Levels of Organization
Unit 3: Biochemistry
Learning Objectives
At the end of this unit, you should be able to:
I. Describe the chemistry of carbon.
II. Describe the structure and function of carbohydrates.
III. Describe the structure and function of lipids.
IV. Describe the structure and function of proteins.
V. Describe the structure and function of nucleic acids.
Learning Objectives and Guiding Questions
At the end of this unit, you should be able to complete all the following tasks, including answering the guiding questions associated with each task.
I. Describe the chemistry of carbon.
- Identify the number of covalent bonds carbon can form.
- Define the term “hydrocarbon chain”.
- Define the term “functional group”, and identify five examples that are important in human physiology.
II. Describe the structure and function of carbohydrates.
- Specify the three chemical elements of which carbohydrate molecules consist, and their relative (approximate) proportions in a typical carbohydrate molecule.
- Refer to the chemical structure of carbohydrates and the chemical properties of water to explain why carbohydrates are generally hydrophilic (soluble in water).
- Carbohydrate molecules can be grouped based on how many monomers they contain. For each of the three main size groups of carbohydrate:
- Name and define the group (based on the number of monomers it contains)
- Name at least three specific examples of each group
- Briefly describe at least one major function in the human body of each group
III. Describe the structure and function of lipids.
- Specify the major elements of lipid molecules.
- Specify the chemical elements of which lipid molecules typically consist, and their relative (approximate) proportions in a typical lipid molecule.
- Describe the following for triglycerides.
- Using an annotated diagram, describe the main structural components
- Describe their primary function in the human body
- Describe the following for phospholipids.
- Using an annotated diagram, describe the main structural components and distinguish between the polar head and non-polar tail ends
- Describe their primary function in the human body
- Describe the following for steroids.
- Describe the main structural components
- Describe their primary function in the human body
- Refer to the chemical structure of lipids and the chemical properties of water to explain why lipids are generally insoluble in water.
- Describe and clearly distinguish between the physical and chemical characteristics of:
- Saturated fats and unsaturated fats
- Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats
IV. Describe the structure and function of proteins.
- Specify the chemical elements that make up protein molecules.
- Use an annotated diagram to show the structure of a generic amino acid.
- For each of the four levels of structure of a protein molecule:
- Name the structural level.
- Define the structural level.
- Describe, using examples, eight major functional groups of protein