Biological Molecules

What are the building blocks of life?

Why?
From the smallest single-celled organism to the tallest tree, all life depends on the properties and reactions
of four classes of organic (carbon-based) compounds—carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic
acids. These organic molecules are the building blocks of all living things, and are responsible for most of
the structure and functions of the body, including energy storage, insulation, growth, repair, communica-
tion, and transfer of hereditary information. Simple organic molecules can be joined together to form all
the essential biological molecules needed for life.

Model 1 – Molecules of Life

Carbohydrates (monosaccharides)
OH OH
HO OH
H O H HO O H
O
H H
OH H OH H H HO
HO OH H OH H OH

H OH H OH OH H
Glucose Galactose Fructose
Lipids O O
H H
HO C (CH 2) 12CH 3 C
H C OH H C O CH 3
O
H C OH C OCO(CH 2) 7CH=CH(CH 2) 7CH 3
HO C (CH 2) 7CH=CH(CH 2) 7CH 3 H

H C OH O H C O CH 3
H C
H
HO C (CH 2) 14CH 3
O
Glycerol Proteins
Fatty acids (amino acids) Triglyceride (fat or oil)
Variable R
Proteins (amino acids) Variable R side chain
side chain
CH3 CH2SH R
O O H O
H H
N C C N C C N C C Carboxylic
Carboxylic
H H H OH acid group
acid group
OH OH H
H H
Alanine Cysteine Amine group
Alanine Amine
Nucleic acids (nucleotides) Cysteine
group
NH2

N Nitrogen base
N
O

HO P O N N
O
OH
Sugar
Phosphate group OH OH

Biological Molecules 1
 1. Use Model 1 to show which atoms are present in each type of molecule by listing the symbol for
each atom included. Carbohydrate has been done for you.
a. Carbohydrate— C, H, O c. Amino acid— C, H, O, N

b. Lipid— C, H, O d. Nucleic acid— N, O, H, P

2. Which type of molecule includes an example with a long-chain carbon backbone?

Lipids.

3. In the molecule referred to in the previous question, what is the dominant element attached to
the carbon backbone?
Hydrogen.

4. The fatty acid chain of the lipids is often referred to as a hydrocarbon chain. Discuss with your
group why the chain is given this name and write a one-sentence definition for a hydrocarbon.
It is referred to as a hydrocarbon chain because it has both hydrogen and carbon present. A hydrocarbon is a compound
composed of both hydrogen and carbon.

5. Which molecule has a central carbon atom with four different components around it?
Amino acid.

6. Which molecule has a sugar, nitrogenous base, and phosphate group?

Nucleic Acid

7. Discuss with your group members some similarities among all four types of molecules. List as
many as you can.

All molecules contain C, H, and O.

8. What is the chemical formula of the first carbohydrate molecule shown?

C6H12O6

9. What three structural groups shown do all amino acids have in common?
Carboxylic acid, R side chain, amin group

10. There are 20 naturally-occurring amino acids, and each one only varies in the structure of the
R side chain. Two amino acids are shown in Model 1. What are the R side chains in each?

CH3 and CH2SH

Read This!
During chemical reactions, the bonds in molecules are continually broken and reformed. To break a
bond, energy must be absorbed. When bonds are formed, energy is released. If more energy is released
than absorbed during a chemical change, the process can be used as a source of energy. A general rule for
processes such as respiration is the more carbon atoms there are in a molecule, the more energy that
molecule can provide to the organism when it is used as food.

2 POGIL™ Activities for High School Biology

 11. Using the information from above, is a carbohydrate or a lipid more likely to be a good source of
energy for an organism?

