BIOMOLECULES

 Biomolecules are compounds present in a living system such as the human body. These biomolecules are
important for the proper functioning of the system.
 Biomolecules are responsible for forming living systems. They maintain and regulate the functioning of an
organism, be it a human, an animal, of a plant.
 Biomolecules are large molecules that serve as building blocks of life and provide structural components of cells.
They are combinations of many smaller molecules joined together in chainlike structures.
Examples of biomolecules:

 Proteins
 Carbohydrates
 Lipids
 Nucleic acids
Biomolecules are organic compounds, the three common elements present in them are carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and
oxygen (O).
Carbohydrates
 Carbohydrates literally means ‘carbon with water’.
 Most abundant biomolecules in the in the biosphere.
 Carbohydrates composed primarily of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
 Carbohydrates are present in cereals, grains such as rice, bread, noodles, and fruits.
 Carbohydrates are the primary sources of energy in the body.

Classification of Carbohydrates
 Monosaccharides
 Oligosaccharide
 Polysaccharide

Monosaccharides
- Considered the simplest sugars.
- Common examples are glucose, fructose, and galactose

o Glucose
- Also called as dextrose
- Starting material for cellular respiration and the primary source of energy for metabolic
activities in the cells. It is called blood sugar.

o Fructose
- Often called as ‘fruit sugar’ or ‘levulose’
- Considered as the sweetest of all sugar units.
- Found in most sweet fruits, in honey, and in corn syrup.

o Galactose
- Found in biological systems as a component of milk, usually in mammals.

Oligosaccharides
- Contains two or more simple sugar units that are linked together.
- Common oligosaccharides are the disaccharides, which contain only two simple sugar units.
- Sucrose, lactose, and maltose are some common disaccharide.

o Sucrose
- an important carbohydrate in plants.
- This is water soluble sugar and easily transported in plants.
- Sucrose is commonly known as table sugar, cane sugar, or beet sugar.
o Lactose
- Also known as ‘milk sugar’
- Formed from glucose and galactose units.
- This is the main sugar component in the milk of most mammals.

o Maltose
- Also known as ‘malt sugar’
- Composed of two glucose units.
 - It is found in malt, the grain used in brewing beer.
- It tastes only about one-third as sweet as sucrose.

Polysaccharide
- Largest and most complex carbohydrates.
- They contain many simple sugar units linked together.
- Common examples of polysaccharides are starch, glycogen, and cellulose.

o Starch
- Serves as a major source of energy for animals and humans.
- Plants store energy in the form of starch while animals and humans store energy in the form of
glycogen.
- In plants, starch is considered the glucose storage found in grains and cereals, potatoes, and
beans.

o Cellulose
- Contains approximately 3 000 glucose units.
- This is a component of plant cell wall.
- Most animals and also humans have enzymes for breaking starch but do not have enzymes for
breaking down cellulose.
- Thus eating seaweeds and fibrous plant foods (which are mostly cellulose and water) will not
give you much energy.
- Other animals like goats and cattle (called ruminants) are able to digest cellulose because the
bacteria in their digestive tract have enzymes, cellulose, that can break down cellulose.
- Cellulose are generally used in papermaking, for production of rayon, photographic films, and
nitrocellulose, or guncotton.

Proteins
 Are complex biomolecules that contain amino acids.
 Most abundant in the cells.
 They perform wide variety of functions. One of them is that they serve as defense proteins such as antibodies,
enzymes and structural proteins.
 Regulate cell functions such as those in metabolism and reproduction.
 Act as mechanical support for bones, tendons, and skin, such as the keratin in our hair and nails.
 Give nutrients, especially for infants.

Amino Acids
- Building block of proteins.

Non-essential Amino Acids

1. Alanine Essential Amino Acids
2. Arginine 1. Histidine
3. Asparagine 2. Isoleucine
4. Aspartic acid 3. Leucine
5. Cysteine 4. Methionine
6. Glutamic acid 5. Phenylalanine
7. Glutamine 6. Threonine
8. Glycine 7. Tryptophan
9. Proline 8. Lysine
10. Serine 9. Valine
11. Tyrosine

Lipids
 Are large and diverse group of naturally occurring biomolecules, they are hydrophobic which means they are
insoluble in water.
 Some main functions of lipids include energy storage, hormones, and cell membranes.

Types of Lipids
1. Triglycerides
- Found in both plants and animals. Solid triglycerides are classified as fats while liquid
triglycerides are classified as oils.
2. Steroids
 - Acts as hormone, like testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen. Cholesterol is a steroid and is
one of the most plentiful lipids in our body.
3. Phospholipids
- A major components of cell membrane.

Nucleic Acid
 Also called polynucleotides
 Are large molecules used by living organism for the storage and transmission of genetic information.
 They are linear sequences that code for hereditary traits by controlling the production of proteins.
 Nucleic acids are polymers containing the basic units called nucleotides, which govern the essential of life.

Types of Nucleic Acid

1. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
- Main carrier of genetic information
2. Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
- A copy of portion of the DNA and becomes the template for the production of specific protein.
Nucleotide
- Monomer of a nucleic acid
- Considered one of the most important agents of cell metabolism

Components of Nucleotide
1. Nitrogenous bases
- Two type of nitrogen bases are (1) Purine and (2) Pyrimidine
- Purine bases are Adenine (A) and Guanine (G)
- Pyrimidine bases are Cytosine (C) and Thymine (T)

2. Five-carbon sugar
3. Phosphate group

CHEMICAL EQUATION
 Short way of describing a chemical reaction in which symbols of the elements and the formulas of compounds
represents the change.
 It is a process wherein one or more substances are converted into new substances with different physical and
chemical properties.
 A chemical reaction is always accompanied by a chemical change.

Four General Types of Chemical Reactions

1. Combination Reaction
- When two or more substances combine to form a single product, the reaction is called
combination or synthesis. The general form for combination reaction is

A + B AB

2. Decomposition Reaction
- In decomposition reaction, a single compound is broken down into two or more simple
substances. A decomposition reaction is the reverse of combination reaction. The general form
for this reaction is shown as

AB A + B

3. Single Replacement Reaction

- In a single replacement or displacement reaction, an element replaces another element in a
compound. The general equation of this reaction is

A + BC AC + B

4. Double Replacement Reaction

- Sometimes called double displacement reaction, exchange reaction, or ionic reaction. In this
reaction, two compounds exchange cations produce two different compounds. The general
equation for a double replacement is
AB + CD AD + CB

Prepared by:

Sir Jemuel B. Lagarto