Macromolecules

What are macromolecules? Macromolecules are the building blocks to making larger molecules. Macromolecules are things such as, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids.

                        Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are organic molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.

Carbon is the core building block of all known life,

hydrogen is water, and oxygen is what we breathe every day of our lives.

                Amino & Nucleic Acids

Amino acids are small organic molecules made of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen.

Nucleic acids are hydrophobic, organic molecules with various chemical structures.

Hydrophobic means something is 

water-resistant.

                        DNA & RNA

What's the difference between DNA and RNA?

DNA is made of a double helix and stores genetic information that tells cells which amino acids to join             to form proteins. RNA is single stranded and                     converts the information in DNA to protein.

        Hydrogen and Peptide Bonds

A hydrogen bond is like a tiny invisible magnet that helps molecules stick together, especially in water, DNA, and proteins.

A peptide bond is like a special “molecular glue” that holds tiny building blocks called amino acids together to make proteins.