Macromolecules
The universe is comprised of one hundred eighteen elements that either occur naturally or as laboratory productions. Of these, six of them are crucial to the vitality and sustainment of life. These include carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur. For a molecule to be considered organic, it must contain rings or chains of carbon (Volesky). A molecule is a chemical species encompassing several or many nonmetal atoms. The atoms bond covalently. In other words, the electrons in the valence, or outermost, shells are shared between the atoms. If a molecule contains a plethora of nonmetal atoms often bonded in complex rings and chains, it is deemed a macromolecule. According to Volesky, the macromolecules with carbon rings and
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According to the McKinley Health Center, the organic molecules included are carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. Carbohydrates in particular are the essential fuel source for the human body’s mechanisms. They are stored in the tissues and cells of the body as glucose and as glycogen, the carbohydrate used for muscle movement, as well as in the liver, until the stored energy is used later (Volesky). The energy mobilized from carbohydrates is stored in the bonds between its monomers. A monomer is the repeating, basic unit found in macromolecules. Many monomers bonded together make up polymers. A carbohydrate is composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen with a 2:1 ratio between carbon and oxygen. A carbohydrate, or saccharide, is a group including sugars and starches (Volesky). The monomer of a carbohydrate is a monosaccharide. Monosaccharides can bond with others in a dehydration synthesis. This is a special reaction that consists of the removal of a water molecule to combine two or more monosaccharides (Volesky). Two bonded monosaccharides is a disaccharide. Only monosaccharides and disaccharides make up simple sugars such as glucose and lactose (American Diabetes Association). Polysaccharides, or many monosaccharides bonded, create more complex compounds like starches, cellulose, and chitin (McKinley Health
According to the McKinley Health Center, the organic molecules included are carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. Carbohydrates in particular are the essential fuel source for the human body’s mechanisms. They are stored in the tissues and cells of the body as glucose and as glycogen, the carbohydrate used for muscle movement, as well as in the liver, until the stored energy is used later (Volesky). The energy mobilized from carbohydrates is stored in the bonds between its monomers. A monomer is the repeating, basic unit found in macromolecules. Many monomers bonded together make up polymers. A carbohydrate is composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen with a 2:1 ratio between carbon and oxygen. A carbohydrate, or saccharide, is a group including sugars and starches (Volesky). The monomer of a carbohydrate is a monosaccharide. Monosaccharides can bond with others in a dehydration synthesis. This is a special reaction that consists of the removal of a water molecule to combine two or more monosaccharides (Volesky). Two bonded monosaccharides is a disaccharide. Only monosaccharides and disaccharides make up simple sugars such as glucose and lactose (American Diabetes Association). Polysaccharides, or many monosaccharides bonded, create more complex compounds like starches, cellulose, and chitin (McKinley Health