HOW IS THE CHEMICAL

STRUCTURE OF A
MACROMOLECULE RELATED
TO ITS FUNCTION?

LIPIDS
Lipids have 5 main functions: Storage of
energy, Insulation and others. Lipids store
a lot of energy and because its structure
has long chains of fatty acids (C-H bonds),
when they break they give of a significant
amount of energy. Also related to the C-H
bonds, because they give a lot of energy
they do well with insulation. (Lipid function
is affected by changes to their polar head
groups and their side chains.)

PROTEINS
Proteins are made up of amino acids. Each
amino acids has a central carbon that is
linked to an amino group, a carboxyl
group, a hydrogen atom, and an R group
or side chain. The function of a protein is
determined by its shape, the shape is
determined by its sequence of amino
acids, the sequence of amino acids in a
protein are determined by the sequence of
nucleotides in the gene (DNA) encoding it.
(Any change to the amino acid sequence
will result in a change of shape which
changes the protein fucntion

CARBOHYDRATES
The main function of carbohydrates are energy
storage and to provide energy. If the carbonyl group
is located anywhere but the ends of the
monosaccharide it forms a ketose such as fructose
which is an important source of energy in the body. If
the carbonyl is at the end of the carbon chain it is a
aldoses like glucose which serves as an energy source
and allows for the process of information in nerve cells.
The number and type of monosaccharides used, as well
as the position of the bond between them, determines
the three-dimensional structure of each carbohydrate

NUCLEIC ACIDS
The function of nucleic acids store genetic
information and determines traits and
makes protein synthesis possible. Nucleic
acids include DNA and RNA, that are
composed of long strands of nucleotides.
Any change to the strand of nucleotide
will change the information they hold and
the traits they make which could cause a
deformity.

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