CHEMICAL BASIS OF LIFE

ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
(Biomolecules/Macromolecules)
• Carbohydrates

• Lipids

• Proteins

• Nucleic Acids
The locations of macromolecules in the cell. (a) Proteins (brown) are found
throughout the cell both as parts of cell structures and as enzymes. The flagellum is a
structure involved in swimming motility. (b) Nucleic acids. DNA (green) is found in the
nucleoid of prokaryotic cells and in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells. RNA (orange) is
found in the cytoplasm (mRNA, tRNA) and in ribosomes (rRNA). (c) Polysaccharides
(yellow) are located in the cell wall and occasionally in internal storage granules. (d)
Lipids (blue) are found in the cytoplasmic membrane, the cell wall, and in storage
granules.
 1. Carbohydrates= C,H,O
• Types:
1. Monosaccharides – 1 sugar (building block of CHO)
eg. glucose – blood sugar
fructose – fruit sugar
galactose – a sugar found in milk
2. Disaccharides – 2 sugars
eg. Sucrose- table sugar ( 1 glucose + 1 fructose)
maltose – malt sugar ( 2 glucose)
lactose – milk sugar ( 1 glucose + 1 galactose)
3. Polysaccharides – many sugars
eg. Cellulose- in cell wall of plants
Chitin – in exoskeletons of insects & crustaceans; in cell wall
of fungi
Starch – storage form of sugars in plants
Glycogen - storage form of sugars in animals; in liver &
muscles
Structural formulas of a few common sugars. The formulas can be represented in
two alternate ways, open chain and ring
Structures of some common polysaccharides.
 Functions of Carbohydrates
• Source of energy (E)
• Stores E
• Structural functions
 2. Lipids= (C, H, less O)
• Building block = heterogenous: no common bldng block but all are
common in terms of physical characteristics: eg. Not soluble in
water but soluble in non-polar solvents (eg. alcohols, chloroform,
ether)
• Types:
1. True Fats (Triglycerides)= 3 Fatty acids + glycerol
a) Saturated fats- w/o double bond; solid at room temp
eg. Animal fats, beeswax, ear wax
b) Unsaturated fats- w/ double bond; remain liquid at room temp
eg. Plant/vegetable oils (olive oil, peanut oil, soya oil, etc.)
2. Phospholipids - 2 fatty acids+ 1 phosphate + 1 glycerol
- found in cell membrane of all cells (arranged in bilayer)

3. Sterols - common in containing ring structures

eg. Cholesterol, Vitamins ( water- insoluble vitamins
such as Vit. E, Vit. K, Vit A), Progesterone (female
hormone), Testosterone (male hormone)
 Functions of Lipids
• Source of energy (E)
• Stores E
• Structural functions
• Building blocks of hormones, vitamins
• Insulates the body
 3. Proteins = C, H, O, N, some S
• Building block: amino acids (a.a)
essential a.a.-not synthesized by the body
non-essential a.a.- synthesized by the body
Levels of Protein Structures:
1. Primary structure – sequence of amino acids (a chain of
polypeptide)
2. Secondary structure – interaction between or within
polypeptides
A) α- Helix – eg. keratin
B) β- pleated sheet – eg. fibroin
• Levels of Protein Structures:
3. Tertiary structure – bending, twisting, coiling of
polypeptides
eg. Enzymes, Rubisco (enzyme involved in
photosynthesis in plants) antibodies, insulin
4. Quarternary structure – applies to multimeric
proteins
eg. Hemoglobin, Rubisco (also has a quarternary
structure)