AIM:

What do you need to know

about organic chemistry?
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY:
Study of Substances containing
Carbon; the Chemistry of Life!
 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

• All the Major Chemicals in Living

things Contain Carbon.
• The major organic chemicals are:
– Carbohydrates
– Lipids
– Nucleic Acids
– Proteins
 Polymers

• Monomers Joined
Together
• Condensation
reaction
• Joins ):Monomers
together
• Hydrolysis:
Breaks
Monomers Apart
 Carbohydrates

• Carbohydrates are sugars and

• Identify sugars by their ending in –ose.
• Metabolism is the break down of food into
sugar for energy.
• Basics sugars are called monosaccharides and
are made of a single monomer of carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen in a 1:2:1 ratio.
• Linked sugars are polysaccharides and are
found in starches and cellulose.
 Carbohydrates, I

• Monosaccharide
s
• √ CH2O
formula
• √ Used for
cellular
respiration;
 Carbohydrates, II

• Disaccharides

• √ 2 Monosaccharides,
Joined by condensation
reaction
• Sucrose (table
sugar) √ most
common disaccharide
 Carbohydrates, III
• Polysaccharides • Polysaccharides
Storage of energy: Structural:
• Starch~ glucose monomers Cellulose~ most
abundant
• Animals: glycogen organic compound;
 Lipids
• glycerol and fatty acid
• Fats, phospholipids, steroids
• Hydrophobic; H bonds in water exclude fats
• 3 Fatty Acids to 1 Glycerol
• Saturated vs. unsaturated fats; single vs. double
bonds
Lipids, II
 Phospholipids

• 2 fatty acids instead

of 3 (phosphate
group)
• ‘Tails’ hydrophobic;
‘heads’ hydrophilic
• Bilayer (double
layer); cell
membranes
 Proteins
• Importance:
instrumental in nearly everything organisms do;
50% dry weight of cells
• Monomer: amino acids (there are 20) ~
carboxyl (-COOH) group, amino group
(NH2), H atom, variable group (R)….
• Three-dimensional shape (conformation)
• Polypeptides (dehydration reaction):
peptide bonds join amino acids together
 Carbohydrates
(and beyond …)

• Glucose is the preferred energy

source for the brain. Brain
function drops off sharply if
glucose is in short supply.
• The breakdown of glucose for
energy can be traced all the way
through glycolysis, Kreb’s cycle
and electron transport chain.
 Lipids

• Lipids include fats, waxes, and steroids.

• Lipids are non-polar and do not
dissolve in water.
• Lipids store energy and are the basis for
steroid hormone synthesis.
• Phosphoplipids make up all cell
membranes.
 Lipids
(and beyond …)

• Phospholipids make up all

cell membranes and play a
large role in determining
what gets in and out of the
cell.
• Hydrophilic and
hydrophobic regions give
phosopholipids their
unique properties.
 Proteins

• Proteins are the cell’s molecular

machinery.
• Most catalysts are made of protein.
• Proteins are linked chains of amino
acids.
• Proteins are synthesized by the
ribosome from a code made of RNA.
 Proteins
(and beyond …)

• Proteins gain their function from the

way they fold.
• Proteins act as catalysts (ENZYMES) by
lowering activation energy.
• Hemoglobin transports oxygen to all
tissues and is made of 4 dimers.
• Many proteins use minerals such as
calcium or iron to aid in their function.
 Nucleic Acids

• Nucleic Acids are polymers

consisting of many nucleotides
monomers that serve as a blueprint
for proteins.
• There are two types of nucleic acids:
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and
Ribonucleic Acids (RNA).
• DNA gains its function from its
structure, the double helix.
 Nucleic Acids
• The helical backbone is made up of
sugar and phosphates.
• Each pair (in DNA) is made of one
of the four nitrogenous bases:
adenine, guanine, cytosine and
thymine.
• In order to maintain the integrity of
the genome, each base can only pair
with one other base through
hydrogen bonding.
 Enzymes

• Enzymes are proteins that

catalyze biochemical reactions
by lowering the activation
energy of reactions that would
normally happen anyway.
• Identify enzymes by the suffix –
ase: helicase (splits DNA),
lactase (breaks down lactose),
polymerase (inhibits HIV).
 Enzymes

• This reaction
normally
happens (black),
but is catalyzed
by the enzyme
(red). Free energy
change (ΔG) is
constant, but
lowers activation
energy (EA).
 Enzymes
• Enzymes bind substrates
(enzyme reactant) into
active sites (pocket or
groove on enzyme).
• While the enzyme and the
substrate are joined, the
enzyme catalyzes the
reaction and converts the
substrate to the product(s).
 Enzymes

• The most classic example an

enzymatic reaction is the hydrolysis
of sucrose (table sugar) into glucose
and fructose.
 Enzymes

• Another look…
 Amino Acids
• Amino acids are the building blocks
of proteins.
• Only twenty amino acids account for
the amazing variety of proteins.
• Amino acids are linked by peptide
bonds.
• Each amino acid has a carboxyl end
and an amino end
Examville Blog: www.examville.net/wordpress

Follow us at twitter: www.twitter.com/examville

Became a fan of Examville:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Examvillecom/117840882461?v=info