Chapter IV: Biological Molecules

Food provides an organism with nutrients—the matter it needs to survive. Many of these critical nutrients come in the form of biological macromolecules, or large molecules necessary for life. These macromolecules are built from different combinations of smaller organic molecules. What specific types of biological macromolecules do living things require? How are these molecules formed? What functions do they serve? In this chapter, we will explore these questions.

There are four major classes of biological macromolecules (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids), and each is an important component of the cell and performs a wide array of functions. Combined, these molecules make up the majority of a cell’s mass. Biological macromolecules are organic, meaning that they contain carbon atoms. In addition, they may contain atoms of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and additional minor elements.

These molecules are made up of subunits called monomers. Each type of biological molecule is made up of different monomers. The monomers are connected together into a chain by strong covalent bonds. It is important that covalent bonds connect the monomers. If they were connected by hydrogen bonds the monomers would easily separate from each other and the biological molecule would come apart. If ionic bonds connected the monomers, the biological molecule would be likely to fall apart if it came into contact with water.