Biological Molecules Essay

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Cells mainly consist of water molecules but there are a number of other important biological molecules vital to allow life to exist. Macromolecules are among the most important as they can offer structural support to the cell, hold energy like a battery, act as a catalyst for biochemical reactions and store genetic information as well as having many other important functions. Macromolecules are formed of monomers - simple molecules that can bond together with others to form larger more complicated molecules. When two monomers react, they create a separate water molecule as monomers always have hydrogen and oxygen atoms in their molecular structure. A covalent bond is formed in the absence of the hydrogen and oxygen atoms, connecting the two monomers together. This is called a condensation reaction and it can continue happening until a large chain of molecules forms, eventually making a macromolecule. The reverse effect, called a hydrolysis reaction, can also occur where water will displace a covalent bond in a macromolecule reverting it back to a monomer though a catalyst is usually needed for this reaction to take place. The following image displays these reactions very well. These larger molecules are called polymers and macromolecules are biopolymers (naturally produced polymers). These consist of four types; the carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids with each type being made up of its own specific monomers. Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are molecules made from the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. They are often called sugars and they supply a large percentage of energy to animal and human cells. The monomers of carbohydrate macromolecules are called monosaccharides (simple sugars) with only one unit of sugar. All monosaccharides have the chemical structure (CH2O)n with n equalling 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 depending on the number of carbon atoms the

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