Identification of Macromolecules Lab

Purpose: To learn the structure and function of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and
nucleic acids.
Directions: Get in groups of 3-4 and complete the following worksheet. You will need to
get toothpicks, 4 colors of playdoh, a computer, and a textbook.

Carbon
1. Go to the on-line activities in your on-line textbook. (If the Internet is down, Mrs. D has
CD-Roms.) Do the activities for chapter 4 (4A-4C). What are the 3 types of isomers and
define their differences. Make a table of the functional groups listing their formula and
properties.
2. Use the computer on-line activities and your textbook for chapter 5 to complete the rest
of the lab.

Carbohydrates

Stamp:

1. What is a carbohydrate? List some examples.

A carbohydrate is a sugar molecule, as well as a polymer of sugar. The simplest form a
carbohydrate takes form of, is a monosaccharide, or simple sugar.
Ex: glucose, sucrose, bread, pasta, molasses.
2. What is the structure of glucose? Create a glucose molecule with playdoh and
toothpicks. C, H, and O should be represented by a different color and toothpicks should
represent the bonds. Draw the structure you have created below.

3. Draw a

disaccharide and label the bond between the 2 sugar molecules.

4. What is the common name of the disaccharide you created above? Give 2 other
examples of disaccharides and the names of the 2 monosaccharides that compose them.
The image above is a sucrose molecule. Lactose is another disaccharide, made of glucose
and galactose. Another example is maltose, which is malt or beet sugar. It is made out of
2 glucose moelcules.
5. What is the bond called that links 2 monosaccharides together? What is the difference
between an alpha and beta bond?
The bond between two monosaccharides is a glycosidic bond(linkage). The alpha
glycosidic faces down, away from CH2OH, while the beta glycosidic faces towards the
CH2OH.

6. Why cant cats and dogs digest cellulose?

Cats and dogs cannot digest cellulose because their stomachs do not contain the enzyme
that breaks cellulose down into something that the animals can digest.

7. What are some common polysaccharides and what are their functions?
A common polysaccharide is starch or glycogen, plants use it as a form of stored sugar.

8. Why are carbohydrates important in the diet? What are the functions of carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are used to create glucose, which is a bodys main energy source.
Carbohydrates store and produce energy. They also help build macromolecules.

Lipids

Stamp:

1. What is a lipid? List some examples.

A lipid is a class of organic compounds that are fatty acids, or their derivatives and
insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents.
2. What 2 molecules compose a simple lipid? Create them with playdoh and toothpicks and
draw them below.
Glycerol and fatty acids.

3. What are the functions of lipids? Why are they important in the diet?
Lipids do many things throughout the body, they store energy for longer usage than
carbohydrates. They also act as a shock absorber for the internal organs

4. What is the difference between a saturated v. an unsaturated lipid? Which is healthier?

Saturated and unsaturated lipids are differed by the amount of hydrogen within the
molecule. Saturated lipids have no double bonds between carbon atoms composing the
chain, so so as many hydrogen atoms as possible are bonded to the carbon skeleton, this
allows the molecule to pack together tightly in a solid at room temperature. On the other
hand, unsaturated fats have one or more double bond that do not allow hydrogen to bond
to the carbon skeleton, allowing the molecule to flow freely in a liquid at room
temperature. Unsaturated fats are healthier because they do not build up plaques within
the walls of blood vessels that cause cardiovascular problems.

5. What are HDLs and LDLs? Which is healthier? List a disease that is common for
people with high cholesterol.
HDLs and LDLs are the two types of lipidproteins that carry cholesterol to and from
cells. LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein), along with one
fifth of a persons triglyceride level , make up choloestoral levels. LDLs are healthier

because they carry less cholesterol through the blood stream. Strokes are common in
people who have high cholesterol levels.

Proteins

Stamp:

1. What is a protein? Give some examples.

Proteins make up almost all of the dry structure of cells, they work in catalyzing chemical
reactions and building organelles essential for life. Enzymatic proteins selectively
accelerate chemical reactions, storage proteins store amino acids, and transport proteins
transport other substances.
2. Why are proteins important in the diet? What are the functions of proteins?
Proteins are important in the diet because they help catalyze the reactions that digest
food. Proteins help everything in the bodies or organisms function.

3. Create an amino acid with

playdoh and toothpicks. Draw
it below.

