Biomolecule Review

Macromolecule (Biomolecule) Review

by Missy Jones

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Organic molecules are the molecules which exist in all living things. They are life’s building  blocks. All things are formed from these organic molecules. There are four categories of  organic molecules: Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. 

Multiple Select

 How are organic molecules related to all living things?

• All things are formed from organic molecules

• They are life's building blocks

• organic molecules exist in all living things

Multiple Choice

Name four categories of organic molecules which form the basis of all living things. 

• Proteins, fatty acids, sugar, lipids

• Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins and Nucleic Acids

• Organic matter, organic materials, sugars, fatty acids

• Carbohydrates, fatty acids, proteins, sugar

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Organic molecules have four common characteristics. First, they are all carbon based,  meaning they all contain carbon. They are formed from just a few elements which join  together to form small molecules which join together, or bond, to form large molecules. 

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The third characteristic of all organic molecules is that each is kind of organic molecule is  built from a single type of building block. For example, the building block of carbohydrates  is sugar, the building block of lipids is fatty acids, the building block of protein is amino  acids and the building block of nucleic acids is the nucleotide. When these building blocks  are joined together, they form a large molecule (polymer), just as bricks joined together  form a wall. For example, sugars join together form a carbohydrate. 

Multiple Choice

 All of the organic molecules are based on which element?

• Sugars

• Protein

• Carbon

• Fatty Acids

Multiple Choice

Many times, the small molecules join together to form?

• Fancy Molecules

• Medium Molecules

• Large Molecules

Multiple Choice

How are the building blocks of organic molecules like bricks?

• They come apart form small molecules

• They join together and form a large molecule (polymer)

• They joint together and then break apart

Multiple Choice

What is the building block of each of the four classes of organic molecules?

• Carbohydrates = sugar

  Lipids = Fatty Acids

  Protein = Amino Acids

  Nucleic Acids = Nucleotide

• Carbohydrates = Fatty Acids

  Lipids =Amino Acids

  Protein = sugars

  Nucleic Acids = Nucleotide

• Carbohydrates = Amino Acids

  Lipids = Fatty Acids

  Protein = sugar

  Nucleic Acids = Nucleotide

Multiple Choice

What is a polymer?

• Single Molecule

• Small molecules

• Large Molecules formed from bonded smaller molecules

• Fatty Acids

​The last common characteristic of all organic molecules is that their form determines  their function. That means that their shape determines how they will behave and how they  will react with other molecules. For example, the order of amino acids in a protein will  determine the shape and function of the protein just as the order of words in a sentence  shapes the meaning of the sentence.

Multiple Choice

What determines how organic molecules will look and behave?

• Their function

• Their shape or form

Multiple Choice

Which of the four below is not one of the common characteristics of all organic molecules?

• They are carbon based

• Each is kind of organic molecule is built form a single type of building block

• Their form determines their function

• They all have amino acids

​Carbohydrates

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Carbohydrates are the most common organic molecule because they make up most plant matter. They are made from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Their building block a single sugar called a monosaccharide. Sugars (monosaccharides) consist of carbon rings. 

When two monosaccharides, or sugars, combine, they form a  disaccharide (di = two). When more than two monosaccharides join together, a polysaccharide (poly = many) is formed.

Multiple Choice

What are the elements contained in carbohydrates?

• Carbon, hydrogen and Oxygen

• Hydrogen, Carbon and Oxygen

• Oxygen, Hydrogen and Carbon

• All answers are correct

Multiple Choice

What is the building block of carbohydrates?

• Lipids

• Fatty Acids

• Monosaccharide

• Nucleic Acid

Multiple Choice

What is a monosaccharide? 

• Multiple Sugars

• A single Sugar

• A group of sugars

• A disaccharide

Multiple Choice

What is a disaccharide?

• When polysaccharides combine

• When two monosaccharides combine

• When two monosaccharides separate

• When two or more monosaccharides combine

Multiple Choice

How does a polysaccharide differ from a disaccharide?

