Organic Compounds
Organic chemistry – the study of compounds that contain bonds between carbon
atoms
Chemistry of Carbon
Why is carbon special?
 It has 4 valence (outer) electrons to form strong covalent bonds
 Can bond with many elements and itself, including H, O. P, S, and N
 Can form chains and rings to create large complex structures
Macromolecules
 Means “giant molecule”
 Built by a process called polymerization
 Monomers – smaller units of macromolecules
 Polymers – a macromolecule (made of monomers that are similar or different)
 4 major groups: Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins and Nucleic Acids
Carbohydrates
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Compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, usually in a 1:2:1 ratio
Primary energy source
Also used for structural purposes
Monomer
 Simple Sugars
 Monosaccharide – simple sugars, carbohydrate monomer
o Glucose, Galactose, and Fructose
 Disaccharides – two simple sugars joined together
o Ex: table sugar – glucose and fructose
Polymer
Complex Carbohydrates
 Large molecules formed from monosaccharide’s
 Ex: Glycogen “animal starch” store of excess sugar for muscle contraction
 Ex: Starch (stores excess sugar) and Cellulose (for strength)
Lipids
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Made mostly of carbon and hydrogen
Many different kinds
Not soluble in water
Used as a secondary energy source
Used in biological membranes and waterproof coverings
Some are used as chemical messengers (ex. Steroids, hormones)
FATS
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Monomer
o Glycerol
o Fatty Acids
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Polymer
o Triglyceride
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Saturated – No carbon double bonds, saturated with hydrogen in fatty acid
o (solid at room temperature)
Unsaturated – At least one carbon double bond in fatty acid
o (liquid at room temperature)
Polyunsaturated – More than one carbon double bond in fatty acid
o (liquid at room temperature)
Nucleic Acids
 Macromolecules containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus
Monomer – Nucleotides
 consists of three parts: 5- carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogen base
Polymer – DNA & RNA
 Used to store and transmit genetic information
 Used to capture and transfer chemical energy short term
Proteins
 Macromolecules that contain nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
Monomers – amino acids
 Made of an amino group on one end and a carboxyl group on the other
 More than 20 are found in nature
 Differ in the R-group which gives each amino acid different properties
 Form covalent, ionic, hydrogen bonds with one another, as well as use van der
waals forces to create their unique structure of fold
Peptide bonds – are covalent bonds that link amino acids together
 Does the “work” of the cell
 Used to control the rate of reactions and regulate cell processes
 Used to form cell structures
 Used to transmit substances into and out of cells
 Used to help fight diseases
 The most diverse macromolecules
Water
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One water molecule (H O), consists of three atoms
2
o one oxygen (O) and two hydrogen (H )
2
Polar = electrical charge
Non-polar = no electrical charge
 The oxygen end “acts” negative
 The hydrogen end “acts” positive
 Causes the water to be POLAR, like a magnet.
Water is held together with hydrogen bonds
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Formed between a highly electronegative atom (like oxygen in another water) of
a polar molecule and a hydrogen
Weak bond, but strong in great numbers
Cohesion
 Attraction between particles of the same substance
o (why water is attracted to itself)
 Results in surface tension (a measure of the strength of water’s surface)
Adhesion
 Attraction between two different substances.
 Water will make hydrogen bonds with other surfaces such as glass, soil, plant
tisues, and cotton.
Capillary action
 Water molecules will “tow” each other along when in a thin glass tube.
High Specific Heat
 Amount of heat needed to raise or lower 1g of a substance 1° C.
 Water resists temperature change, both for heating and cooling.
Water is less dense as a solid
Ice floats on liquid water