Biomolecules also known as biological molecule have 4 major types, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids.
How to define biomolecules?
The definition of biomolecules is, the organic molecules or compound present in living organism, which are essential for biological process and body development. For example, carbohydrate, proteins etc.
What are the 4 biomolecules?
Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids these 4 are the major types of biomolecules. These 4 are also called as macromolecules, because these biomolecules are present in body in huge amount than the other molecules. Please read below.
What are carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are the macromolecules composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
The name carbohydrates mean “hydrates of carbon”. So, carbohydrate definition is, the polyhydroxy aldehyde or ketones or compound which are produce after hydrolysis. These are macronutrients essential for living, such as sugars, starch and fiber.
Actually, we know carbohydrate as sugars (the sweet compound). This sugar word came from Greek word “Sakcharon” which means sugar. Scientifically these sugars are called as “saccharides”.
Depending on the presences of sugar unit, carbohydrates are classified in 3 major types- monosaccharides (1 unit of sugar), oligosaccharides (contains 2 to 10 unit of sugar) and polysaccharides (contain more than 10 units of sugar)
The main function of carbohydrate is to produce energy and food to body.
What are proteins?
The word protein derived from Greek word “proteios”. In 1838, a Swedish chemist “Jons Jacob Berzelius” used the term protein.
Proteins are the polymers of amino acid and contain nitrogen atom. These are most enormous biomolecule in living organisms. They are present in every part of cell. In cell, 50% of cell weight is proteins.
Based on the structure, proteins have 4 categories – primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary protein. This classification is based on the folding and arrangement of polypeptide chain. The main function of protein is to give structure and strength of body.
What are lipids?
The term lipids derived from Greek word “Lipos”, which means fats.
Lipids are the organic substances which are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvent like alcohol and ether.
Lipids are broadly classified as 4 categories: simple lipids (fats and waxes), complex lipids (phospholipids, glycolipids etc.), derived lipids (glycerol), miscellaneous lipids (carotenoids, hydrocarbons etc.).
What are nucleic acids?
These are genetic materials present in every cell. Nucleic acids are the polymers of nucleotide. A nucleotide composed of a nitrogen, a pentose sugar and a phosphate.
There are 2 types of nucleic acids, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acids (RNA). The main function of nucleic acid is to transfer genetic information and synthesis of proteins.
Also read What is Biochemistry?
FAQ’s
Which of the following biomolecules typically contains both nitrogen and phosphate?
Nucleic acids contain both nitrogen and phosphate. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid) are examples of nucleic acids. Both of them consist of nucleotides which contain nitrogenous bases (adenine, thymine/uracil, cytosine and guanine) and phosphate groups.
What elements are common to all 4 biomolecules?
All biomolecules are made up of the elements of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O). These are the elements common to all four major biomolecules.
What are the four major biomolecules?
The four major biomolecules are proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and carbohydrates.
Which group of biomolecules is the most efficient for storing energy?
Lipids, specifically triglycerides (fats and oils), are the most efficient biomolecules for storing energy.
What type of biomolecules are enzymes?
Enzymes are proteins, which are a type of biomolecule.
Is sugar and saccharides same?
Yes, “sugar” and “saccharide” are same terms. But sugars are a type of saccharide and the term “saccharide” include wider category and these are made up of many sugar units.
Also read What is Biochemistry?