Table of Contents
What molecules are polymers of amino acids?
Proteins are natural polymers made up of amino acids, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) are polymers of nucleotides — complex molecules composed of nitrogen-containing bases, sugars and phosphoric acid, for example.
What is a biochemical molecule made up of amino acids?
What Are Proteins Made Of? The building blocks of proteins are amino acids, which are small organic molecules that consist of an alpha (central) carbon atom linked to an amino group, a carboxyl group, a hydrogen atom, and a variable component called a side chain (see below).
What is a polymer of amino acids?
Proteins are polymers of amino acids. Each amino acid contains a central carbon, a hydrogen, a carboxyl group, an amino group, and a variable R group.
What is polymer of nucleotides?
The nucleic acids, both DNA and RNA, consist of polymers of nucleotides. *DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, a self-replicating material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information.
Are amino acids a monomer or polymer?
Proteins – polymers are known as polypeptides; monomers are amino acids. Nucleic Acids – polymers are DNA and RNA; monomers are nucleotides, which are in turn consist of a nitrogenous base, pentose sugar, and phosphate group.
What is a nucleotide polymer?
A nucleotide is the basic building block of nucleic acids. RNA and DNA are polymers made of long chains of nucleotides. A nucleotide consists of a sugar molecule (either ribose in RNA or deoxyribose in DNA) attached to a phosphate group and a nitrogen-containing base.
What is meant by polymer of amino acid?
As we noted for nucleic acids, a polymer is a chain of subunits, amino acid monomers linked together by peptide bonds. A peptide bond forms between the amino group of the added amino acid and the carboxylic acid group of the polymer; the formation of a peptide bond is associated with the release of a water molecule.
How are macromolecules and polymers related in biology?
Biological polymers are large molecules composed of many similar smaller molecules linked together in a chain-like fashion. The individual smaller molecules are called monomers. When small organic molecules are joined together, they can form giant molecules or polymers. These giant molecules are also called macromolecules.
How are monomers linked together in biological polymers?
Biological polymers are large molecules composed of many similar smaller molecules linked together in a chain-like fashion. The individual smaller molecules are called monomers. Monomers are generally linked together through a process called dehydration synthesis, while polymers are disassembled through a process called hydrolysis.
How are carbohydrates different from other biological polymers?
These polymers are composed of different monomers and serve different functions. Carbohydrates: molecules composed of sugar monomers. They are necessary for energy storage. Carbohydrates are also called saccharides and their monomers are called monosaccharides.
What are proteins, lipids and nucleic acids composed of?
They are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. These polymers are composed of different monomers and serve different functions. Carbohydrates are also called saccharides and their monomers are called monosaccharides.