¨ Organic chemistry is the study of all compounds that contain bonds between carbon atoms.
The Chemistry of Carbon
¨ Carbon atoms have four valence electrons which form covalent bonds.
¨ Carbon atoms can also bond with other carbon atoms forming chains of unlimited length.
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commonly bonds with hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur,
and nitrogen
¨ Carbon-carbons bonds can be single, double, or triple covalent bonds.
Macromolecules
¨ A macromolecule is a “giant molecule” made
from thousands or hundreds of thousands of smaller molecules.
¨ Macromolecules are formed by a process known as polymerization
which is joining smaller units to make larger ones.
¨ A monomer is the “smaller unit”.
¨ A polymer is many small units linked together.
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smaller units may be identical like the links of a
watch band
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smaller units may be different like the beads in a
multicolored necklace
Carbohydrates
¨ A carbohydrate is a compound made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms in a 1 : 2 :
1 ratio.
¨ Main source of energy for living things
¨ A monosaccharide is a simple sugar molecule.
· glucose comes from photosynthesis in plants and cellular respiration
in animals
· galactose comes from milk
· fructose comes from fruit and is the sweetest
¨ A disaccharide is a molecule formed
from two monosaccharides.
· sucrose is found in sugar cane and sugar beets
· lactose is milk sugar (glucose + galactose)
¨ A polysaccharide is a large molecule
formed from three or more monosaccharides.
¨ Three types of polysaccharides:
· Glycogen is stored glucose or animal starch
· Starch is stored glucose or
plant starch
· Cellulose gives plants strength and rigidity
Lipids
¨ A lipid is a fatty compound made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
¨ Lipids come in three types:
· Triglycerides
a. oils – liquid at room temperature and usually found in plants
b. fats – solid at room temperature and usually found in animals
· Waxes are long chain fatty acids joined to a long alcohol chain
and highly waterproof
-plants
– protective covering
-animals
– also protective layer (earwax)
· Steroids don’t dissolve in water and are found in hormones,
nerve tissue, toad venom and plant poison.
¨ Important parts of biological membranes (cell membrane) and waterproof coverings
¨ Formed when a glycerol molecule combines with a fatty acid
¨ Saturated is used when fatty acids are joined by a single bond.
¨ Unsaturated is used when there is at least one carbon to carbon double bond.
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olive oil
¨ Polyunsaturated is used when there is more than one double bond.
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corn oil, sesame oil and peanut oil
Nucleic Acids
¨ A nucleic acid is a macromolecule containing
hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus.
¨ The monomers are nucleotides joined by covalent bonds.
¨ A nucleotide consists of three parts:
· a 5-carbon sugar (deoxyribose or ribose)
· a phosphate group
· a nitrogenous base
¨ Stores and transmits hereditary, or genetic information
¨ There are two kinds:
· DNA (deoxyribonulcleic acid)
· RNA (ribonucleic acid)
Proteins
¨ A protein is a macromolecule that contains nitrogen as well as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
¨ The monomers are amino acids which have an amino group at one
end and a carboxyl group at the other end.
¨ 20 amino acids share the same basic structure except where the R-group is bonded.
¨ Some R-groups are acidic and basic, polar and non polar or some contain carbon rings.
¨ DNA codes the arrangement of amino acids for the formation of proteins.
¨ Roles of proteins might be:
· control the rate of reactions
· regulate cell processes
· form muscle and bones
· transport substances into and out of the cells
· help fight diseases
¨ Proteins can have four levels of organization:
1. the sequence of amino acids in a protein chain
2. the amino acids within a chain can be twisted or folded
3. the chain itself is folded
4. when there is more than one chain, they have specific arrangement in space
¨ Van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds help maintain a protein’s shape.
