Macromolecule Reading Worksheet printable pdf download

Macromolecule Reading

Most common elements in living things are carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. These four

elements constitute about 95% of your body weight. All compounds can be classified in two broad categories

--- organic and inorganic compounds. Organic compounds are made primarily of carbon. Carbon has four

outer electrons and can form four bonds. Carbon can form single bonds with another atom and also bond to

other carbon molecules forming double, triple, or quadruple bonds. Organic compounds also contain

hydrogen. Since hydrogen has only one electron, it can form only single bonds.

Each small organic molecule can be a unit of a large organic molecule called a macromolecule. There

are four classes of macromolecules (polysaccharides or carbohydrates, triglycerides or lipids, polypeptides or

proteins, and nucleic acids such as DNA & RNA). Carbohydrates and lipids are made of only carbon, hydrogen,

and oxygen (CHO). Proteins are made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen (CHON). Nucleic acids such

as DNA and RNA contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus (CHON P).

The body also needs trace amounts of other elements such as calcium, potassium, and sulfur for

proper functioning of muscles, nerves, etc. The four main classes of organic compounds (carbohydrates, lipids,

proteins, and nucleic acids) that are essential to the proper functioning of all living things are known as

polymers or macromolecules. All of these compounds are built primarily of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen but

in different ratios. This gives each compound different properties.

Carbohydrates are used by the body for energy and structural support in cell walls of plants and

exoskeletons of insects and crustaceans. They are made of smaller subunits called monosaccharides.

Monosaccharides have carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a 1:2:1 ratio. Monosaccharides or simple sugars

include glucose, galactose, and fructose.

Although their chemical formulas are the same, they have

different structural formulas. These simple sugars combine to make disaccharides (double sugars like sucrose)

and polysaccharides (long chains like cellulose, chitin, and glycogen).

Proteins are made of subunits called amino acids and are used to build cells and do much of the work

inside organisms. They also act as enzymes helping to control metabolic reactions in organisms. Amino acids

contain two functional groups, the carboxyl group (-COOH) and the amino group (-NH

Enzymes are protein molecules that act as biological catalysts. Cells contain thousands of different

enzymes to control the functions of the cell. Enzymes must physically fit a specific substrate(s) to work

Macromolecule Reading Worksheet