Lipids are more likely to be a good source of energy than carbohydrates because it has a long hydrocarbon chain with more carbon
bonds and CH bonds which make a good source of energy,

Model 2 – Biochemical Reactions

A. B.
OH
R R
O H O
H O H CH2 OH O H H

OH
H
H + H HO
N C C + H
N C C
H OH OH
HO OH OH CH2 OH H H
H OH OH H
Amino acid11
Amino acid Amino acid 22
Amino acid
Glucose
Glucose Fructose
Fructose
R R
H O O
OH

H
N C C NH C C + HO
2
H O H CH2 OH OH
O H H H
H
OH H H HO + HO
2
peptide bond
HO O CH2 OH
H OH OH H
Dipeptide
Dipeptide
glycosidic bond

Sucrose
Sucrose

C. O
H C
H C O CH 3

H C OH Monoglyceride
Monoglyceride
H C OH + O
H HO C (CH 2) 14CH 3

Fatty acid
Fatty acid

O
H C
H C O CH 3

H C OH

H C
H
O (CH 2) 14CH 3
+ HO
2

ester bond
Diglyceride
Diglyceride

Biological Molecules 3
 12. What are the reactants of reaction A?
Glucose and Fructose.

13. What are the products of reaction A?

Sucrose and water.

14. Each of the reactants in reaction A is a single sugar molecule, also called a monosaccharide. What
prefix before saccharide would you use to describe sucrose?
Di

15. What are the reactants of reaction B?

2 amino acids

16. When the two molecules in reaction B are joined together, what other two molecules are pro-
duced?
Water and dipeptide.

17. What product do all three reactions in Model 2 have in common?

Water.

Read This!
When sugars are joined together the new bond that forms is a glycosidic bond. When amino acids are
joined the new bond that forms is a peptide bond. When fatty acids are joined to a glycerol the bond that
holds them is an ester bond.
18. On the diagrams in Model 2, circle and label the glycosidic, peptide, and ester bonds.

19. These reactions are all referred to as dehydration synthesis or condensation reactions. With your
group develop an explanation for why these terms are used to describe these reactions.

All of the reactions cause water to be removed, so the molecule is dehydrated and water is removed from the
molecule.

20. These reactions can also be reversed, breaking the large molecule into its individual molecules.
What substance would need to be added in order to reverse the reaction?
water

21. Lysis means to split or separate. What prefix would you add to lysis to mean separate or split
using water?
Hydro

22. Using your answers to the previous two questions, what word is used to describe the reaction that
uses water to break apart a large molecule?

Hydrolysis.

4 POGIL™ Activities for High School Biology

Extension Questions
23. Metabolism is the collective term used to describe all the chemical reactions taking place inside
living organisms. Why is water so important for metabolic reactions?
Water is important for metabolic reactions because it acts as a solvent, providing the medium in which most biochemical
reactions occur.

24. We store excess food in our body either in the form of carbohydrates (in muscles and the liver)
or as fat (adipose tissue). When our body needs additional energy it uses the carbohydrate source
first as a source of “quick” energy, then the fat. Why do you think carbohydrates are used as a
source of quick energy rather than fat? Use complete sentences and scientific terminology in your
response.

This is because carboyhdrates yield more energy per unit of oxygen than fats.

25. Look at the two types of fatty acids below, saturated and unsaturated. What is the difference
between the two?
H H

H C H H C H

H C H C H

H C H H C

H C H H C H

H C H H C H

HO O HO O

Saturated
Saturated Fatty
Fatty Acid
Acid Unsaturated FattyAcid
Unsaturated Fatty Acid

Unsaturated fatty acids have a double carbon bond.

26. Saturated fats are solid fats, like the animal fats lard and butter, whereas unsaturated fats are more
fluid and form oils, such as vegetable oil. Trans fats are plant oils that are artificially solidified
to make them suitable for baking purposes. In recent years trans fats have been associated with
negative health issues and are not as widely used. Explain in simple molecular terms what would
have to be done to a plant oil to transform it to a trans fat.

Hydrogen molecules are added to unsaturated plant lipids by hydrogenation. The addition of H eliminates
some double bonds and makes the lipids more saturated, with a higher melting point which is more suitable for baking.

Biological Molecules 5