Organic Compounds - Simone Damiano

Organic Compounds

Organic Compounds and biomolecules

Carbon is the Basic Element of Biomolecules

The chemical compounds associated to life processes are known as organic compounds. Among

the organic compounds, the most known belong to four categories:

1- CARBOHYDRATES

2- LIPIDS

3- PROTEINS

4- NUCLEIC ACIDS

Organic Compounds and biomolecules

Carbon is the Basic Element of Biomolecules

A single bacterial cell may contain up to 5000

different biomolecules, plants and animals even

more.

All the organisms in the side picture use a different

carbohydrate as structural molecule.

This variety of biomolecules is given by the

complex chemistry of carbon

Organic Compounds and biomolecules

Carbon is the Basic Element of Biomolecules

Carbon needs four electrons to complete its outer electronic shell. Hence

every single carbon can share electrons with as many as four other atoms

like in the octane molecule.

¡ñ

¡ñ- C

¡ñ-

¡ñFurthermore the carbon-carbon bond is a covalent and stable bond, so it

can form very long and strong carbon chains.

Organic Compounds and biomolecules

Carbon is the Basic Element of Biomolecules

The great variety of biomolecules is given

by the functional groups that confer

typical features to the molecules.

F u n c t i o n a l g r o u p s a r e s p e c i fi c

combinations of atoms that always

react in the same way.

A single functional group can change

the chemical properties of the

whole organic molecule

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