SBI4U: SECTION 1.

4
Carbohydrates and Lipids
Ontario Curriculum Expectations
Overall Expectations:
B2. investigate the chemical structures, functions, and chemical properties of biological molecules
involved in some common cellular processes and biochemical reactions

Specific Expectations:
B2.3 construct and draw three-dimensional molecular models of important biochemical compounds,
including carbohydrates and lipids
B3.2 describe the structure of important biochemical compounds, including carbohydrates and lipids, and
explain their function within cells
Learning Goals
1. construct and draw three-dimensional molecular models of
important biochemical compounds, including carbohydrates
and lipids

2. describe the structure of important biochemical compounds,

including carbohydrates and lipids, and explain their function
within cells
Success Criteria
I can...

1. Identify the different types of carbohydrates and lipids.

2. Draw the structures of carbohydrates and lipids
discussed here.
CARBOHYDRATES AND LIPIDS
● They are large but relatively simple molecules.
● Composed mostly of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
● Carbohydrates and lipids are best known for their role as
energy sources in the body, yet they perform many
other roles:
○ Cell-to-cell communication
○ Building blocks of amino acids, lipids, and nucleic
acids. Lipids also play an important.
○ Structural role in cells—all biological membranes are
composed of lipid molecules (see page 29 for more).
CARBOHYDRATES
● A carbohydrate is a biomolecule that consists of:
○ Carbon
○ Oxygen
○ Hydrogen.
● In photosynthesizing plants and other photosynthesizing
organisms, carbon dioxide and water molecules are
used as raw materials to build carbohydrates.
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MONOSACCHARIDES
● A monosaccharide is the simplest form of carbohydrate, consisting of a
single sugar unit. It’s a building block for more complex carbohydrates.
● Monosaccharides in general have ratio: 1 carbon : 2 hydrogen : 1
oxygen.
○ Chemical formula (CH2O)n, or its derivative CnH2nOn, where n is
the number of carbon atoms.
● Carbohydrates can be a single monosaccharide or as two or more linked
together (disaccharides and polysaccharides).
● Example is glucose C6H12O6.
● Monosaccharides that contain three carbons (triose), five carbons
(pentose), and six carbons (hexose) are the most common in living
organisms.
EXAMPLES OF MONOSACCHARIDES
Structure-Rings
● All monosaccharides can occur in a linear form, but when formed in
water, monosaccharides with five or more carbon atoms fold back on
themselves to form a ring.
○ Due to the interaction of different functional groups in the same
monosaccharide.
○ The carbons are numbered. Starting at the carbon next to the
functional group with the highest oxidation and numbering so that
the first branch has the lowers number.
Structure-Isomers
● An isomer is a molecule that has the same composition as another, but
a different arrangement of atoms.
● Example: When glucose forms a ring, there are two possible
arrangements of the –OH group, which is bound to the carbon at position
1: 𝛼-glucose and 𝛽-glucose (see previous slide).
● The different arrangements of the –OH group on glucose can give
chemicals different properties.
● Example: Humans can easily digest starches composed of 𝛼-glucose.
However, cellulose, assembled from 𝛽-glucose, is completely indigestible
for humans.
● Glucose, fructose, and galactose are isomers of each other.
DISACCHARIDES
● A disaccharide is a carbohydrate
molecule that is made from two
monosaccharide units that are
joined together by a dehydration
synthesis reaction.
● Bonds which link
monosaccharides into larger
carbohydrates, are called
glycosidic bonds.
EXAMPLES OF DISACCHARIDES
DISACCHARIDES-Notation
● The chemical shorthand for representing a glycosidic
bond between a 1-carbon and a 4-carbon is 1→4.
● Other linkages, such as 1→2, 1→3, and 1→6, are also
common in carbohydrate chains.
● Linkages are designated as ⍺ or ꞵ, depending on the
orientation of the -OH group bonded to the 1-carbon.
● Example: The linkage in maltose and sucrose is an
⍺-linkage, but the linkage in lactose is a ꞵ-linkage.
 -linkage

-linkage
POLYSACCHARIDES
● Hundreds to thousands of monosaccharides can link
together to form a complex carbohydrate.
● Main Functions:
○ Energy storage: Starch in plants, glycogen in
animals
○ Structural support: Cellulose as cell walls of plants,
chitin as exoskeleton of insects.
POLYSACCHARIDES
● A polysaccharide molecule is a chain of
monosaccharides with many subunits joined by
glycosidic linkages.
● A polysaccharide is a macromolecule: A very large
molecule assembled by the covalent linkage of smaller
subunit molecules.
● Polymerization is a process in which small subunits
(monomers) are linked to form a large molecule.
○ The resulting large molecule is called a polymer.
polysaccharides are examples, as is DNA.
○ An example of polymerization is the dehydration
synthesis reactions that assemble polysaccharides.
POLYSACCHARIDES-Examples
● The most common polysaccharides are plant starches,
glycogen, and cellulose.
○ They assemble from hundreds or thousands of
glucose units.
○ Cellulose is the main component of plant cell walls
and the most abundant organic molecule on Earth.
○ Read more on page 31.
● Polysaccharides are very polar and therefore very
hydrophilic. However, since polysaccharides are such
huge molecules, they attract water but cannot
dissolve.
○ Example: Paper towel.
EXAMPLES OF POLYSACCHARIDES
EXAMPLES OF POLYSACCHARIDES
BRIEF SUMMARY
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LIPIDS
They are smaller biomolecules, and not polymers of
specific monomers >>>> NOT macromolecules.
Their general chemical composition - C, H, lesser O.
Includes all non-polar biological molecules >>>>
insoluble in water>>>> can form membranes!
General functions - energy source, hormones, some
vitamins, membranes of cells and organelles.
5 main types- Fatty acids, Fats, Phospholipids,
Steroids, Waxes.
FATTY ACIDS
These form the structural backbone of most lipids.

