Biology Lec: Chapter 5

Macromolecules

Are large molecules and are complex

Monomers

Repeating units that serve as building blocks

Enzymes

Are specialized macromolecules that speed up chemical reactions such as those that make or break down polymers

Dehydration reaction

occurs when 2 monomers bond together through the loss of a water molecule

Hydrolysis

a reaction that is essentially the reverse of the dehydration reaction

Cabohydrates

includes sugars and the polymers of sugars

Monosaccharides

have molecular formulas that are usually multiples of CH2O

Glucose

The most common monosaccharide

Disaccharide

is formed when dehydration reactions joins 2 monosaccharides

Polysaccharides

The polymers of sugars, have storage and structural roles

Starch

A storage polysaccharide of plants consist of glucose monomers

Glycogen

Is a storage polysaccharide in animals

Cellulose

is a major component of the touch wall fo plant cells

Chitin

Another structural polysaccharide, is found in the exoskeleton of arthropods

Lipids

are the one class of large biological molecules that not include true polymers

Fats

Are constructed from 2 types of smaller molecules: glycerol and fatty acids

fatty acid

consists of a carboxyl group attached to a long carbon skeleton

Saturated fatty acids

have the maximum number of hydrogen atoms possible and no double bonds

Unsaturrated fatty acids

have one or more double bonds

Hydrogenation

is the process of converting unsaturated fats to saturated fats by adding hydrogen

Tans fats

May contribute more than saturated fats to cardiovascular disease

phospholipid

2 fatty acids and a phosphate group are attached to glycerol

Steroids

are lipids characterized by a carbon skeleton consisting of 4 fused rings

Cholesterol

A type of steroid is a component in animal cell membranes and a precursor from which other steroids are synthesized