• When more than two monosaccharides join together

• When only two monosaccharides join together

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There are three classes of carbohydrate polysaccharides. The first is starch. Starch is a  carbohydrate used in food storage in plants. Potatoes, pasta and rice are rich in starch.  Starches are very valuable because they provide a quick form of energy for the body. The  second is glycogen. Glycogen is used for food storage in animals. The third is cellulose.  Cellulose is used for structural support in plants (stems, leaves).  

Multiple Choice

What are the three classes of carbohydrates?

• Starch, Cellulose, Peptides

• Glycogen, Starch, acids

• Starch, Protein, Lipids

• Starch, Glycogen, Cellulose

Multiple Choice

 Which involves food storage in plants?

• Starch

• Glycogen

• Cellulose

Multiple Choice

Which involves food storage in animals?

• Starch

• Glycogen

• Cellulose

Multiple Choice

Which involves structural support in plants?

• Starch

• Glycogen

• Cellulose

Multiple Choice

Why would an athlete have a big pasta dinner the night before a race?

• Starch provides quick energy for the body

• Starch gives athletes extra muscle

• Starches provide hydration for the body

​Sugars can be detected in foods through a simple lab test. To find out if a food contains  starch, iodine (a reagent) is placed on the food. A food containing starch will turn black  when in contact with iodine. A test for simple sugars involves mixing the food with a liquid  blue reagent called Benedict’s solution and then heating the mixture. If the food is  positive for simple sugars, the heating process will cause the benedict’s solution to turn  red, orange, or green.

​Lipids

​Lipids are a class of organic molecules which includes fats and oils, and has the function of long-term storage of energy in the body. The building block of lipids is the fatty  acid, which is a chain of carbons with hydrogen attached to each side. Saturated fats have  two carbons attached to each carbon (except the one at the end). Saturated fats are  unhealthy fats like butter and Crisco. Unsaturated fats are missing at least one hydrogen  and are kinked in shape. The unsaturated fats are healthy, and include oils. 

Multiple Choice

What is the building block of lipids?

• Carbohydrates

• Starch

• Proteins

• Fatty Acid

Multiple Select

Which below are examples of lipids?

• Starch

• Oils

• Fats

• Sacchrides

Multiple Select

What is a saturated fatty acid?

• Unhealthy fats

• Butter

• Crisco

• Carbohydrates

Multiple Choice

Which below describes the structure of a fatty acid?

• chain of hydrogen with carbons attached to each side

• Chain of proteins with hydrogen attached to each side

• Chain of Carbons with proteins attached to each side

• Chain of carbons with hydrogen attached to each side

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Lipids are soluble (dissolve) in oil but are insoluble (don’t dissolve) in water. When mixed  with water, the lipid will float on top to form a separate layer. To test for the presence  of lipids in food, the sample is placed on a piece of brown or newspaper, and then the paper  is held up to the light. A test that is positive for lipids will have a oily spot that is  translucent, or clear, on the paper. 

Multiple Choice

Explain the solubility of lipids.

• Lipids are soluble in oil but not in water

• Lipids are soluble in heat but not cold

• Lipids are soluble in water but not in oil

• Lipids are soluble in cold but not heat

​Proteins

​Proteins are organic molecules that form muscles, transport O2 (hemoglobin), and act as  hormones and enzymes. Most importantly, proteins determine how our bodies look and  function. Their building block is the amino acid. Proteins are made of amino acids combined  through a dehydration link called a peptide bond. When groups of amino acids are joined  together, a protein is formed.

Multiple Select

What are some of hte functions of proteins?

• Form Muscles

• Provide Energy

• Transport hemoglobin

• Provide hydration

Multiple Choice

What is the building block of proteins?

• Fatty Acid

• Amino Acid

• Sulfuric Acid

Multiple Choice

What is the name of the bond that join amino acids?

• Amino Bond

• Sugar Bond

• Sticky Bond

• Peptide Bond

​There are about 20 different kinds of amino acids. These amino acids consist of five  separate parts. The first is a central carbon atom. Second is a carboxyl group (-COOH).  Third is an amino group (-NH2). Fourth is a hydrogen. The fifth group is a variable ‘R’ group. The only difference in the 20 kinds of amino acids is the “R” group. Some “R” groups  are very small, others are large, and even others form chains and rings. The sequence and  shapes of the “R” groups control the shape and function of the protein.

