Essential Biology 03.

2: Carbohydrates, Lipids and Proteins

1. Define organic molecule.

An organic molecule is a molecule that contains carbon and usually hydrogen.

2. What are three carbon-containing groups or molecules that are not organic?
The three carbon-containing groups or molecules that are not organic are: oxides of crabon,
carbonates and hydrogen carbonates.

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?

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 that are chemically bonded such as DNA.

e. Use the diagram below to show how two monosaccharides are converted into a
disaccharide through condensation. Complete a word equation. What else is needed to
make the reaction occur?

To make the two monosaccarides become a disaccharide through condensation, a OH-C-H is removed
and then replaced with the H-C-HO from the other molecule that is there. To allow these reactions to
occur enzymes are needed.

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.

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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 plants in phloem
Di- Lactose Found in milk, ideal for nursing young
animal Dimer of glucose, broken down from
Maltose
starch.
Insoluble storage of glucose in the
Glycogen animal
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 the enzyme that is the catalyst and it causes the hydrolysis of a chemical
bond.

i. Outline this reaction using an example of a dimer of two pentose sugars. Explain the
relevance of the name of the reaction.

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Essential Biology 03.2: Carbohydrates, Lipids and Proteins

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
Bonding Shape of chain (draw)
room 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/)

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

Energy storage* More efficient than charbohydrates, oils in plants and fish, fats in animals
Thermal insulation* Subcutaneous fat insulates against heat loss

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Essential Biology 03.2: Carbohydrates, Lipids and Proteins

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):

First condensation begins with a single molecule of glycerol which then bonds with
carboxylic acid. Condensation then occurs and pulls water out to cause these to then
bond and make triglyceride.

g. Explain why condensation of fatty acids and glycerol to produce a triglyceride is not an
example of polymerization.
Condensation of fatty acids and glycerol to produce a triglyceride is not an example of
polymerization because polymerization includes a compound called dimer which is
made up of two identical monomers. This would then show that because fatty acids and
glycerol are not two identical monomers then it could not be an example of
polymerization.

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

carbohydrates lipids

Stored as…? Fat Oils and fats

Long/short term storage? Long term

Short term

Ease of digestion/ release of

Need more oxygen to release energy
energy? Quickly digested and needs less
oxygen to release energy
Energy per gram? 17 KJ g-1 38 KJ g-1

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Essential Biology 03.2: Carbohydrates, Lipids and Proteins

Dissolves some vitamins

Solubility in water?
??
(and consequence)
Uses more oxygen to perform
Use of oxygen in
Uses less oxygen to perform metabolic processes
metabolism?
metabolic processes
(and consequence)

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.

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

c. What is a polypeptide?
A polypeptide is a peptide that contains 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: it can be any length

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

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

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Essential Biology 03.2: Carbohydrates, Lipids and Proteins

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