{"id":9557,"date":"2026-06-01T21:33:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T21:33:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/help\/?p=9557"},"modified":"2026-06-01T21:33:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T21:33:48","slug":"introduction-to-biological-macromolecules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/help\/introduction-to-biological-macromolecules\/","title":{"rendered":"Introduction To Biological Macromolecules"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unit – Chemistry of life<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Chapter- Introduction to biological macromolecules<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Reference: <\/em><\/strong>Biomolecules, Biological macromolecule, Types of biomolecules, Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, Nucleic acids, Chemical bond, metallic bond, and covalent bond types, Chemical bond, Metallic bond, Covalent bond, Bond development of monomers, Dehydration synthesis, Hydrolysis, Monomers, and polymers<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Learning objectives<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  • To understand the types of biological macromolecules<\/li>\n
  • To learn about the types of bonds and bond development in monomers<\/li>\n
  • To differentiate between monomers and polymers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Biomolecules <\/strong>are molecules produced by living organisms. A living organism grows, sustains, and reproduces itself. The most amazing thing about a living system is that it is composed of non-living atoms and molecules.<\/p>\n

    Biological macromolecule<\/strong>– are very large molecules formed due to the polymerization of smaller molecules called monomers.<\/p>\n

    Monomers are the smaller sub-units that combine to form a polymer. Repeating units of these polymers combine to form a polymer, i.e., a larger molecule. These larger molecules then combine to form a chain. These smaller units, called monomers, are combined to make Polymers.<\/p>\n

    Types of biomolecules<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Macromolecules are broadly classified as:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Carbohydrates<\/li>\n
    • Lipids<\/li>\n
    • Proteins<\/li>\n
    • Nucleic Acids<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      Carbohydrates<\/strong>– hydrates of carbon. It consists of hydroxyl group, aldehyde and ketone group. They are further classified as monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. Carbohydrates are found in starch, fruits, vegetables, milk, and sugars.<\/p>\n

      Lipids<\/strong> -not strict macromolecule. Size is just 800 da. It forms vesicles during grinding, retentate fraction\/acid insoluble fraction. Lipids are esters of fatty acids and alcohol. They are not soluble in water. They are hydrophobic. It is soluble in benzene and chloroform.<\/p>\n

      Proteins<\/strong> – are made of amino acids(biomacromolecule), found in acid insoluble fraction. Protein-monomer is amino acids. It is an organic component. It falls in filtrate fraction.<\/p>\n

      Nucleic acids<\/strong>-largest biomolecule, macromolecule, acid insoluble pool(retentate). Its monomeric unit is nucleotide which is made of pentose sugar, phosphate group and nitrogenous base. The pentose sugar is beta ribose and beta deoxyribose. The nitrogenous bases include purine (2 rings) and pyrimidine(1ring). The purine ring is made of adenine and guanine and pyrimidines are cytosine, thymine, and uracil.<\/p>\n

      Chemical bond, metallic bond, and covalent bond types<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

      Chemical bond<\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      • A chemical bond is the formation of a chemical bond between two or more atoms, molecules, or ions, which results in a chemical compound.<\/li>\n
      • The four primary types of chemical bonds are Ionic bonds, covalent bonds, hydrogen bonds, and polar bonds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Metallic bond<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \n
        • A metallic bond is a chemical bond formed between atoms in a metallic element.<\/li>\n
        • Metallic bonds are observed in pure metals, alloys, and some metalloids.<\/li>\n
        • These properties include electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, malleability and ductility, metallic lustre, high melting and boiling point.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Covalent bond<\/strong><\/p>\n

            \n
          • A covalent bond is formed by the equal sharing of electrons from both the participating atoms.<\/li>\n
          • The covalent bonds are also called molecular bonds.<\/li>\n
          • They display low melting points and boiling points<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Bond development of monomers<\/strong><\/p>\n

            Dehydration synthesis<\/strong><\/p>\n

              \n
            • Dehydration synthesis represents a type of chemical reaction in which two smaller molecules are joined together to form a larger molecule following the release of water. Dehydration synthesis is also referred to as a condensation or dehydration reaction<\/li>\n
            • Water formation occurs when the hydroxyl group (OH) of one molecule joins with the proton (H) of a second molecule.<\/li>\n
            • When water is formed and leaves during the reaction, a new covalent bond is formed between the two molecules to create a larger compound.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              \"\"<\/p>\n

               <\/p>\n

              Hydrolysis <\/strong><\/p>\n

                \n
              • Hydrolysis is the process of polymers breaking down into monomers.<\/li>\n
              • Insertion of a water molecule across the bond triggers a chemical reaction, breaking the covalent bond with this water molecule.<\/li>\n
              • During these reactions, the polymer breaks into two parts: one part gains a hydrogen atom (H+), and the other gains a hydroxyl molecule (OH–) from a split water molecule.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                \"\"<\/p>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                Monomers and polymers<\/strong><\/p>\n

                Monomers <\/strong>– A monomer is a single atom, small molecule, or molecular fragment that, when bonded together with identical and similar types of monomers, form a larger, macromolecule known as a polymer.<\/p>\n

                Polymers-<\/strong> A polymer is a large molecule, or macromolecule, composed of small repeating singular molecular structural units called monomers. The repeating molecular units are joined together chemically through covalent bonds<\/p>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                Solved examples <\/strong><\/p>\n

                Example 1<\/strong>. Which of the following is one of the primary functions of carbohydrates?<\/p>\n

                a) Catalyse chemical reactions<\/p>\n

                b) Energy storage<\/p>\n

                c) Protect cell organelles<\/p>\n

                d) Maintain genetic fidelity  <\/p>\n

                Solution 1: <\/strong>Energy storage.  <\/strong>Carbohydrates, such as glucose and fructose, are primarily used in metabolic pathways to provide energy for the cell. Glucose is the first reactant necessary for driving glycolysis and subsequent cellular respiration in the cell, with the goal of producing ATP.<\/p>\n

                Example 2<\/strong>. Which of the following is a polymer composed of sugar monomers?<\/p>\n

                a) Lipids<\/p>\n

                b) Carbohydrates<\/p>\n

                c)Lactose<\/p>\n

                d)Glucose<\/p>\n

                Solution 2: <\/strong>carbohydrates. Carbohydrates and proteins are polymers (a long chain molecule generally composed of repeating single units), but glucose and lipids are not polymers (though glucose has the ability to polymerize). Proteins are polymers of amino acids. Carbohydrates are polymers of sugar monomers or monosaccharides. Lactose is a disaccharide or two sugar monomers connected.<\/p>\n

                                                           Summary <\/strong><\/p>\n

                  \n
                • Macromolecules are very large biological molecules such as carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.<\/li>\n
                • An individual unit of the macromolecule is known as a monomer.<\/li>\n
                • Macromolecules are long polymer chains of many molecules.<\/li>\n
                • Macromolecules are formed by the dehydration reaction and can be broken down by the hydration reaction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Unit – Chemistry of life Chapter- Introduction to biological macromolecules Reference: Biomolecules, Biological macromolecule, Types of biomolecules, Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, Nucleic acids, Chemical bond, metallic bond, and covalent bond types, Chemical bond, Metallic bond, Covalent bond, Bond development of monomers, Dehydration synthesis, Hydrolysis, Monomers, and polymers   Learning objectives To understand the types of biological […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ap-biology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9557\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kapdec.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}