Macromolecules
Macromolecules are polymers built from monomers.
Polymers: A long molecule made from many similar building blocks linked
together by covalent bonds. (Proteins, carbohydrates, nucleic acids)
Monomers: The repeating building blocks of polymers
Polymer assembly: Facilitated by enzymes
Dehydration reaction
● Bond forms between two monomers
○ Each monomer contributes part of an H2O molecule what was
released in the reaction
○ One monomer provides OH, the other provides H
● Reaction repeats as monomers are added
● Polymer constructed
Polymer disassembly
Hydrolysis (Greek = Break using water)
Monomer bond broken with addition of water molecule
H attaches to monomer and OH attaches to adjacent monomer
, Carbohydrates
Simple:
- Monosaccharides
- Essential for cellular respiration
- Simple sugars
Complex:
- Constructed from simple carbohydrates
Sugars
Monosaccharides:
- General molecular formula CH2O
- (ex. glucose)
Disaccharides:
- Two monosaccharides
- Joined by glycosidic linkage
Polysaccharides:
- Polymers with many monosaccharides joined with glycosidic linkages
- Used as storage or structure
- Function determined by sugar monomers and the position of its glycosidic
linkages
Storage polysaccharides
- Plants store starch
- Can later be withdrawn by hydrolysis
- Animals store glycogen
- Hydrolysis releases glucose
Structural polysaccharides
- Plants produce cellulose, tough walls of plants
- Glycosidic linkage differs from storage polysacc-
Glycosidic Linkage:
● Covalent bond
● Between two monosaccharides
● From dehydration reaction
Macromolecules are polymers built from monomers.
Polymers: A long molecule made from many similar building blocks linked
together by covalent bonds. (Proteins, carbohydrates, nucleic acids)
Monomers: The repeating building blocks of polymers
Polymer assembly: Facilitated by enzymes
Dehydration reaction
● Bond forms between two monomers
○ Each monomer contributes part of an H2O molecule what was
released in the reaction
○ One monomer provides OH, the other provides H
● Reaction repeats as monomers are added
● Polymer constructed
Polymer disassembly
Hydrolysis (Greek = Break using water)
Monomer bond broken with addition of water molecule
H attaches to monomer and OH attaches to adjacent monomer
, Carbohydrates
Simple:
- Monosaccharides
- Essential for cellular respiration
- Simple sugars
Complex:
- Constructed from simple carbohydrates
Sugars
Monosaccharides:
- General molecular formula CH2O
- (ex. glucose)
Disaccharides:
- Two monosaccharides
- Joined by glycosidic linkage
Polysaccharides:
- Polymers with many monosaccharides joined with glycosidic linkages
- Used as storage or structure
- Function determined by sugar monomers and the position of its glycosidic
linkages
Storage polysaccharides
- Plants store starch
- Can later be withdrawn by hydrolysis
- Animals store glycogen
- Hydrolysis releases glucose
Structural polysaccharides
- Plants produce cellulose, tough walls of plants
- Glycosidic linkage differs from storage polysacc-
Glycosidic Linkage:
● Covalent bond
● Between two monosaccharides
● From dehydration reaction
