The Five Major Compounds That Make Up the Human Body
The human body is one of the most complex and fascinating things on this planet. There are five major groups of compounds that compose the human body. These are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleotides, and water. These compounds are all very important to humans and without them humans would not be able to survive. Compounds have many functions that encourage a human cell and a human body to function.
Compounds are pure substances made up of atoms of two or more elements chemically combined together in fixed ratios determined by mass. When a compound is formed from its components, a chemical change takes place through chemical reactions. Elements form compounds to
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The lipid molecules are most well known as forming basic structures of cell membranes and as energy storage molecules as well. There are various types of lipids, three main types include: true fats (triglycerides), phospholipids, and steroids.
Lipids are also described as fatty acids. Fatty acids are merely carboxylic acids with long hydrocarbon chains. The fatty acid structure is one of the most fundamental categories of biological lipids, and is commonly used as a building block of more structurally complex lipids. Fats that include these molecules are unsaturated fats. Other fatty acids have no double bonds. Fats that include these fatty acids are saturated fats. In most human health situations, the consumption of unsaturated fats is preferred to the consumption of saturated fats. Like carbohydrates, lipids can also be categorized into simple and complex.
Simple lipids are defined as those that are on hydrolysis yield at most two types of primary product per mole; complex lipids yield three or more primary hydrolysis products per mole. Hydrolysis is a “chemical process in which a certain molecule is split into two parts by the addition of a molecule of water”. Alternatively, the terms "neutral" and "polar" lipids respectively are used to define these groups, but are less exact. The complex lipids for many purposes are best considered in terms of either the glycerophospholipids which contains a
They are all polymers made during dehydration synthesis reactions from monomers. These reactions result in the loss of water forming strong covalent bonds. They are referred to as endergonic reactions since they require an input of energy. Hydrolytic reactions are the opposite as they break polymers into single unit monomers using water and in the process releasing energy thus referred to as exergonic reactions (Gorrod, 1985). The monomer form of carbohydrates is a monosaccharide e.g. glucose (used for energy in cells), fructose and ribose. When two monosaccharides undergo a dehydration synthesis reaction they form a disaccharide e.g. sucrose, which is a combination of glucose and fructose. Sucrose is used for transport in plants. Polysaccharides consist of three or more covalently bonded monosaccharides. Starch and glycogen are good examples and are both used in energy storage in plants and animals respectively. Monomers of lipids are fatty acids and glycerol while amino acids are monomers of proteins. Amino acids mainly function to regulate different cell functions as well as catalyze various cell reactions. Nucleotides are the monomers of nucleic acids and they function in storing the genetic information of a cell (DNA) and synthesis of proteins (RNA). All these monomers undergo dehydration synthesis reactions to form their corresponding polymers and are used in
Carbohydrates, proteins and lipids are known as macronutrients as the body needs masses of these nutrient components in order to carry out the bodies’ essential functions.
The most common macromolecules found in living organisms are lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and nucleic acids. Briefly, the meaning of macromolecules is that they normally contain two or more molecules in them and their main functions are to store energy, information and much more. Most foods are known to be combinations of macromolecules. While some of these compounds can be detected by taste tests, many cannot. Scientists then use certain tests to determine the presence of macromolecules.
c)Lipids monomer(s) are called fatty acid and glycerol. The functional group is called ester. The linkage type of lipids is non polar bonds or sometimes called ester bonds. The primary function of lipids is energy, hormone production and insulation of the body.
saturated sources (dairy products, meat, margarine, chocolate, coconut oil, etc.), unsaturated/MUFAs/PUFAs sources (safflower/olive/soybean oils, tuna, salmon, etc.)
5. What are “lipids?” Some lipids are liquid at room temperature whereas other lipids are solid at room temperature. What accounts for this difference? Are all fats considered to be lipids? Are all lipids considered to be fats? If not, what else besides fats are considered lipids? What distinguishes “lipids” and “phospholipids?”
1. An Element is a substance that cannot be broken down to other substances by chemical reactions, while a compound is a substance consisting of two or more different elements combined in a fixed ratio.
Then, nucleic acids are made up of nucleotides and has the ability to make new cells. Finally, Lipids. Lipids are made up of glycerol and fatty acids. Lipids play a big role in the body, it provides cushion and insulation for the larger organisms in our bodies. All of these macromolecules and monomers are needed to make energy.
(TCO 5) ________ are the major form of fat in both food and the body.
This section will dealt with the main organic molecules in living things: carbohydrates, fats ( lipids ), proteins and nucleic acids.
Cholesterol carries lipid in your blood. Lipids is a fatty tissues found in the membrane of the body tissues, it is a source of fat. It is transported in the blood plasma of the body.
A molecule of dietary fat typically consists of several fatty acids (containing long chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms), bonded to a glycerol. They are typically found as triglycerides (three fatty acids attached to one glycerol backbone). Fats may be classified as saturated or unsaturateddepending on the detailed structure of the fatty acids involved. Saturated fats have all of the carbon atoms in their fatty acid chains bonded to hydrogen atoms, whereas unsaturated fats have some of these carbon atoms double-bonded, so their molecules have relatively fewer hydrogen atoms than a saturated fatty acid of the same length. Unsaturated fats may be further classified as monounsaturated (one double-bond) or polyunsaturated (many double-bonds). Furthermore, depending on the location of the double-bond in the fatty acid chain, unsaturated fatty acids are classified as omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids. Trans fats are a type of unsaturated fat with trans-isomer bonds; these are rare in nature and in foods from natural sources; they are typically created
These four biomolecules are metabolized by the animal body. Each biomolecule is broken down in a different process. The end result of each process is the creation of usable energy for the body. This energy is used to work and generate other chemical reactions that help the body move and think. Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids each provide energy to different places within the body that, in turn, stimulate other chemical reactions to occur, creating a chain reaction of chemical reactions throughout the body. The metabolization of these major
Carbohydrates are the body’s primary source of energy. Without adequate carbohydrates, a person may feel fatigued and weak, as the body looks elsewhere for sources of energy. A severe lack of carbohydrates can deprive critical bodily organs the necessary energy to properly function. Lipids are naturally occurring organic compounds that include fats and oils. An excess of some lipids can increase the chances of certain health problems, lipids are vital nutrients to a healthy body. Lipids are necessary for the absorption of fat soluble vitamins. A diet too low on lipids lowers the level of good cholesterol, decreases the body’s energy level and can disturb the body’s formation of cells and cell functions.
Organic compounds are, by definition, any chemical compound containing carbon. These compounds include carbohydrates, polysaccharides, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Each one of these compounds has a different purpose. Carbohydrates give energy to cells when consumed. Lipids are basically the fats of a cell. Proteins are the building blocks of muscle in a cell. Nucleic acids are used to transfer genetic information from one cell to the other.