Organic Compounds
Organic chemistry – the study of compounds that contain bonds between carbon
atoms
Chemistry of Carbon
Why is carbon special?
- It has 4 valence (outer) electrons to form strong covalent bonds
- Can bond with many elements and itself, including H, O. P, S, and N
- Can form chains and rings to create large complex structures
Macromolecules
- Means “giant molecule”
- Built by a process called polymerization
- Monomers – smaller units of macromolecules
- Polymers – a macromolecule (made of monomers that are similar or different)
- 4 major groups: Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins and Nucleic Acids
Carbohydrates
- Compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, usually in a 1:2:1 ratio
- Primary energy source
- Also used for structural purposes
Monomer
- Simple Sugars
- Monosaccharide – simple sugars, carbohydrate monomer
- Glucose, Galactose, and Fructose
- Disaccharides – two simple sugars joined together
- Ex: table sugar – glucose and fructose
Polymer
Complex Carbohydrates
- Large molecules formed from monosaccharide’s
- Ex: Glycogen “animal starch” store of excess sugar for muscle contraction
- Ex: Starch (stores excess sugar) and Cellulose (for strength)
Lipids
- Made mostly of carbon and hydrogen
- Many different kinds
- Not soluble in water
- Used as a secondary energy source
- Used in biological membranes and waterproof coverings
- Some are used as chemical messengers (ex. Steroids, hormones)
- FATS
- Monomer
- Glycerol
- Fatty Acids
- Polymer
- Triglyceride
- Saturated – No carbon double bonds, saturated with hydrogen in fatty acid
- (solid at room temperature)
- Unsaturated – At least one carbon double bond in fatty acid
- (liquid at room temperature)
- Polyunsaturated – More than one carbon double bond in fatty acid
- (liquid at room temperature)
Nucleic Acids
- Macromolecules containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus
Monomer – Nucleotides
- consists of three parts: 5- carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogen base
Polymer – DNA & RNA
- Used to store and transmit genetic information
- Used to capture and transfer chemical energy short term
Proteins
- Macromolecules that contain nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
Monomers – amino acids
- Made of an amino group on one end and a carboxyl group on the other
- More than 20 are found in nature
- Differ in the R-group which gives each amino acid different properties
- Form covalent, ionic, hydrogen bonds with one another, as well as use van der waals forces to create their unique structure of fold
Peptide bonds – are covalent bonds that link amino acids together
- Does the “work” of the cell
- Used to control the rate of reactions and regulate cell processes
- Used to form cell structures
- Used to transmit substances into and out of cells
- Used to help fight diseases
- The most diverse macromolecules
Water
- One water molecule (H2O), consists of three atoms
- one oxygen (O) and two hydrogen (H2)
Polar = electrical charge
Non-polar = no electrical charge
- The oxygen end “acts” negative
- The hydrogen end “acts” positive
- Causes the water to be POLAR, like a magnet.
Water is held together with hydrogen bonds
- Formed between a highly electronegative atom (like oxygen in another water) of a polar molecule and a hydrogen
- Weak bond, but strong in great numbers
Cohesion
- Attraction between particles of the same substance
- (why water is attracted to itself)
- Results in surface tension (a measure of the strength of water’s surface)
Adhesion
- Attraction between two different substances.
- Water will make hydrogen bonds with other surfaces such as glass, soil, plant tisues, and cotton.
Capillary action
- Water molecules will “tow” each other along when in a thin glass tube.
High Specific Heat
- Amount of heat needed to raise or lower 1g of a substance 1° C.
- Water resists temperature change, both for heating and cooling.
Water is less dense as a solid
Ice floats on liquid water