VOCABULARY

MONOMER

• Small chemical unit that makes up a polymer

POLYMER

• Molecule composed of many monomers;
• makes up macromolecules

CARBOHYDRATE

• Compound made up of carbon,hydrogen
• And oxygen atoms

MONOSACCHARIDE

• Simple sugar molecule

LIPID

• Macromolecules made mostly from
• carbon and hydrogen atoms; includes fats,oils,
• And waxes

NUCLEIC ACID

• Macromolecule containing hydrogen,
• oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus

NUCLEOTIDE

• Subunit of witch nucleic acids are composed;
• made up of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group,
• and a nitrogenous base

Protein

• Macromolecule that contains carbon, hydrogen,
• Oxygen, and nitrogen; needed by the body for
• Growth and repair

AMINO ACID

• Compound with an amino group on one end and a
• Carboxyl group on the other end

“Most macromolecules are formed by a process known as polymerization
, in which large compounds are built by joining smaller ones together.”

“Living things use carbohydrates as their main source of energy. Plants, some animals, and other organisms also use carbohydrates for structural purposes. The breakdown of sugars, such as glucose, supplies immediate energy for cell activities. Many organisms store extra sugar as complex carbohydrates known as starches. The monomers in starch polymers are sugar molecules.”

“The large macromolecules formed from monosaccharides are known as polysaccharides. Many animals store excess sugar in a polysaccharide called glycogen, which is sometimes called “animal starch.” When the level of glucose in your blood runs low, glycogen is broken down into glucose, which is then released into the blood.”

“Lipids Lipids are a large and varied group of biological molecules that are generally not soluble in water. Lipids are made mostly from carbon and hydrogen atoms.”

“If there is at least one carbon-carbon double bond in a fatty acid, the fatty acid is said to be unsaturated. Lipids whose fatty acids contain more than one double bond are said to be polyunsaturated. ”