Unit 1The Earth, a planet full of life

Organic compounds

Remember
All living things have one thing in common:they contain some specific molecules that are rich in
carbon.These molecules are called biomolecules.Biomolecules are carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic
acids and lipids.They perform all the functions that characterise living things and that keep them alive.

Biomolecules can be classified into two groups:

 Inorganic biocompounds.These are molecules that are essential for life. All
living things and non-living matter contain them.They are molecules such as
water and oxygen, and non-organic salts, such as the phosphate ion that forms
bones, calcium, etc.

 Organic biocompounds.These are synthesised by living things and have a carbon-based structure.
They also contain other atoms, such as hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorous, sulphur and even some
other atoms in much smaller proportions.There are five major groups of biomolecules:

Carbohydrates
These are the primary source of energy used by living
things to perform their vital functions. Glucose is at
the beginning of one of the oldest energy-producing
metabolic pathways: glycolysis. Plants store their
reserves in the form of starch, while animals form
glycogen. Some carbohydrates form important
skeletal structures, for example, the cellulose that
forms the cell walls in plants, and chitin, which forms
the cuticles in arthropods.

Lipids
Some lipids perform fundamental functions for cells. For
examples, phospholipids form the skeleton of cell membranes,
triglycerides are the main energy stores of animals, and
isoprenoids and steroids have regulatory functions, like sex
hormones.

Unit 1The Earth, a planet full of life 1 Biology and Geology ESO
Unit 1The Earth, a planet full of life

Organic compounds

Proteins
These biomolecules have the most diverse functions of all in living
things.
Proteins include many hormones; haemoglobin, which transports
oxygen in the blood; antibodies, which help defend against
infection; actin and myosin, which are ultimately responsible for
shortening the muscles during contraction; etc.

Nucleic acids
There are two types of nucleic acid, DNA and RNA,
which perform one of the most important functions for
life: they contain the necessary instructions for the
development and functioning of cells. DNA is able to
replicate itself, transferring these instructions to the
daughter cells that inherit the information.

1. What do carbohydrates do?

2. What do lipids do?

3. What do proteins do?

4. What is the function of nucleic acids in living things?

Unit 1The Earth, a planet full of life 2 Biology and Geology ESO