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Macromolecule - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Macromolecule
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Macromolecules) A macromolecule is a very large molecule commonly created by polymerization of smaller subunits. In biochemistry, the term is applied to the four conventional biopolymers (nucleic acids, proteins, and carbohydrates),[2] as well as non-polymeric molecules with large molecular mass such as lipids and macrocycles. The individual constituent molecules of macromolecules are called monomers (mono=single, meros=part ).
Illustration of a polypeptide macromolecule

Contents
1 Usage 2 Properties 3 Examples 4 References 5 External links
Macromolecule Polymer molecule

IUPAC definition

A molecule of high relative molecular mass, the structure of which essentially comprises the multiple repetition of units derived, actually or conceptually, from molecules of low relative molecular mass. Notes 1. In many cases, especially for synthetic polymers, a molecule can be regarded as having a high relative molecular mass if the addition or removal of one or a few of the units has a negligible effect on the molecular properties. This statement fails in the case of certain macromolecules for which the properties may be critically dependent on fine details of the molecular structure.

Usage

The term macromolecule was coined by Nobel laureate Hermann Staudinger in the 1920s, although his 2. If a part or the whole of the molecule has a high relative molecular mass and first relevant publication on essentially comprises the multiple repetition of units derived, actually or this field only mentions high conceptually, from molecules of low relative molecular mass, it may be described molecular compounds (in as either macromolecular or polymeric, or by polymer used adjectivally. [1] excess of 1,000 atoms).[3] At that time the phrase polymer, as introduced by Berzelius in 1833, had a different meaning from that of today: it simply was another form of isomerism for example with benzene and acetylene and had little to do with size.[4]

Usage of the term to describe large molecules varies among the disciplines. For example, while biology refers to macromolecules as the four large molecules comprising living things, in chemistry, the term may refer to aggregates of two or more molecules held together by intermolecular forces rather than covalent bonds but which do not readily dissociate.[5] According to the standard IUPAC definition, the term macromolecule as used in polymer science refers only to a single molecule. For example,a single polymeric molecule is appropriately described as a "macromolecule" or "polymer molecule" rather than a "polymer", which suggests a substance composed of macromolecules.[6]

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Macromolecule - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Because of their size, macromolecules are not conveniently described in terms of stoichiometry alone. The structure of simple macromolecules, such as homopolymers, may be described in terms of the individual monomer subunit and total molecular mass. Complicated biomacromolecules, on the other hand, require multi-faceted structural description such as the hierarchy of structures used to describe proteins.

Properties
Macromolecules often have unusual physical properties. For example, individual pieces of DNA in a solution can be broken in two simply by sucking the solution through an ordinary straw. This is not true of smaller molecules. The 1964 edition of Linus Pauling's College Chemistry asserted that DNA in nature is never longer than about 5,000 base pairs. This error arose because biochemists were inadvertently and consistently breaking their samples into pieces. In fact, the DNA of chromosomes can be hundreds of millions of base pairs long.

Structure of a polyphenylene dendrimer macromolecule reported by Mllen, et al. [7]

Another common macromolecular property that does not characterize smaller molecules is their relative insolubility in water and similar solvents. Many require salts or particular ions to dissolve in water. Similarly, many proteins will denature if the solute concentration of their solution is too high or too low. High concentrations of macromolecules in a solution can alter the rates and equilibrium constants of the reactions of other macromolecules, through an effect known as macromolecular crowding.[8] This comes from macromolecules excluding other molecules from a large part of the volume of the solution, thereby increasing the effective concentrations of these molecules.

Examples
Some examples of macromolecules are synthetic polymers (plastics, synthetic fibers, and synthetic rubber), graphene, and carbon nanotubes. Natural molecules are for example the bio-polymers such as DNA, carbohydrates, proteins and lipids, or polyphenols.

References
1. ^ "Glossary of basic terms in polymer science (IUPAC Recommendations 1996)" (http://pac.iupac.org/publications/pac/pdf/1996/pdf/6812x2287.pdf). Pure and Applied Chemistry 68 (12): 22872311. 1996. doi:10.1351/pac199668122287 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1351%2Fpac199668122287). 2. ^ Reece, Jane (2012). Biologie (in French) (4th (french) ed.). Pearson and Benjamin Cummings. ISBN 978-27613-2856-2. 3. ^ Staudinger, H.; Fritschi, J. (1922). "ber Isopren und Kautschuk. 5. Mitteilung. ber die Hydrierung des Kautschuks und ber seine Konstitution". Helvetica Chimica Acta 5 (5): 785. doi:10.1002/hlca.19220050517 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1002%2Fhlca.19220050517). 4. ^ Jensen, William B. (2008). "The Origin of the Polymer Concept". Journal of Chemical Education 85 (5): 624. Bibcode:2008JChEd..85..624J (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2008JChEd..85..624J). doi:10.1021/ed085p624 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1021%2Fed085p624). 5. ^ van Holde, K.E. (1998) Principles of Physical Biochemistry Prentice Hall: New Jersey, ISBN 0-13-720459-0 6. ^ Jenkins, A. D. et al. ; Kratochvl, P.; Stepto, R. F. T.; Suter, U. W. (1996). "Glossary of Basic Terms in

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6. ^ Jenkins, A. D. et al. ; Kratochvl, P.; Stepto, R. F. T.; Suter, U. W. (1996). "Glossary of Basic Terms in Polymer Science" (http://www.iupac.org/reports/1996/6812jenkins/6812basicterms.pdf). Pure and Applied Chemistry 68 (12): 2287. doi:10.1351/pac199668122287 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1351%2Fpac199668122287). 7. ^ Roland E. Bauer, Volker Enkelmann, Uwe M. Wiesler, Alexander J. Berresheim, Klaus Mllen (2002). "Single-Crystal Structures of Polyphenylene Dendrimers". Chemistry A European Journal 8 (17): 3858. doi:10.1002/1521-3765(20020902)8:17<3858::AID-CHEM3858>3.0.CO;2-5 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1002%2F1521-3765%2820020902%298%3A17%3C3858%3A%3AAIDCHEM3858%3E3.0.CO%3B2-5). 8. ^ Minton AP (2006). "How can biochemical reactions within cells differ from those in test tubes?". J. Cell. Sci. 119 (Pt 14): 28639. doi:10.1242/jcs.03063 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1242%2Fjcs.03063). PMID 16825427 (//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16825427).

External links
Synopsis of Chapter 5, Campbell & Reece, 2002 (http://www.mansfield.ohiostate.edu/~sabedon/campbl05.htm) Lecture notes on the structure and function of macromolecules (http://www.langara.bc.ca/biology/mario/Biol1115notes/biol1115chap5.html) Several (free) introductory macromolecule related internet-based courses (http://swift.cmbi.ru.nl/teach/courses/) Giant Molecules! (http://web.archive.org/web/20060902103714/http://www.issa.stevens.edu/ISSA_Review/Files/Spring2 003_Newsletter.pdf) by Ulysses Magee, ISSA Review Winter 20022003, ISSN 1540-9864. Cached HTML version of a missing PDF file. Retrieved March 10, 2010. The article is based on the book, Inventing Polymer Science: Staudinger, Carothers, and the Emergence of Macromolecular Chemistry by Yasu Furukawa. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Macromolecule&oldid=579319196" Categories: Molecules Molecular physics Biochemistry Polymer chemistry Polymers This page was last modified on 29 October 2013 at 18:13. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

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