# Organic Chemistry – Carbon Chemistry and Macromolecules

    See also Biochemistry

## Carbon Chemistry

* Organic chemistry is the study of all compounds that contain bonds between Carbon atoms.
* Four major elements that are found in biological organic compounds are:
          Carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Sulfur, and Phosphorus

### Carbon
#### Lewis Dot Structure and the Structual Formula for a carbon atom

* Lewis Dot Structure for a carbon atom
How many bonds can carbon make with other atoms? FOUR

### Importance of Carbon

* Carbon can make 4 covalent bonds with other atoms. This makes it flexible; it can bond with many elements.
* A carbon atom can bond with another carbon atom to create long carbon chains/carbon ring structures.
Carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms are known as Hydrocarbons, an example is Methane.

## Macromolecules

* What is a macromolecule?
          A giant molecule made from 100 to 1,000 of smaller molecules.
* What are macromolecules made up of?
          Monomers
* What is polymerization?
          When monomer ions join together to form polymers
* What is dehydration synthesis?
          When a water molecule is removed to join 2 monomers together.
* What is hydrolysis?
          When a water molecule is split to break bonds between monomers.

### Monomer for each Macromolecule

* Carbohydrate Monomer = Monosaccharides (monomers)
* Lipid Monomer = Triglycerides (monomers)
* Protein Monomer = Amino Acids (monomers)
* Nucleic Acid Monomer = Nucleotides (monomers)

## Four major macromolecules
### What are the four major macromolecules in living things?

| Macromolecule | Example |
| Carbohydrates | Sugar |
| Lipids | Vegetable Oil |
| Proteins | Beef |
| Nucleic Acids | DNA |

### Carbohydrates

* What is a carbohydrate?
          Compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. These are usually combined in a ratio of 1, 2, 1.
* Why are they important in living things?
          Short-Term Energy Use and carbohydrates serve as a structure in organisms... EX: Chitin in exoskeleton of athropods.
* What are monomers for carbohydrates known as?
          Monosaccharides
* What are the three monosaccharides for carbohydrates?
* Glucose
* Galactose
* Fructose
* Monosaccharides bond together to form chains of polysaccharides.
** EX: Glycogen$^1$, Cellulose$^2$, Chitin$^3$
How much energy is in 1 gram of carbohydrates? 4 CALORIES

#### References

* Glycogen is a carbohydrate storage in animals.
* Cellulose is a carbohydrate in cell walls of plants.
* Chitin is a carbohydrate in the cell walls of bacteria and fungi

### Lipids

* What are lipids?
          Macromolecules that are generally not soluble in water. They are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
* What makes up a lipid monomer?
          Glycerol and Fatty Acid Chains

#### Importance of Lipids

* Long-term energy storage
* Protection/Insulation
* Membrane Structure
* Acting as a chemical messenger

##### Lipid Polymers

* Fats - Come from animals and is solid at room temperature.
* Oils - Come from plants and stays liquid at room temperature.
* Waxes - Come from bees.

#### Satured and Unsaturated Fatty Acids

1. What is a saturated fatty acid?
          When there are only single bonds between all carbon atoms in the fatty acid chains of a lipid.
2. What is an unsaturated fatty acid?
          When there are double and triple bonds between carbon atoms in a fatty acid chain.
How much energy in 1 gram of lipid? 9 CALORIES

### Nucleic Acids

* Nucleic acids are macromolecules that contain the following elements
* Carbon
* Hydrogen
* Oxygen
* Nitrogen
* Phosphorus

#### The monomers for nucleic acids are called...

* Nucleotides

#### Three components of a nucleic acid nucleotide are

* Phosphate group
* 5-carbon sugar
* Nitrogenous Base

#### Nucleotides will bond together to form...

* Nucleic Acids

#### The main function of nucleic acids is to...

* Store and transmit genetic information

#### Two kinds of nucleic acids are

* DNA
* RNA

### Proteins

* Proteins are macromolecules that contain the following elements:
* Carbon
* Hydrogen
* Oxygen
* Nitrogen
* The monomers for proteins are called amino acids.
* The general structure of an amino acid is:
          All amino acids have an amino group and a carboxyl group
          The R group distinguishes one amino acid from another
          There are a total of 20 amino acids
* Amino acids are bonded together through peptide bonds to form protein--or polypeptide chains.

#### Organizations

Proteins are joined together in up to four different levels of organization.

##### Primary

* Polypeptide chain of amino acids.

##### Secondary

* Polypeptide chain can twist (helix) or fold (sheets) due to weak bonds between amino acids.

##### Tertiary

* Polypeptide chain as whole twists and folds.

##### Quaternary

* Multiple chains are arranged into a complex protein (2-4 polypeptide chains grouped together).

#### Functions

* Structural components in cells
* Regulate cell processes and chemical reactions
* Transport substances across the cell membrane
* Act as receptors to certain compounds