top of page
Proteins are important
structural parts of cells. They also aid in transport and speeding up chemical reactions(enzymes).They are connected by peptide bonds and contain the elements oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen. The majority of proteins end in the suffix "in", as seen in the protein hemoglobin, insulin, and pepsin. The amino acid(monomer) sequences distinguish the different proteins.
The main purpose of lipids is insulation, protection, and a long-term energy source. They contain many carbon-hydrogen bonds and the elements hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. Lipid monomers include glycerol and fatty acid molecules. Common lipids are waxes, steroids, oils, and fats. There are two types of fats, unsaturated and saturated. Unsaturated fats are plant fats with a double bond in carbon-hydrogen chain. Saturated fats are animal fats that have only single bonds in the carbon-hydrogen chains.
Nucleic Acids synthesize proteins and store genetic material such as DNA. The four main nucleic bases are adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine. They contain the elements phosphorus, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. The subunits or monomers of nucleic acids are nucleotides. There are two types, DNA and RNA. DNA contains a double helix with 2 strands and complementary base pairing of DNA nucleotides ATCG. RNA is involved in protein synthesis in ribosomes. The nucleotides for RNA include adenine, uracil, cytosine, and guanine. RNA is single stranded, and includes three types- messenger, ribosomal, and transfer.
Carbohydrates are a short-term energy source. They contain the elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Carbohydrate subunits are monosaccharides, which are simple plant sugars. The three main types include monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. The monosaccharide is glucose which is a simple plant sugar that is produced through photosynthesis. Sucrose is the disaccharide which is a double sugar. They are formed during dehydration synthesis by forming two monosaccharides together. Some polysaccharides include glycogen, startch, and cellulose.
bottom of page