UNIT: BIOMOLECULES LEVEL: STANDARD

ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

Content Statements:
B1.1.1 Chemical proper0es of a carbon atom allowing for the forma0on of diverse compounds upon
which life is based
B1.1.2 Produc0on of macromolecules by condensa0on reac0ons that link monomers to form a
polymer
B1.1.3 Diges0on of polymers into monomers by hydrolysis reac0ons

ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
Living organisms are composed of organic compounds. An organic compound is essen0ally a compound
that contains carbon and is found in living things (certain excep0ons exist, including CO2 and carbonates).
Carbon atoms can form four covalent bonds, allowing for a diversity of stable carbon compounds to exist.

MONOMERS ® POLYMERS
Complex organic molecules may be comprised of smaller recurring subunits called monomers. Monomeric
subunits might not be iden0cal, but will share the same basic structural characteris0cs. Carbohydrates,
nucleic acids and proteins are all composed of monomers. Lipids do not contain monomers, but may be
comprised of dis0nc0ve subunits (e.g. triglycerides are made up of glycerol and three faIy acid chains).

Nucleic Acid Carbohydrate Lipid (triglyceride) Protein

FaIy Mono-
Nucleo0des Monosaccharides acids + glycerides Amino acids

METABOLISM
Metabolism describes the totality of chemical processes that occur within a cell in order to maintain life.
These metabolic processes provide a source of energy for biological processes and enable the synthesis and
assimila0on of cellular materials for use within the cell. Metabolic reac0ons can broadly be described as
being either anabolic or catabolic:

Anabolism:
H2O
• Smaller compounds are combined to form larger compounds
• In the case of organic compounds, this involves condensation
• Water is released as a by-product of condensation reactions Monomers Polymer

Catabolism:
H2O
• Large compounds are broken down into smaller compounds
• In the case of organic compounds, this involves hydrolysis
• Water is required as an input for hydrolysis reactions Polymer Monomers
TYPES OF ORGANIC MOLECULES
There are 4 classes of organic compounds found in cells: carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and proteins.
• Carbohydrates: Used primarily as a short-term energy source (e.g. glucose), also involved in cellular
structure (e.g. cellulose in plant cell walls) and signalling (membrane receptors are often glycoproteins)
• Lipids: Primary component of cell membranes (e.g. phospholipids), also involved in structure (waxes),
cellular signalling (steroid hormones) and as a long-term energy source (e.g. triglycerides)
• Nucleic Acids: Function as a genetic blueprint for cellular activity – DNA serves as a master copy, while
RNA functions as a transient copy that is used to synthesis proteins (via transcription and translation)
• Proteins: Serve a wide variety of functions within a cell – including structure (e.g. collagen), signalling
(e.g. peptide hormones), immunity (e.g. antibodies) and maintaining metabolic control (e.g. enzymes)

CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates are comprised of monomeric units called monosaccharides. These subunits form ringed
structures that are covalently combined by condensa0on polymerisa0on to form polysaccharides. Glucose
is an example of a monosaccharide that is used as an energy source within the cell. It can form a variety of
polymers; including glycogen (energy storage in animals), starch (storage in plants) and cellulose (structural
component within plant cell walls). Ribose is another example of a monosaccharide that func0ons as a core
component of all nucleic acids (RNA contains ribose, while DNA contains the modified form – deoxyribose).

Ribose Glucose
(Pentose / 5C) (Hexose / 6C) Starch (Amylose) Glycogen

MONOSACCHARIDES VS POLYSACCHARIDES

LIPIDS
Lipids are non-polar compounds that typically include long chains of hydrocarbons called faIy acids. They
do not contain monomers, but may be composed of disLnct subunits. Triglycerides consist of a glycerol
subunit combined with three faIy acid chains (via condensa0on reac0ons) and func0on as a source of
long-term energy storage within a cell. Phospholipids have only two faIy acid chains aIached to the
glycerol, but include a polar phosphate group which makes the molecule amphipathic (possessing both
hydrophilic and hydrophobic proper0es). Phospholipids func0on as the primary component of membranes.
Steroids (such as cholesterol) do not consist of any subunits and are composed of four fused carbon rings.

PHOSPHOLIPIDS TRIGLYCERIDE STEROIDS

Phosphate + fa,y acids (´2) Glycerol + fa,y acids (´3) 4 ´ fused carbon rings
NUCLEIC ACIDS
Nucleic acids are composed of monomeric subunits called nucleoLdes. Each nucleo0de contains a
nitrogenous base that is aIached to a backbone consis0ng of a sugar and a phosphate molecule.
Nucleo0des are joined together by condensa0on polymerisa0on to form long polymeric chains. The bases
protrude from the sugar-phosphate backbone to form a sequence that func0ons as a code for protein
assembly. DNA func0ons as a master copy, while RNA serves as a transient copy that plays an ac0ve role in
the manufacturing of proteins.

Nitrogen Base C A G T
Phosphate

Pentose Sugar

MONOMER (NUCLEOTIDE) POLYMERISATION

PROTEINS
Proteins are composed of long chains of monomers called amino acids. These amino acids are joined
together via condensa0on polymerisa0on to form polypepLde chains. There are 20 different amino acids
and their order in a polypep0de sequence determines the overall shape and biological proper0es of the
resul0ng protein. As most polypep0de chains contain between 50 – 2000 amino acid residues, organisms
are capable of producing a huge range of possible proteins with a wide variety of func0ons. Protein
sequences are encoded by nucleic acids, and so proteins func0on to enact the gene0c instruc0ons of a cell.

H H O H H O H H O

H N C C OH H N C C N C C OH
pep#de
R R bond R

MONOMER (AMINO ACID) POLYMERISATION (DIPEPTIDE)

INORGANIC MOLECULES
Organic compounds are formed from inorganic sources and may create inorganic by-products if digested.
• All organic compounds contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) in varying ratios
• Nucleic acids and proteins always possess nitrogen (N), while nucleic acids also contain phosphorus (P)
and proteins may contain sulphur (S) – depending on the specific amino acids present in a polypeptide.

Inorganic molecules also play important roles in the func0oning of the cells that comprise living organisms.
• Oxygen gas (O2) is required for aerobic cell respiration (producing ATP from the breakdown of glucose)
• Carbon dioxide gas (CO2) is used by plants to synthesise vital organic molecules (like carbohydrates)
• Water (H2O) comprises ~70% of the cell’s internal environment and functions as a transport medium
• Trace minerals (e.g. Na+, K+, Cl–) are necessary for maintaining survival in multicellular organisms