Biomolecules

Definition of Biomolecules - All molecules of the living organisms or chemicals of living organisms which are functional within them are known as biomolecules. It is associated with almost 1000 types of chemical reaction in animal cell. Different types of chemicals present in the cells are called cellular pools. Almost about 5000 chemicals can occur in cells. According to their different size biomolecules are of mainly two types.

Macromolecules –  Macromolecules are large sized, complex molecules of high molecular weight that are commonly formed due to condensation or polymerisation of repeated units of micromolecules. Examples of micro-molecules are glycogen, starch, inulin, cellulose, called, chitin, pectins etc.

Micromolecules - Micromolecules are small sized, simple molecules with low molecular weight. Example of micromolecules are water, minerals, sugars, lipids, amino acids.

Means the organic molecules which must contains carbon, hydrogen atoms are called biomolecules. Biomolecules can be of different types. They are –

1. Carbohydrate molecules - Carbohydrate molecules are made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and in some cases may be other element or groups are attached. It can be of single chain or branching. Different types of carbohydrates are –

Monosaccharide - These are monomers of sugar that cannot be hydrolyzed into further smaller unit. Example is glucose, fructose etc

Disaccharides - This type of carbohydrates are made up of two same or different monomers of carbohydrates. Examples is glucose and fructose together form sucrose.

Polysaccharides - This molecule of carbohydrates made up of more than two or many  different molecules of sugar. Examples of polysaccharides are hexose, heptoses, Pentose etc.

Other polysaccharides - Some other polysaccharides are there which is combined with other element or compound of the cell.

Biomolecules

2. Amino acid molecules - Amino acids are the basic units of protein. Different amino acids are combined in different ways to form different protein. They are basically acidic, neutral, alcoholic, sulpher containing, aromatic,. Heterocyclic. Aliphatic amino acids are of four types - monoaminocarboxilic acid, diaminocarboxylic acid, diaminomonocarboxilic acid.

3. Fatty acid molecules - These are made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen in the molecules, where ratio oh hydrogen and oxygen are less than water.

Lipids – Esters of fatty acids and alcohol. They are saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.

Waxes - bee wax, lanolin, plant waxes etc.

Phospholipid - Lecithin, cephalin, glycolipids etc.

Sphingolipids - Cerebrosides, gangliosides.

Sterols - Cholesterol

Terpenes - Rubber, camphor, menthol, carotenes, xanthophylls.

Prostaglandins - Different hormones like C20 unsaturated fatty acid formed from arachidonic acid.

 

4. Different complex biomolecules - This are some types of molecules which combined with either same kind of different molecules or different kinds of molecules. As a result they form complex compound. Examples of complex compound are sphingolipids, sphingomyelin etc.


5. Nucleotides - Penrose sugar, ribose, deoxyribose occurs in nucleotides and nucleic acids.


6. Nucleotisides - Nucleotides are compounds that formed from nitrogen bases and Pentose sugar. Uracil produce nucleoside with only ribose sugar and thiamine forms the same with only deoxyribose sugar.


7. Nitrogen bases - Nitrogen bases are of two types. One is purines and another is pyrimidine. Purine is consists of adenine and guanine. Whereas pyrimidine is consists of thymine, cytosine and in some cases (RNA) uracil.

You might like these




Eleventh Grade

From Biomolecules to HOME PAGE

New! Comments

Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.


Recent Articles

  1. Amphibolic Pathway | Definition | Examples | Pentose Phosphate Pathway

    Jun 06, 24 10:40 AM

    Amphibolic Pathway
    Definition of amphibolic pathway- Amphibolic pathway is a biochemical pathway where anabolism and catabolism are both combined together. Examples of amphibolic pathway- there are different biochemical…

    Read More

  2. Respiratory Balance Sheet | TCA Cycle | ATP Consumption Process

    Feb 18, 24 01:56 PM

    ATP Synthase in Mitochondria
    The major component that produced during the photosynthesis is Glucose which is further metabolised by the different metabolic pathways like glycolysis, Krebs cycle, TCA cycle and produces energy whic…

    Read More

  3. Electron Transport System and Oxidative Phosphorylation | ETC |Diagram

    Feb 04, 24 01:57 PM

    Electron Transport Chains
    It is also called ETC. Electron transfer means the process where one electron relocates from one atom to the other atom. Definition of electron transport chain - The biological process where a chains…

    Read More

  4. Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle | Krebs Cycle | Steps | End Products |Diagram

    Jan 28, 24 12:39 PM

    Aerobic Respiration
    This is a type of process which execute in a cyclical form and final common pathway for oxidation of Carbohydrates fat protein through which acetyl coenzyme a or acetyl CoA is completely oxidised to c…

    Read More

  5. Aerobic Respiration | Definition of Aerobic Respiration | Glycolysis

    Dec 15, 23 08:42 AM

    Aerobic Respiration
    This is a type of respiration where molecular free oxygen is used as the final acceptor and it is observed in cell. Site of Aerobic Respiration - Aerobic respiration is observed in most of the eukaryo…

    Read More