Biological molecules:
• All are organic (based on carbon).
• Monomers vs. polymers:
– Monomers refer to the subunits that, when
polymerized, make up a larger polymer.
– Monomers may function on their own in some cases.
, Four types of biological molecules
• Carbohydrates - refer to a large group of
biochemicals which in nature include monomers
and polymers.
• Lipids - not considered as monomers/polymers
like the others; they all have one PHYSICAL
property in common.
• Proteins - polymers of amino acids with versatile
functions.
• Nucleic acids - polymers of nucleotides, may be
DNA or RNA.
,•Definition: contain
carbon, hydrogen, and
oxygen (carbo+hydrate),
usually in the following
ratio: [C(H20)]n
, Basic Building Blocks
• Monosaccharides
– Three types, each of
which contains 6
carbon atoms:
Monosaccharides
– glucose
(most popular)
– fructose
– galactose Glucose Fructose Galactose
• All are organic (based on carbon).
• Monomers vs. polymers:
– Monomers refer to the subunits that, when
polymerized, make up a larger polymer.
– Monomers may function on their own in some cases.
, Four types of biological molecules
• Carbohydrates - refer to a large group of
biochemicals which in nature include monomers
and polymers.
• Lipids - not considered as monomers/polymers
like the others; they all have one PHYSICAL
property in common.
• Proteins - polymers of amino acids with versatile
functions.
• Nucleic acids - polymers of nucleotides, may be
DNA or RNA.
,•Definition: contain
carbon, hydrogen, and
oxygen (carbo+hydrate),
usually in the following
ratio: [C(H20)]n
, Basic Building Blocks
• Monosaccharides
– Three types, each of
which contains 6
carbon atoms:
Monosaccharides
– glucose
(most popular)
– fructose
– galactose Glucose Fructose Galactose
