The Four Major Biological Macromolecules

1. Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen make up carbohydrates. Small carbs contain twice as many hydrogen atoms as oxygen atoms; simple sugars, called monosaccharides, are the basic building blocks for

Atoms are the basic units of matter and all life is based on them. Life on earth is based on the element carbon. It is a highly versatile atom able to form four covalent bonds with itself or other atoms such as hydrogen and water. Atoms combine to form molecules and those that are carbon based are referred to as organic molecules. Organic molecules occur in four different types in living cells; carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. They are also known as hydrocarbons due to the presence of both hydrogen and carbon. Carbohydrates are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in the ratio 1:2:1. They are important sources of energy and are classified in three main groups; monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides.

Biomolecules are present in every living organism. Larger biomolecules (macromolecules) consists of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. In layman’s terms, proteins are long chains of amino acids that have many functions such as, providing structural support and regulating many body processes. Lipids are the scientific term used for fats. There are many different types of fats, but they all share one common characteristic: They are not soluble in water. Lipids provide protection and insulation to organs and also act as an energy source. Carbohydrates are made up of carbon, hydrogen,

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.

(Driskell 29) These simple carbohydrates are easily broken down, converted into glucose for the body and easily flow into the blood stream. The downside to this form of carbohydrates is that they are most common in the form of refined sugars or refined flours which retain very few vitamins after being processed. (“HealthStyle Fitness”) As the body uses this form of glucose a cycle begins which involves fluctuations of high and low blood sugar. This cycle works when blood sugar rises after the consumption of simple carbs and then as the blood sugar begins to drop the body demands more simple carbs to bring blood sugar levels back to up. The cycle that is formed essentially keeps the body from burning body fat because there is a continuous demand and consumption of simple carbohydrates. The second form of carbohydrates is that of complex carbohydrates which consist of polysaccharides, three or more monosaccharides. These complex carbs are found in the form of starch, fiber and glycogen (animal starch). Those complex carbohydrates consumed in the form of starch are found in plant foods like corn, wheat, potatoes, cereals, pastas, and beans. When they are broken down these carbs allow for the slow production and release of glucose into the blood stream and allowing for a consistent blood sugar level. (Guthrie 27) Dietary fiber is another form of complex carbs which are present in plant foods because fiber is

3. State the name and structure of the functional group for each type of biologically

Carbohydrates are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Carbohydrates can come from fruits, vegetables, and grains. There are two different kinds of carbohydrates. The first being simple carbohydrates, which are sugars. Glucose, fructose, and galactose fall under the sugar category. Then you have your complex carbohydrates, which are starch in grains, glycogen stored in our muscles, and fiber. When it comes to energy within our body glucose is a major source of energy. When our body does not get enough carbohydrates to supply enough glucose, our body will make glucose from proteins. I applied this to my life by making sure I eat fruits, vegetables, and grains to get my carbohydrates every single

Carbohydrates are macromolecules which and contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen (C,H,O). There are also two types of sugars, sweet soluble and starches which are non-soluble. Sugars can also be single or simple sugars.Carbohydrates can be found in a wide variety of foods such as pasta, wheat and grains, rice, potatoes, fruits and sugars. Carbohydrates are broken down into

Macromolecules come in the forms of lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates. These 4 types of macromolecules are in everything we eat like grains, protein, fruits and vegetables, and dairy. During the week of September 12 through September 18 I used the Super Tracker app to record my daily calorie intake. The program recorded every single food and liquid item I ate and created a graph to show how much of each food group I ate in a day. Sometimes I had more dairy than vegetables, sometimes I had more fruits than grains. Every day was different. I sometimes went over the daily limit of saturated fat or sugars. Sometimes I went under the suggested amount that I should have in a day. By recording and understanding which macromolecules I consumed in a day, I could understand how my body is functioning after certain types of macromolecules went into my system. I could also see what kinds of foods I should be eating more or less of to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Dehydration-synthesis is a reaction that occurs to form different types of macromolecules. It is a reaction that leaves a macromolecule structure along the lines of developing its own specific function in a living organism. The 4 most common ones are carbohydrates which includes monosaccharides and polysaccharides, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids (Mack 2012). Scientists identify different types of macromolecules to achieve a better understanding on how they function in our bodies. This can be achieved by studying their chemical properties and structure.

A macromolecule is a large molecule composed of small molecular units called monomers that are linked to together in long chains called polymers. Lipids are hydrophobic, non polar macromolecules that insulate organs, store energy, and make up cell membranes. Their monomers are called triglycerides. Proteins are another example of macromolecules. Made up of monomers called amino acids held together by peptide bonds, proteins provide structural support, defense, and cell regulation. The third macromolecule that is going to be tested for are carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, such as sugars and starches, are needed for energy storage and are made up of monomers called monosaccharides.

First of all, let’s discuss the carbohydrate molecule, which contains carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms. Carbohydrates are the most important source of energy for our body and our digestive system changes carbohydrates into glucose (sugar). Carbohydrates contain monosaccharides (one simple sugar), disaccharides (two simple sugars), and polysaccharides (many simple sugars). These simple sugars are joined by glycosidic bonds to form

There are four types of biomolecules, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Carbohydrates are large chains of sugar found in food and living tissues. This includes sugars, starch, and cellulose. They have the same ratio of hydrogen and oxygen that water has, 2:1. They are broken down to release energy in the animal body. Lipids are any organic compounds that are fatty acids and don’t dissolve in water but do in organic solvents. Fatty acids can be found in natural oils, waxes, and steroids. Proteins are macromolecules that do everything in the cell. They are tools and machines that make things happen. Nucleic acids are long strands of nucleotides, and function primarily in storage and transmission of genetic information. There are two types of nucleic acids, DNA and RNA. DNA is the genetic material of all cellular organisms, and RNA sends out messages from the information that is held in the DNA.

Most organic compounds in living organisms are carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids they are called macromolecules. Each of these macromolecules is made of smaller subunits. These subunits are linked by dehydration synthesis. Dehydration synthesis is an energy requiring process in which a molecule of water is removing and the two subunits are boded

The term ‘’Carbohydrates’’ is defined as the carbon compounds which contains hydroxyl groups in large quantities (King, 2013). Carbohydrates are those organic compounds which have the empirical formula CnH2nOn, or (CH2O)n (Fromm 1997). Carbohydrates are one of the four types of organic compounds in living cells that are produces during photosynthesis and are the important source of energy in both plants and animals (Ahmed 2014). They are built from monosaccharides. These monosacchradies are the small molecules that consists of three to nine carbon atoms and differ in size and in the stereochemical configuration at one or more carbon centers. The simplest carbohydrates also contain either an aldehyde or ketone compounds (freeman 2002). Carbohydrates are classified as simple and complex carbohydrates. The classification of carbohtdydrates is based on the chemical structure of the food and how fast it absorbs. Simple carbohydrates contains single or double sugars in their chemical structure whereas complex carbohydrates consists of three or more sugars (ahmed 2014). There are four major types of carbohydrates depending on their chemical composition.