Carbon
Ch 4
Chemistry of Life
Organic Chemistry – study of carbon compds
•C atoms are versatile building blocks•bonding properties…complexity/diversity to living matter•4 stable covalent bonds•p50-51 Fig 4.2, 4.4
Hydrocarbons
•Combinations of C and H•Non-polar•Hydrophobic•Store lg amts of energy•stable•very little attraction between molecules
Methane
Variations in C - Skeleton
Isomers
•Same molecular formula but different structures (shapes)
-different chemical properties and biological functions
6 carbons
6 carbons
6 carbons
Structural Isomers – differ in arrangements of atoms
Geometric Isomers – variation in arrangement about a double bond
Enantiomers – variation in spatial Arrangement around an asymmetric carbon…molecules that are mirror images
stereoisomersstereoisomers
Thalidomide
Functional Groups• Parts of organic molecules that are involved
in chemical reactions– give organic molecules distinctive properties
hydroxyl amino carbonyl sulfhydryl carboxyl phosphate
• Affect reactivity– makes hydrocarbons hydrophilic – increase solubility in water
Why do Functional Groups Matter?• Basic structure of male & female hormones
is identical– identical carbon skeleton – attachment of different functional
groups– interact with different targets in the
body• different effects
Hydroxyl • –OH = alcohols
– names typically end in -ol• ethanol
Carbonyl• C=O
• if C=O at end molecule = aldehyde• if C=O in middle of molecule = ketone• Emma is awesome
Carboxyl• –COOH
• compounds with COOH = acids– fatty acids– amino acids
Amino • -NH2
• compounds with NH2 = amines– amino acids
• NH2 acts as base
– ammonia picks up H+ from solution
Sulfhydryl
• –SH • compounds with SH = thiols• SH groups stabilize the structure of proteins
Phosphate• –PO4
• connects to C through an O• lots of O = lots of negative charge
– highly reactive
• transfers energy between organic molecules – ATP, GTP, etc.
Functional Groups
http://telstar.ote.cmu.edu/biology/supplements/functional-group/
Excellent Flash Tutorial
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