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Carbon in Life and

Materials

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C

Carbon

12.011

Organic Compounds

Organic Compounds:

� Contain carbon-hydrogen bonds

� Often contain N, S, P

� Major types: carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.

� Are not just living things but can also be made in a lab…example: sugar

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Inorganic Compounds

� Inorganic Compounds:

� Substances that do not

have carbon-hydrogen

bonds

� Not normally found in

living things

� Examples minerals,

metals, and salts

� Exceptions to the rule: (all inorganic)

� Diamonds (C), graphite

(C), carbon dioxide (CO2)

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Carbon forms many different compounds

� Large variety of compounds results from the

number of bonds that each carbon atom can form

� Carbon atoms always share four pairs of

electrons in four covalent bonds

� Single bond

� Double bond

� Triple bond

Carbon-based molecules can have many structures

� Chains

� Carbon atoms can bond together to form chains that are straight or branched

� Rings

� Carbon rings contain at least 5 carbon atoms

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Isomers

� Isomer: compounds that contain the same atoms, but in different places

� Both have 4 Carbonsand 10 Hydrogens

� Butane

� Isobutane

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Carbon-based molecules are

life’s building blocks

� Carbon-based molecules have many

functions in living things

� Similarities

� All contain carbon and hydrogen or oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus.

� Large molecules

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Life’s Carbon-based molecules

� Carbohydrates

� Lipids

� Proteins

� Nucleic acids

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Carbohydrates

� Carbohydrate: contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen…examples: sugars, starches, and cellulose.

� Sugar: glucose C6H12O6�Cells in both plants and animals break down

glucose for energy

� Starch: many glucose molecules

�When starch is broken down many glucose molecules are broken down and used for energy

� Cellulose: plant cell walls

�Carbohydrate that is composed of glucose

Lipids

� Lipid: fats and oils that are used for energy and as structural materials in living things

� Made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen

� Structure different from carbohydrates

� Animals store chemical energy in fat

� Fat…saturated and unsaturated

� Saturated: all the bonds in the lipid are single, most animal

fats…too much saturated fat could lead to heart disease

� Unsaturated: one or more bonds in lipid are double

� Cholesterol

� lipid that is part of cell membranes

� Makes hormones (chemical messengers in your body)

Proteins

� Proteins: macromolecules (large) that are

made up of amino acids

� Contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and other elements

� Many different functions

� Function based on order of amino acids

� 20 different amino acids make up the proteins in your

body

� Function is based on structure

Nucleic Acids

� Nucleic acids: huge, complex carbon-based

molecules that contain information that cells use to make proteins

� Made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and

phosphorus

� Each cell in your body contains a complete set of nucleic acids…so each cell has all of the instructions it needs to make the proteins your

body needs

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DNA� Deoxyribonucleic Acid

…nucleic acid that contains the genetic code

� Sides of ladder made of sugar and phosphate

� Rungs (steps) are made up of cytosine (C), guanine (G), adenine (A), Thymine (T).

� C and G always pair

� A and T always pair

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Carbon-based molecules

�DNA

�Carries genetic code

�Sequence of three DNA bases is the code for an

amino acid

�Function depends on order of

amino acids

�Structure, transport, immune

system, enzymes

�Include fats and oils

�Energy for cells

�Cell membran

es

�Sugars and starches

�Energy for cells

�Plant cell walls

Nucleic Acids

ProteinsLipidsCarbohydrates

Carbon Cycle

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Carbon-based molecules in many materials

� Hydrocarbon: a compound made of hydrogen and carbon

� Found in large deposits (petroleum)

� Polymers

� Very large carbon-based molecules made of smaller repeating units (monomers)

� Formation by chemical reactions that bond monomers together

� Plastics (polypropylene)…capable of being molded or shaped…plastics can be recycled