Structure and Function of Macromolecules Within a Living Organism

1. Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen make up carbohydrates. Small carbs contain twice as many hydrogen atoms as oxygen atoms; simple sugars, called monosaccharides, are the basic building blocks for

Atoms are the basic units of matter and all life is based on them. Life on earth is based on the element carbon. It is a highly versatile atom able to form four covalent bonds with itself or other atoms such as hydrogen and water. Atoms combine to form molecules and those that are carbon based are referred to as organic molecules. Organic molecules occur in four different types in living cells; carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. They are also known as hydrocarbons due to the presence of both hydrogen and carbon. Carbohydrates are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in the ratio 1:2:1. They are important sources of energy and are classified in three main groups; monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides.

The most common macromolecules found in living organisms are lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and nucleic acids. Briefly, the meaning of macromolecules is that they normally contain two or more molecules in them and their main functions are to store energy, information and much more. Most foods are known to be combinations of macromolecules. While some of these compounds can be detected by taste tests, many cannot. Scientists then use certain tests to determine the presence of macromolecules.

2. Cellular level- molecules, in turn, associate in specific ways to form organelles, basic components of the microscopic cells. Cells are smallest units of living things.

(Driskell 29) These simple carbohydrates are easily broken down, converted into glucose for the body and easily flow into the blood stream. The downside to this form of carbohydrates is that they are most common in the form of refined sugars or refined flours which retain very few vitamins after being processed. (“HealthStyle Fitness”) As the body uses this form of glucose a cycle begins which involves fluctuations of high and low blood sugar. This cycle works when blood sugar rises after the consumption of simple carbs and then as the blood sugar begins to drop the body demands more simple carbs to bring blood sugar levels back to up. The cycle that is formed essentially keeps the body from burning body fat because there is a continuous demand and consumption of simple carbohydrates. The second form of carbohydrates is that of complex carbohydrates which consist of polysaccharides, three or more monosaccharides. These complex carbs are found in the form of starch, fiber and glycogen (animal starch). Those complex carbohydrates consumed in the form of starch are found in plant foods like corn, wheat, potatoes, cereals, pastas, and beans. When they are broken down these carbs allow for the slow production and release of glucose into the blood stream and allowing for a consistent blood sugar level. (Guthrie 27) Dietary fiber is another form of complex carbs which are present in plant foods because fiber is

a. Proteins- macromolecules made of amino acids. Proteins have many functions in the body. Some sources of proteins are whole-grain cereals, dark breads,rice, beans, and meat.

Carbohydrates are macromolecules which and contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen (C,H,O). There are also two types of sugars, sweet soluble and starches which are non-soluble. Sugars can also be single or simple sugars.Carbohydrates can be found in a wide variety of foods such as pasta, wheat and grains, rice, potatoes, fruits and sugars. Carbohydrates are broken down into

A macromolecule can be any of a general selection of molecules, such as: proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and

Carbs are found in in grains, fruits and vegetables such as wheat, corn, rice and cassava.

Macromolecules BCM 261 10/13/2014 Caroline Venter 13019865 Introduction Background Many of the molecules that are crucial in living organisms and systems are very large and are usually made up of macromolecules. Macromolecules are organic molecules with a large molecular mass and consist of repeating units called monomers. These repeating monomers are formed via condensation or dehydration reactions (loss of water or other small molecules in order to join two molecules) and usually each have a small molecular mass which contributes to the overall large molecular mass of macromolecules (Jenkins, Kratochvíl, Stepto, & Suter, 2009).

The so small thing that is being talked about is a cell. This is because even though a cell is so small inside our body, there are many different complications it can generate while processing. There are 4 main organic compound molecules that make up a cell which are Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins and Nucleic Acids. Each of these different molecules have individual jobs in parts of cell while transferring transferring information.These molecules are what help with the structure and function of a cell. Carbohydrates are what provides the cells with energy, they contain simple sugars and glucose which helps cells to create cellular energy. Lipids are what follow Carbohydrates, they generate energy storage for the cell. They also provide shape

Carbohydrates are one of the big four macromolecules. They are organic compounds often found in food and living tissue. All carbohydrates consist of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Simple sugars, known as monosaccharides, are the monomers of carbohydrates. This means that they are the building blocks for all carbohydrates. Examples of monosaccharides include glucose, fructose, and galactose. These sugars are combined to form disaccharides, or two sugars. Disaccharides form when two monosaccharides bind using the process of dehydration synthesis. Examples of disaccharides are sucrose, maltose, and lactose. The monomers of sucrose are glucose and fructose. The monomers of maltose are glucose and glucose. The monomers of lactose are galactose and fructose. The binding of multiple monosaccharides and disaccharides form polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are considered the polymers of carbohydrates. Examples of polysaccharides include starch, cellulose, and

There are four types of biomolecules, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Carbohydrates are large chains of sugar found in food and living tissues. This includes sugars, starch, and cellulose. They have the same ratio of hydrogen and oxygen that water has, 2:1. They are broken down to release energy in the animal body. Lipids are any organic compounds that are fatty acids and don’t dissolve in water but do in organic solvents. Fatty acids can be found in natural oils, waxes, and steroids. Proteins are macromolecules that do everything in the cell. They are tools and machines that make things happen. Nucleic acids are long strands of nucleotides, and function primarily in storage and transmission of genetic information. There are two types of nucleic acids, DNA and RNA. DNA is the genetic material of all cellular organisms, and RNA sends out messages from the information that is held in the DNA.

Most organic compounds in living organisms are carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids they are called macromolecules. Each of these macromolecules is made of smaller subunits. These subunits are linked by dehydration synthesis. Dehydration synthesis is an energy requiring process in which a molecule of water is removing and the two subunits are boded

The term ‘’Carbohydrates’’ is defined as the carbon compounds which contains hydroxyl groups in large quantities (King, 2013). Carbohydrates are those organic compounds which have the empirical formula CnH2nOn, or (CH2O)n (Fromm 1997). Carbohydrates are one of the four types of organic compounds in living cells that are produces during photosynthesis and are the important source of energy in both plants and animals (Ahmed 2014). They are built from monosaccharides. These monosacchradies are the small molecules that consists of three to nine carbon atoms and differ in size and in the stereochemical configuration at one or more carbon centers. The simplest carbohydrates also contain either an aldehyde or ketone compounds (freeman 2002). Carbohydrates are classified as simple and complex carbohydrates. The classification of carbohtdydrates is based on the chemical structure of the food and how fast it absorbs. Simple carbohydrates contains single or double sugars in their chemical structure whereas complex carbohydrates consists of three or more sugars (ahmed 2014). There are four major types of carbohydrates depending on their chemical composition.