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Carbon in Life and
Materials
6
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
cornellbiochem.wikispaces.com
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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
eo.ucar.edu
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