INTRO TO BIOCHEM

Macromolecules and Organic Chemistry

- The most important of all biological

Macromolecules compounds.

Biological Molecules Protein Structure

- Also called “Macromolecules” Primary The amino acid sequence
Secondary Helices and Sheets
Polymers and Monomers Tertiary Disulfide bridges
- Each of these types of molecules are Quarternary Multiple polypeptides
polymers that are assembled from single connect
units called monomers
- Each type of macromolecule is an 3. Lipids
assemblage of a different type of monomer - Consist of long hydrocarbon chains.
- Attaching the three chains together is
Monomers usually a glycerol molecule
Carbohydrates Monosaccharide - Lipids are non-polar
Not always polymers; - Stores energy within cells
Lipids Hydrocarbon chains - Serves as a chemical messenger - steroid
Proteins Amino Acids hormones deliver signals from one part
Nucleic Acids Nucleotides of the body to another.

4 Types of Macromolecules 4. Carbohydrates

1. Nucleic Acids
- Carries genes/genetic information
transferred from generation to
generation.
- Stores genetic information that
determines traits and makes protein
synthesis possible.
- Includes DNA and RNA - composed of
long strands of nucleotides
Nucleotides are composed of a nitrogenous base,
a five-carbon sugar, and a phosphate group. It is
also the building block of nucleic acids.
DNA RNA
Composed of a
phosphate-deoxyribose Has ribose sugar and the
sugar backbone and the nitrogenous bases A, G, C,
nitrogenous bases adenine and uracil (U).
(A), guanine (G), cytosine
(C), and thymine (T)
- Made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
atoms (always in a ratio of 1:2:1)
- Building blocks of carbohydrates are
sugar - glucose/fructose
Organic Chemistry
What is Organic Chemistry?
- Study of molecules that has carbon atoms
- Carbon often catenates, with its four valence
electrons, making it able to bond to itself
- With that bond, you can get long chains of
carbons and hydrogens (dedocane), or rings
of carbons like anthracene, or complex
structures with multiple rings (steroid
estradiol)
Carbon-centric: carbon is the key atom and can do
some very predictable bonds

2. Proteins Birth of Modern Organic Chemistry (mid-1800’s)

- Amino Acids: building blocks
- Made up of 20 Amino Acids
- Peptide Bond forms between amino
acids by dehydration synthesis
- Organic means “derived from living things,’
- The term “Organic Chemistry” was coined by
Jons Jacob Berzelius, a Swedish chemist who
discovered several elements and came up
with the modern chemical symbols that we
use today.
 - At that time, Organic Chemistry referred to
the study of chemical compounds extracted
from living things.
- Thought that organic compounds could only
be harvested from living things, but not
made
- Today, Organic Chemistry is defined as the
study of the structure, properties,
composition, reactions, and preparation of
carbon-containing compounds.

Urea: main nitrogen-containing part of urine that

comes from our body’s metabolic breakdown of
proteins - also a great fabric mordant (a chemical
that makes dye last longer and enhances its
colors)

Molecular Formula
- Tells the atoms we have and how many of
each atom there is
- Lewis Structure - tells what atom is bonded
to another atom

Each bond represent 2 electrons

i.e. 4 bonds per carbon - 8 electrons

1. Condensed Structural Formula

- All hydrogens are grouped together
next to the carbon they’re bonded
to

2. Skeletal Formula/Line-Angle Formula

- Carbons are the bends or the ends
of the lines