Multiple Choice

How many different amino acids are there?

• 18

• 5

• 20

• 99

Multiple Choice

What part of the amino acid varies from one amino acid to another?

• The first part

• The third part

• The fourth part

• The fifth part

Multiple Choice

What determines the shape and function of a protein?

• The sequence and shapes of the "R" Groups

• The number and shapes of the "R" Groups

• The sequence and variety of the "R" Groups

​Nucleic Acids

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The fourth class of organic molecules is the nucleic acids. This class involves the genetic  materials, DNA and RNA. DNA is the blueprint of life because it contains instructions on  how to make proteins in the body. Each individual’s DNA is unique, which means that each  individual has a unique set of proteins. That is why each of us looks and behaves  differently. RNA is a copy of DNA. Because DNA can’t leave the cell’s nucleus, and because  proteins are constructed outside of the nucleus in the cytoplasm, the RNA is necessary to  carry the instructions from DNA to the cytoplasm where the protein is made.

Multiple Choice

What are the two types of nucleic acids?

• DNA and Monosaccharides

• DNA and Lipids

• RNA and DNA

• Fatty Acid and RNA

Poll

What is the role of DNA?

• It contains fatty acids that help the body maintain hydration

• It contains genetic material that helps the body make carbohydrates

• It contains instructions on how to make proteins in the body.

Multiple Select

How does the role of RNA differ from that of DNA?

• RNA carries the instructions from DNA to the cytoplasm

• RNA is a copy of DNA

• RNA is the blueprint of life

​The monomer of nucleic acids is the nucleotide. All nucleic acids are formed from a series  of these nucleotides. Nucleotides consist of three parts: a five-carbon sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogen base.

Multiple Choice

What is the building block of Nucleic Acids?

• Glucose

• Nucleotide

• Peptide

• Saccharides

Multiple Choice

What are the three parts of the nucleotide?

• Fatty Acids

  nitrogen base

  Starch

• 5 carbon sugar

  3 sugar

  9 nitrogen base

• 5 carbon sugar

  phosphate group

  nitrogen base

​The structure of DNA resembles that of a twisted ladder. This twisted ladder of DNA is  called a ‘double helix.’ The rails of the DNA ladder are made from  alternating sugars and phosphates (sugar-phosphate-sugar-phosphate sugar…). In DNA, the sugar is called deoxyribose. The rungs of the  ladder are made of four different kinds of bases, with one base  hanging off of the sugar portion of each rails. The four bases are A, T,  C and G. The rails of the ladder are held together because the bases  from one rail bond to the bases from the other rail to form rungs. The  bases from one side of the ladder attach to the bases hanging from  the other rail. This keeps the ladder together. The bases attach to  one another in a very specific way: ‘A’ bases always attach to ‘T’ bases, and ‘C’ bases always  attach to ‘G’ bases.

Multiple Choice

Describe the structure and shape of DNA.

• Twisted ladder

• Twisted Rope

• Twisted Stairs

• Twisted hallway

Multiple Choice

What are the rails of the ladder made of?

• Alternating sugars and fatty acids

• Alternating Sugars and phosphates

• Alternating fatty acids and carbohydrates

• Alternating phosphates and fatty acids

Multiple Choice

What are the four different DNA bases?

• A, B, C and D

• A, G, T and Z

• A, T, C and G

• B, C, G and T

Multiple Choice

What pare of the ladder do these bases form?

• Rungs

• Sides

• Top

• Bottom

Multiple Choice

"A" always attaches to which base?

• "G"

• "T"

• "C"

​RNA is very similar to DNA in all ways except for a few differences. First, where the  sugar in DNA is deoxyribose, the sugar in RNA is ribose. Second, where DNA is a double  helix, RNA has just one strand. Third, where the bases in DNA are C,G, A and T, in RNA  the bases are C, G, A and U. The U in RNA takes the place of the T in DNA. Fourth, DNA  cannot leave the nucleus of the cell and RNA can. 

Open Ended

List at least 2 differences between DNA and RNA

Open Ended

List at least three similarities between DNA and RNA