General composition- Hydrocarbon chain (>4C,

mostly 14-22 C) + Carboxyl (-COOH) functional
group >>>> acidic properties

As HC chain length increase s>>>> Insolublity

increases >>>> hydrophobic molecules.

2 types- Saturated and Unsaturated fatty acids

SATURATED AND UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS
FATS or TRIGLYCERIDES
General composition- Glycerol backbone + 1/2/3
Fatty acid chains (identical /non-identical)

Nomenclature -
Monoglyceride Diglyceride Triglyceride
1 FA 2FA 3FA
2 types- Saturated (butter, lard obtained from animal
sources)and Unsaturated Fats (olive oil, sunflower oil
obtained from plants.)
As the length of FA chain increases >>>> solubility of
triglyceride decreases.
DEHYDRATION SYNTHESIS OF TRIGLYCERIDES
Can you guess which type
of fats are called ‘OILS’???
And why??
ANSWER AND EXPLANATION:

Unsaturated fats are generally referred to as oils.

❏ Triglycerides become less fluid as - the length of their fatty acid chain increases.
- saturation level increases
(because their chains are long and straight and can be packed closely together to form
a solid structure at room temperature)

❏ Triglycerides become more fluid as - length of chain gets shorter chains

- unsaturation increases
( the double bond causes kinks which are bent and cannot be packed as tightly)

Therefore, these molecules stay more fluid and are liquid at room temperature.
INTERESTING FACTS
If animal fat were solid, animals would not be able to move
about >>>> flexibility is a characteristic imparted to them due
the fluid nature of fats present in them. Despite being mostly
saturated, these fats remain liquid because of relatively high
body temperature.

The lipid reserves in plant seeds and cold-water fish are

mostly unsaturated fats >>>> liquids even at lower
temperatures >>>> allows fish bodies to stay flexible at lower
temperatures >>>> fish-oil is beneficial because diets rich in
saturated fats can lead to heart disease.
INTERESTING FACTS
Triglycerides yield more than twice as much energy as
carbohydrates (per gram weight).

A layer of fatty tissue below the skin provides thermal

insulation in mammals and birds.

The Inuit, from the Arctic, have a diet that is very high in animal
proteins from fish, seal, whales etc.
-a diet high in both fat (mostly monounsaturated and
omega-3 fatty acids) and protein, but very low in
carbohydrates >>>> healthier fat than the saturated animal
fats in a typical North American diet (fries and chips)!
PHOSPHOLIPIDS
General composition- Glycerol backbone + 2 Fatty
acid chains (identical /non-identical)+ Phosphate
group >>>> similar to triglyceride structure!

Amphipathic molecules >>>> Primary component of

Cell membranes in the form of a bilayer >>>>
hydrophobic tails of both layers face inward and
towards each other, hydrophylic heads face outward
towards H2O.
A PHOSPHOLIPID AND ITS PRESENCE IN A MEMBRANE BILAYER
STEROIDS
General composition- 4 rings of carbon fused ;
Side groups attached to rings differ >>>> gives
different properties.

Sterols >>>>steroids with a -OH group at one end >>>>

Non-polar ring structure + Polar hydroxyl group >>>>
dual solubilities ~~~ phospholipids >>>> found in
similar roles!

Examples- in animal cell membrane- cholesterol; in

plant cell membrane- phytosterol.
SOME COMMON STEROIDS (HORMONES)
INTERESTING FACTS

Atherosclerosis
++ cholesterol >>>> ++ saturated fats,
Fat deposits (Plaques) on inner lining of vessels,
>>>> blood flow obstruction >>>> heart attack!

Anabolic steroids
Sex hormone supplements ( testosterone, estrogen,
progesterone) taken by sportsmes >>>> to increase muscle
mass >>>> increases BP >>>> health issues.
WAXES
General composition- Long Fatty acid chains + alcohol/
carbon rings

Hydrophobic, non-polar, and soft solids (over a wide

range of temperatures) >>>> ideal for
flexible waterproof coatings on various plant and animal
parts.

Examples- Cutin forms a water-resistant coating on the

surfaces of some plants >>>> conserve water, barrier to
infections; Birds >>>> a waxy material helps keep feathers
dry; Bees >>>> beeswax to make honeycombs.
SUMMARY OF LIPIDS
Identify the type of lipid by dragging the appropriate alphabets:

Red - phospholipid Yellow - wax Purple - steroid