Biomolecules

Organic Molecules:
Carbohydrates, Lipids,
Nucleic Acids and
Organic Compounds

• The foundations on which the structures of

plants and other organisms are built.
• These compounds participate in thousands of
chemical reactions.
• 4 groups of organic compounds essential for all
organisms: Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and
nucleic acids.
CARBOHYDRATES
• Composed of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and
oxygen (O) atoms in an approximate ratio of
1C:2H:1O.
• The general equation for carbohydrates is
(CH2O)n , where n refers to any number from
3 to several thousands.
• 3 kinds of carbohydrates: Monosaccharides,
Disaccharides and Polysaccharides
A. Monosaccharides

• Also known as simple sugars and fuel molecules of

cells, the monomer of carbohydrate
• Contain 3 to 6 carbon atoms.
– Glucose (C6H12O6) produce by plants through
photosynthesis
– Fructose (C6H12O6) or fruit sugar
B. Disaccharide

• Also known as double sugar

• Consists of two bonded monosaccharide units
– Sucrose (C12H22O11) or table sugar
• The formation of sucrose from glucose and fructose
involves the removal of a molecule of water
(condensation reaction) or dehydration reaction.
C. Polysaccharides

• Also known as complex sugar, and

composed of many sugar units
• 2 major function:
1. Building/structural material ex.
Cellulose (major component of plant
cell walls)
2. Main carbohydrate storage/reserves
in plants ex. Starches (potatoes, corn,
and rice)
LIPIDS
• Have a greasy or oily consistency and
do not readily dissolve/mix in water.
• Functions of Lipids:
1. They function in all cells as fuel
molecules and as
2. essential components of cell
membrane.
LIPIDS
• Functions of Lipids:
3. Waterproof covering (cuticle) over the
plant body
4. Act as light-gathering molecules
(chlorophylls and caroteniods) for
photosynthesis
Lipids include:
1. Neutral fats and oils
2. Phospholipids
3. Steroids
4. Certain pigments
5. Waxes
 1. Neutral Fats and Oils

• Fat is solid at room temp and an oil is liquid at

room temp.
–Used as fuel molecules
• Provide a lot of energy when broken down
–Both consist of a molecule of
glycerol joined to one, two, or three
fatty acids (either saturated or unsaturated)
2. Phospholipids

• A group of lipids important as

components of cell membranes
• Consist of a glycerol molecule attached
at one end to two fatty acids and at the
other end to a phosphate group linked
to an organic compound
2. Phospholipids
3. Waxes

• Cutin is a waxy substance found in the

outer walls of epidermal cells, form
the cuticle that covers the aerial
portions of plant leaves and
herbaceous (nonwoody) stems.
3. Waxes

• Suberin is a waxy substance found in

the walls of cork cells (the outer bark of
woody plants)
• Cutin and suberin protects the plant’s
aerial surfaces from excess water loss
PROTEINS
• Are macromolecules composed
of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen,
nitrogen and usually sulfur that
serve as structural components
of cells and tissues
PROTEINS
• It regulates biochemical processes in
plants and other organisms
• Every chemical reaction that occurs in
living cells is controlled by its own
specific enzyme (a protein that affects
the rate of chemical reactions)
 PROTEINS
• Composed of hundreds
of units called amino
acids
– Each amino acids
contains a carbon
atom bonded to an
amino group (-NH2), a
carboxyl group (-
COOH), and a side
chain, designated R.
• About 20 different amino acids are found in
proteins; they differ in their R groups.
• Most plants synthesize the various amino
acids that they need from simpler
substances
NUCLEIC ACIDS

•Are macromolecules composed of carbon,

oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and phosphorus
•It involves in the transmission of hereditary
information from one generation to the next
•There are only two types of nucleic acids:
1. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
2. RNA (ribonucleic acid)
 NUCLEIC ACIDS

• Composed
of repeating
units called
nucleotides
• 2 families of
Nitrogenous
bases:
–Pyrimidines
–Purines
1. DNA

• Contains the instructions for making all the

proteins that an organisms needs.
• These instructions are encoded in genes
(units of hereditary information that
consists of DNA and are part of the
chromosomes)
 2. RNA

• Functions in the
process of protein
synthesis and various
function during gene
expression
• Types of RNA
1. mRNA
2. tRNA
3. rRNA
4. snRNA
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1/24/2020