Biological Molecules

Learning Objectives

• List the chemical elements that make up: carbohydrates, fats and proteins
• State that large molecules are made from smaller molecules
• Describe the use of
(a) iodine solution test for starch
(b) Benedict's solution test for reducing sugar
(c) Biuret test for proteins
(d) ethanol emulsion test for fats and oils
(e) DCPIP test for vitamin C
• Describe the structure of a DNA molecule
 WHAT IS
BIOLOGICAL
MOLECULES?
chemical compound found in living organisms.
These include chemicals that are composed of
mainly carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sometimes
nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphor
 Ingredients Sub Unit
• water – 60%,
• protein – 16%, •
• Carbohydrate Amino acids
• lipids (fats and oils) – 16% •
• Protein Nucleotides
• carbohydrate – 1% • Fatty acids and glycerol
• Lipids
• DNA – 1% • Monosaccharide (ex:
• DNA
glucose)
what these ingredients make?
 Carbohydrate
Monosaccharides: Glucose

Disaccharides: Maltose

Polysaccharides: Glycogen
 Carbohydrate
Simple Complex
Carbohydrate Carbohydrate

Readily Soluble in Water Not Readily Soluble in Water

Easy to breakdown Take time to breakdown

Monosaccharides or
Polysaccharides
Disaccharides

Sweet Not Always Sweet

 ???

What does these 3

pictures have in
common?
 Protein
Made up of elements:
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen, many contain
sulfur

General structure of
amino acids
 Lipids
Fats are a solid form of a group of molecules called lipids.
Oils are a liquid form of lipids.
Made up of three molecules of an organic acid, called a fatty acid, combined with one molecule of
glycerol.
Summary

Molecule Element present Sub-units

Sub-units Examples
Examples

carbon, hydrogen, Monosaccharide (ex: starch, glycogen,

Carbohydrate
oxygen glucose) cellulose, sucrose

carbon, hydrogen,
amino acids (about 20 enzymes, muscle,
oxygen, nitrogen,
Protein different haemoglobin, cell
sometimes sulfur
forms) membranes, chitin
or phosphor
vegetable oils,
e.g. olive oil;
carbon, hydrogen, Fatty acids and
Lipid (Fat/Oil) animal fats,
oxygen glycerol
e.g. cod liver oil,
waxes
 DNA
A DNA molecule is made up of long chains of nucleotides, formed into two strands
 Vitamin
Chemical substance that essential for the body to be able to use another nutrient efficiently but we
only need in small amount. For example those which involve a transfer of energy from one
compound to another.

Water Soluble Fat Soluble

Vitamins Vitamins

B A
C D
E
K
Molecule Testing
FAT
• Shake two drops of cooking oil with about 5 cm3 ethanol in a dry test-tube
until the fat dissolves.
• Pour this solution into a test-tube containing a few cm3 water. A milky white
emulsion will form. This shows that the solution contained some fat or oil.
SUGAR
Heat a little glucose solution with an equal volume of Benedict’s solution in a
test-tube. The heating is done by placing the test-tube in a beaker of boiling
water or warming it gently over a blue Bunsen flame. However, if this second
technique is used, the test-tube should be moved constantly in and out of the
Bunsen flame to prevent the liquid boiling and shooting out of the tube. The
solution will change from clear blue to cloudy green, then yellow and finally to a
red precipitate (deposit) of copper(I) oxide.
PROTEIN
To a 1% solution of albumen (the protein of egg-white) add 5 cm3 dilute sodium
hydroxide (CARE: this solution is caustic), followed by 5 cm3 1% copper sulfate
solution. A purple colour indicates protein. If the copper sulfate is run into the
food solution without mixing, a violet halo appears where the two
liquids come into contact.

STARCH
• Shake a little starch powder in a test-tube with some
warm water to make a suspension.
• Add 3 or 4 drops of iodine solution. A dark blue
colour should be produced.
Molecule Testing

FAT
REDUCING SUGAR

STARCH PROTEIN
 Molecule Testing

VITAMIN C
• Draw up 2 cm3 fresh lemon juice into a plastic syringe.
• Add this juice drop by drop to 2 cm3 of a 0.1% solution of DCPIP (a blue dye) in a test-tube.
The DCPIP will become colourless quite suddenly as the juice is added. The amount of juice
added from the syringe should be noted down.
• Repeat the experiment but with orange juice in the syringe. If it takes more orange juice
than lemon juice to decolourise the DCPIP, the orange juice must contain less vitamin C.
 Question

1. Why human store energy in the form glycogen not a glucose?

2. Someone conduct the test for potato (Solanum tuberosum) and sweet potato
(Ipomoea batatas) on reducing sugar test. What is your hypothesis about the
result?
3. What is the difference between carbohydrate and lipid?