Structure and Function of
Organic Macromolecules
- What is an organic molecule?
- Why is carbon so versatile as the backbone for organic compounds?
- Be able to distinguish basic classes of organic compounds based
on functional
groups, e.g. alcohols, acids, amines, sulf-hydryls,
phosphates.
- What is the importance of functional groups to organic molecules
in
living
systems?
- How is water involved in condensation (dehydration synthesis)
and hydrolysis
reactions. How do these reaction result in the build up and
break down
large organic
molecules (polymers)?
- Be familiar with the 4 main classes of organic compounds (carbohydrates,
lipids, proteins, nucleic acids) which make up organisms? Be
able to name and recognize the basic units or monomers of each (monosaccharides,
fatty acids, amino acids, nucleotides), their polymers (polysaccharides,
fats/oils/sterols, polypeptides, polynucleotides) and the major
uses
for each class in living systems.
- Why are proteins so structurally complex? How does
this
structural
complexity contribute to their functions in living systems?
- How do nucleic acids encode the genetic material for
organisms?
What nitrogenous bases are used in DNA? RNA?