Slide 1 - Nucleic Acids and Carbohydrates

Slide 2 - Review

• Proteins are polymers made of long chains of amino acids
• Proteins are extremely diverse because there are 20 different amino acids that can arrange themselves in endless combinations
• Four important proteins include muscle, antibodies, markers, and enzymes

Slide 3 - Review, continued

• Enzymes are special proteins that speed up chemical reactions
• Enzymes fit together with their substrate like a “lock and key”
• At the end of a chemical reaction, the enzyme is unchanged; the substrate has been changed into a product
• Conditions like temperature and pH can affect how enzymes do their jobs; extreme temperatures and pH can denature an enzyme (“destroy”)

Slide 4 - Four Types of Macromolecules

• Proteins
• Nucleic Acids
• Carbohydrates
• Lipids

Slide 5 - NUCLEIC ACIDS

• Nucleic acids are organic compounds found in all living things
• They contain the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus
• They are polymers built of long chains of monomers called nucleotides

Slide 6 - Function (job) of Nucleic Acids

• Nucleic acids are used to store and transmit genetic information (parent  child)
• Examples include DNA and RNA

Slide 7 - CARBOHYDRATES

• All carbohydrates contain the elements carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O).
• Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for living things.
• Simple sugars provide immediate energy
• Complex carbohydrates (starches) provide long-term energy

Slide 8 - Length of Carbohydrate Chains

• The longer the “chain” the longer-lasting the energy

Slide 9 - Simple Sugars

• Sugars are carbohydrate monomers.
• Glucose, fructose, and sucrose are examples.
• Fastest, most immediate source of energy (+)
• Burned / used up quickly (-)
• Found in foods that are sweet!

Slide 10 - Complex Carbohydrates

• Complex carbohydrates are polymers
• Starch, cellulose (“fiber”) and glycogen are examples
• Long-lasting energy; burned/used slowly (+)
• Takes some time to release energy (-)
• Found in potatoes, breads, pastas, and grains (starchy foods)

Slide 11 - Dehydration and Hydrolysis Reactions

• Example of a dehydration reaction:
• Potato plant makes starch out of sugars (from photosynthesis)
• Example of a hydrolysis reaction:
• Your digestive system breaks down starch from
• French fries you ate

Slide 12 - Summary

• Nucleic Acids: polymers (monomers = nucleotides)
• Store and transmit genetic information
• Carbohydrates: polymers (“complex”) (monomers = sugars)
• Mostly used for energy (longer chain = longer energy!)
• Many are “ring shaped” (you should be able to recognize a carbohydrate if you saw a picture of the chemical structure!)