Biomolecules

Biomolecules
Major
Categories of
Biomolecules
BIOMOLECULES
• There are certain complex organic

molecules which form the basis of life.
These substances are part of the
chemical composition of all living
organisms. These substances are also
required for their growth, maintenance
and even for survival in extreme
environment conditions.
Main Classes of
Biomolecules
• Carbohydrates
• proteins
• Lipids
• nucleic acids.
Macromolecules
large molecules composed of thousands of covalently

connected atoms.
Six (6) most common elements
that can be found in biomolecules
• CHNOPS or CHONSP elements

• C - arbon
• H -ydrogen
• N -itrogen
• O -xygen
• P -hosporous
• S -ulfur
Carbohydrates
• These molecules are comprised

of the elements carbon (C),
hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O).
Commonly, these molecules are
known as sugars. Carbohydrates
can range in size from very
small to very large. Like all the
other biomolecules,
carbohydrates are often built
into long chains by stringing
together smaller units.
•This works like adding beads to
a bracelet to make it longer. The
general term for a single unit or
bead is a monomer. The term for
a long string of monomers is a
polymer.
• Examples of carbohydrates
include the sugars found in milk
(lactose) and table sugar
(sucrose).
•Carbohydrates are chemically defined
as polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones or
compounds which produce them on
hydrolysis. In layman’s terms, we
acknowledge carbohydrates as sugars or
substances that taste sweet. They are
collectively called as saccharides
(Greek: sakcharon = sugar). Depending
on the number of sugar units,
carbohydrates can be as
monosaccharides (1 sugar unit),
oligosaccharides (2-10 sugar units) and
or polysaccharides (more than 10 sugar
units).
SUGAR
•Carbohydrates
•have several functions in cells. They
are an excellent source of energy for
the many different activities going on
in our cells.
•Some carbohydrates may have a
structural function. For example, the
material that makes plants stand tall
and gives wood its tough properties,
is a polymer form of glucose known
as cellulose.
• Other types of sugar polymers
make up the stored forms of energy
known as starch and glycogen.
• Starch is found in plant products
such as potatoes, and glycogen is
found in animals.
Proteins
are another class of indispensable biomolecules, which make up around 50
percent of the cellular dry weight.
 Proteins are comprised of the elements carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen and
sometimes sulfur.
 Proteins are polymers of amino acids, arranged in the form of chain called
polypeptide.
 Depending on how the structure of a protein is arranged, it gives rise to a
certain level of structural organization.
 The level can be classified as
 primary,
 secondary,
 tertiary
quaternary
Proteins play both structural and dynamic roles.
• They help form many of the structural features of the body including hair,
nails and muscles.
• Myosin is the protein that allows movement by contraction of muscles
• Proteins are also present as a major component of cell membranes.
• Being part of cell membranes, proteins act as carriers or channels, facilitating
the movement of ions and molecules in and out of the cells. Ions like sodium,
potassium and chloride, molecules like glucose are maintained at proper
concentration for cells to function normally.
• Proteins also acts as catalyst.
• A large group of proteins, known as enzymes, enable the cells to carry out
chemical reactions fast.
• In order for the organism to maintain growth and survival, the food being
consumed must be converted to energy at an appreciable rate.
Lipids
The term lipid refers to a wide variety of biomolecules including
fats, oils, waxes and steroid hormones.
• Regardless of their structure, location or function in a cell/body, all lipids share
common features that enable them to be grouped together.
• They do not dissolve in water; they are hydrophobic.
• The hydrophobic nature of the lipids dictates many of their uses in biological
systems.
• Lipids are composed primarily of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and
sulfur (lipids also contain nitrogen in some cases).
• Fats are a good source of stored energy while oils and waxes are used to form
protective layers on our skin, preventing infection.
• Some lipids, the steroid hormones, are important regulators of cell activity.
• The activities of steroid hormones such as estrogen have been implicated in
cancers of the female reproductive system.
Nucleic Acids
•Nucleic acid,
• naturally occurring chemical compound that is
capable of being broken down to yield
phosphoric acid, sugars, and a mixture of
organic bases (purines and pyrimidines).
• Nucleic acids are the main information-
carrying molecules of the cell, and, by
directing the process of protein synthesis, they
determine the inherited characteristics of every
living thing.
• These molecules are comprised of elements
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and
nitrogen.
• The two main classes of nucleic acids are
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic
acid (RNA).
DNA is the master blueprint for life and
constitutes the genetic material in all freeliving
organisms and most viruses.
 DNA contains the information on what proteins
will be created. On the other hand, RNA is the one
responsible to create the proteins based on the
information given by the DNA.
 RNA is the genetic material of certain viruses,
but it is also found in all living cells.
Nucleic acids are polynucleotides—
that is, long chainlike molecules
composed of a series of nearly
identical building blocks called
nucleotides.
Each nucleotide consists of a nitrogen-containing aromatic base
attached to a pentose (five-carbon) sugar, which is in turn attached to a
phosphate group.
 Each nucleic acid contains four of five possible nitrogen-containing
bases:
 adenine (A),
 guanine (G),
 cytosine (C),
 thymine (T), and
 uracil (U).
 A and G are categorized as purines, while C, T, and U are
collectively called pyrimidines.
•Biomolecules have a single basic
building unit called a monomer. It comes
from the Greek words monos, meaning
"single" and meros meaning "part”.
•A monomer is a single unit forming a long chain of
molecules creating a repeated pattern. The long chain
molecule is now composed of many atoms. Monomers
are joined together to form polymers. The prefix “-poly”
comes from the Greek word polus, meaning “many”, so
polymer means "many parts." This is a long molecule
consisting of many similar building blocks, or a repeated
pattern of various building blocks.

Biomolecules

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Biomolecules

• There are certain complex organic

large molecules composed of thousands of covalently

• CHNOPS or CHONSP elements

• These molecules are comprised

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