ribose

c. Draw a generalized hexose and pentose sugar on chemsketch and

render it in 3D.
Stick the 3D ball-and-stick model below:
(http://www.acdlabs.com/download/)

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Essential Biology 03.2: Carbohydrates, Lipids and Proteins

Condensation of monosaccharides is a polymerization reaction. It can continue to

create a longer chain of saccharides (a carbohydrate). These building reactions are
anabolic metabolism.
d. What is a polymer?
A polymer is a long chain of monomers through chemical bonding such as
DNA.

e. Use the diagram below to show how two monosaccharides are

converted into a disaccharide through condensation. Complete a
word
equation.
Amino acid+ amino acid -condensation> dipeptide + water What else is
needed to
make the reaction occur?

To make the monosaccharide

become a disaccharide, a OH-C-H is
removed and replaced with the H-C-
HO from the other molecule. All of
these reactions require enzymes

f. Condensation of sugars produces a glycosidic bond.

Distinguish between 1-6 glycosidic and 1-4 glycosidic bonds in terms
of their effect on the shape of the polysaccharide produced. You might
want to draw them to help see.

Glycosidic bonds that are 1-4 bond create straight chains while 1-6
bond create bent chains.

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Essential Biology 03.2: Carbohydrates, Lipids and Proteins

g. Complete the table below:

-saccharides examples Plant or animal? Function/ uses

Glucose
animal Quickly absorbed and used in
Mono- Galactose respiration
Fructose plant
Soluble but unreactive, can be
Sucrose plant transported around plant in
phloem.
Di- Found in milk- ideal for nursing
Lactose
young
animal
Dimer of glucose, broken down
Maltose
from starch.
Insoluble storage of glucose in
Glycogen animal the liver, produced using
insulin.
Poly- Insoluble plant energy storage
Starch
plant molecule
Cellulose Structural unit in plant cell walls

Anabolic reactions are those which build organic molecules (such as condensation of
saccharides). Catabolic reactions break them down (e.g. digestion).

Hydrolysis is the catabolic reaction which breaks down organic molecules.

h. What is the function of hydrolase?

Hydrolase is an enzyme and it causes the hydrolysis of a chemical bond. It is the

catalyst.

i. Outline this reaction using an example of a dimer of two pentose

sugars. Explain the relevance of the name of the reaction.

The reaction starts with a polymer and then hydrolysis puts water in and forms a
dimer which is a compound whose molecules are composed of two identical
monomers and hydrolysis puts in more water causing the dimer to become a single

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Essential Biology 03.2: Carbohydrates, Lipids and Proteins

monomer. Hydrolysis is a relevant name because hydro means water and lysis
means splitting, which is exactly what happens, the water splits the bonds.

Remember:
Condensation makes bonds: Hydrolysis breaks
bonds.
4. Fatty acids and glycerol are used in the production of triglycerides.
a. In the space below, draw the generalized structures of fatty acids and
glycerol.

b. Distinguish between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. (Nutrition

revision).
State at room
Bonding Shape of chain (draw)
temp

Saturated Ester bond Solid

Unsaturated Double bond Liquid

c. Draw a generalized fatty acid or glycerol molecule on chemsketch and

render it in 3D. Stick the 3D ball-and-stick model below:
(http://www.acdlabs.com/download/)

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Essential Biology 03.2: Carbohydrates, Lipids and Proteins

d. What is the relevance of the following properties of lipids?

Energy storage* More efficient than carbohydrates, oils in plants and fish, fat in
animals
Thermal Subcutaneous fat insulates against heat loss
insulation*
Protection Fat acts as a shock absorber

Buoyancy Floating- less dense than water

Membranes Phospholipid bilayer, cholesterol

Hormones

*Essential exam examples

e. Write a word equation for the formation of one triglyceride from fatty
acids and glycerol.

f. Outline how condensation reactions produce one triglyceride molecule

(including the name of the bonds produced):
Condensation starts with a single molecule of glycerol which bonds with carboxylic
acid. Condensation then occurs pulling water out to cause these to bond creating
triglyceride.

g. Explain why condensation of fatty acids and glycerol to produce a

triglyceride is not an example of polymerization.
Polymerization includes a dimer which is a compound made of two
identical monomers however in this case, fatty acids and glycerol are
not two identical monomers and are therefore not considered to be
polymerization.

h. Compare lipids and carbohydrates in terms of energy storage:

carbohydrates lipids

Stored as…? fat Oils and fats

Long/short term
Short term Long term
storage?

Quickly digested and needs

Ease of digestion/ Need more oxygen to release
less oxygen to release
release of energy? energy
energy

Energy per gram? 17 kJ g-1 38 kJ g-1

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Essential Biology 03.2: Carbohydrates, Lipids and Proteins

Solubility in water?
Dissolves some vitamins
(and consequence)

Use of oxygen in Uses less oxygen to

Uses more oxygen to perform
metabolism? perform metabolic
metabolic processes
(and consequence) processes

5. Proteins are the tertiary (or quaternary) structure of polypeptides, polymers

of amino acids.
a. In the space below, draw the structure of a general amino acid. Include
(and label) the amine group, carboxyl group and ‘R’ group.

<- Carboxyl group

Amine group ->

‘R’ group ^

b. How many different amino acids are there? What is different about
each one?
There are 20 amino acids. The “R” group structure determines which of the 20 it is
and its properties.

c. What is a polypeptide?
A peptide containing 10 or more amino acids such as a protein.

d. How does the diversity of amino acids lead to infinite possibilities of

polypeptides?

i. Polypeptide length: can be any length

ii. Amino acid sequence: 20 amino acids in any order or

combination

e. Use a diagram to show condensation and hydrolysis of peptides.

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