4. How many amino acids are

there? How many are essential
to the diet?
There are 20 amino acids, about 8
or 9 are essential to the diet.
5. What are the 3 categories of
amino acids? Give 2 examples
of each type.
Nonpolar: Glycine, Alanine
Polar: Serine, Threoine
Electrically charged: Aspartic acid, lysine

6. Describe how proteins fold (include primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary
structures). Why is the shape of a protein important?
The shape of a protein is very important to its structure because it determines how the
protein works. In most cases, the function of the protein depends on its ability to
recognize and bind to some other molecule.
Primary: The primary structure of a protein is the unique sequence of amino acids.
Secondary: Proteins have segments of their polypeptide chains that repeatedly coil or
fold.
Tertiary: Irregular contortions from interactions with side chains of various amino acids.
Quarternary: Overall protein structure that results from the aggregated of polypeptide
subunits.

7. What bonds help stabilize protein shape?

Hydrogen bonds help stabilize protein shape. Oxygen and nitrogen are the backbone of
the protein, and they can bond with hydrogen to create hydrogen bonds. These bonds are
weak, but because they are formed in long chains they help with the shape of the protein.

8. Go to the Internet and find the structure of an example protein. Print one per group and
label any distinct folding patterns that you see.
This image demonstrates the difference between an unfolded protein molecule and its
tertiary form

Nucleic Acids

Stamp:

1. What is a nucleic acid? Give 2 examples.

Nucleic acids are the molecules that enable living organisms to reproduce their complex
components from one generation to the next. Two examples are DNA (deoxyribonucleic
acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid)
2. What 3 molecules compose a nucleotide?
Pyrimidines
Purines
Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (DNA)
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)

3. List the purines and pyrimidines. What bonds with what? Draw their structures below.
Purines: Adenine and Guanine
Pyrimidines: Cytosine, Thymine (DNA), and Uracil (RNA).
The phosphate group bonds with the pentose sugar which then bonds with the
Nitrogeneous base.
4. Draw a picture of DNA with 2 bases on each strand, one base pair should be A and T, the
other C and G. Who discovered the structure of DNA?
Francis Crick discovered the structure of DNA.

5. What is the function of DNA? What is the function of RNA (mRNA, tRNA, rRNA, and
snRNA)?
DNA allows living organisms to pass on complex components from 1 generation to the
next. DNA also directs RNAs protein synthesis. mRNA is the messenger RNA, it directs
production of polypeptides. tRNA is the adaptor molecule. rRNA is the component of the
ribosome that is essential for protein synthesis. sRNA is used in splicing, or other RNA
reactions.

6. List the differences between RNA and DNA.

RNA: - helps carry out DNAs blueprint giudelines.
-Single stranded
-Adenine links to uracil and cytosine links to guanine.

-Ribose sugar is more reaxtive

-Synthesized from DNA when needed
DNA:-blueprint of biological guidelines that a living organism must follow to exist and
remain functional.
-Double- stranded
-Adenine links to thymine
-cytosine links to guanine
- Self-replicating
DNA vs RNA. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2015, from
http://www.diffen.com/difference/DNA_vs_RNA

7. Which came first, RNA or DNA? Why do you think this? Do all organisms have DNA?
Why or why not?
RNA is believed to have come before DNA because the acids that make up the string of
RNA would have been in the prebiotic earth. Not all organisms have DNA become some
organisms are not complex enough to have a need for a double helix of nucleic acid.

8. What is the difference between mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA? Do some research
on the Internet (remember to cite your sources!).
Nuclear DNA is found in the nucleus of eukaryote cells, and typically has 2 copies in
each cell, while mitochondrial DNA is found in the mitochondria and has anywhere from
100-1,000 copies per cell.
(Nuclear DNA. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2015.)

9. What is a plasmid? What organism uses plasmids to its advantage and why is it an
advantage? Why might this advantage be potentially harmful to other organisms?
A plasmid is a small DNA molecule within a cell that is seperated from a chromosonal
DNA and can replicate independently. Bacteria use plasmids to their advantage because
plasmids often carry genetic advantages. This advantage might be harmful to other
organisms because it allows the bacteria to multiply rapidly and take over the
environment that other organisms are in.

Plasmids. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2015, from

http://www.nature.com/scitable/definition/plasmid-plasmids-28

10. Why do you suppose it is important to take all of the antibiotics in a prescription? What
can happen if you dont take all of the pills correctly? Give an example.
It is important ti take all of the antibiotics in a prescription because the antibiotics weaken
the illness and then attack it while it is weak. If you don't take all of the pills correctly, the
illness will grow back stronger. For example, when a person has strep-throat and doesn't
take all of their antibiotics, the illness will come back stronger.