ELECTIVE SCIENCE

Consumer Chemistry
Grade 9
SY 2022-2023

Biomolecule Review Worksheet

WORKSHEET NO. _____

ORGANIC MOLECULES

Organic molecules are the molecules that exist in all living things. They are life’s building blocks. All things are
formed from these organic molecules. There are four categories of organic molecules: Carbohydrates, lipids,
proteins, and nucleic acids.

1. How are organic molecules related to all living things?

2. Name four categories of organic molecules that form the basis of all living things.

Organic molecules have four common characteristics. First, they are all carbon-based, meaning they all
contain carbon. They are formed from just a few elements that join together to form small molecules which join
together, or bond, to form large molecules. The third characteristic of all organic molecules is that each kind of
organic molecule is built from a single type of building block. For example, the building block of carbohydrates
is sugar, the building block of lipids is fatty acids, the building block of protein is amino acids and the building
block of nucleic acids is the nucleotide. When these building blocks are joined together, they form a large
molecule (polymer), just as bricks joined together to form a wall. For example, sugars join together to form a
carbohydrate.

3. All of the organic molecules are based on which element?

4. Many times, the molecules join to form long chains with what kind of backbone?
5, How are the building blocks of organic molecules like bricks? What is the building block of each of the four
classes of organic molecules?
CARBOHYDRATES:
LIPIDS:
PROTEINS
NUCLEI ACIDS:
6. What is a polymer?

The last common characteristic of all organic molecules is that their form determines their function. That means
that their shape determines how they will behave and how they will react with other molecules. For example,
the order of amino acids in a protein will determine the shape and function of the protein just as the order of
words in a sentence shapes the meaning of the sentence.

7. What determines how organic molecules will look and behave?

8. What are the four common characteristics of all organic molecules?

CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates are the most common organic molecule because they make up most
plant matter. They are made from carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Their building
block is a single sugar called a monosaccharide. Sugars (monosaccharides) consist
of carbon rings. When two monosaccharides, or sugars, combine, they form a
disaccharide (di = two). When more than two monosaccharides join together, a
polysaccharide (poly = many) is formed.

10. What are the elements contained in carbohydrates?

11. What is the building block of carbohydrates?

12. What is a monosaccharide?

13. What is a disaccharide?

14. How does a polysaccharide differ from a disaccharide?

There are three classes of carbohydrates. The first is starch. Starch is a carbohydrate used in food storage in
plants. Potatoes, pasta, and rice are rich in starch. Starches are very valuable because they provide a quick
form of energy for the body. The second is glycogen. Glycogen is used for food storage in animals. The third
is cellulose. Cellulose is used for structural support in plants (stems, leaves).

15. Which involves food storage in plants?

16. Which involves food storage in animals?

17. What is cellulose used for? PLANT STRUCTURE

18. Why would an athlete have a big pasta dinner the night before a race?

LIPIDS

Lipids are a class of organic molecules that includes fats

and oils and has the function of long-term storage of energy in
the body. The building block of lipids is the fatty acid, which is
a chain of carbons with hydrogen attached to each side.
Saturated fats have two carbons attached to each carbon (except the one at the end). Saturated fats are
unhealthy fats like butter and Crisco. Unsaturated fats are
missing at least one hydrogen and are kinked in shape. The unsaturated fats are healthy and include oils.

22. What is the building block of lipids?

23. Describe the structure of a fatty acid.

24. What is saturated fatty acid?

25. What does soluble mean?

26. Explain the solubility of lipids.

27. How would you test for lipids, and what is a positive result?

PROTEINS

Proteins are organic molecules that form muscles, transport O2 (hemoglobin), and act as hormones and
enzymes. Most importantly, proteins determine how our bodies look and function. Their building block is the
amino acid. Proteins are made of amino acids combined through a dehydration link called a peptide bond.
When groups of amino acids are joined together, a protein is formed.

29. What are 2 of the functions of proteins?

30. What is the building block of proteins?

31. What is the name of the bond that joins amino acids?

32. How many different amino acids are there?

20
33. What part of the amino acid varies from one amino acid to another?
The “R” GROUP

NUCLEIC ACIDS
The fourth class of organic molecules is nucleic acids. This class involves genetic materials, DNA and RNA.
DNA is the blueprint of life because it contains instructions on how to make proteins in the body. Each
individual’s DNA is unique, which means that each individual has a unique set of proteins. That is why each of
us looks and behaves differently. RNA is a copy of DNA. Because DNA can’t leave the cell’s nucleus, and
because proteins are constructed outside of the nucleus in the cytoplasm, RNA is necessary to carry the
instructions from DNA to the cytoplasm where the protein is made.
35. What are the two types of nucleic acids?
36. What is the role of DNA?

The monomer of nucleic acids is the nucleotide. All nucleic acids are formed from a series of these nucleotides.
Nucleotides consist of three parts:

37. What is the building block of nucleic acids?

38. What are the three parts of this nucleotide?

The structure of DNA resembles that of a twisted ladder. This twisted ladder of DNA is
called a ‘double helix.’ The rails of the DNA ladder are made from alternating sugars
and phosphates (sugar-phosphate-sugar-phosphate-sugar…). In DNA, the sugar is
called deoxyribose. The rungs of the ladder are made of four different kinds of bases,
with one base hanging off of the sugar portion of each rail. The four bases are A, T, C,
and G. The rails of the ladder are held together because the bases from one rail bond to
the bases from the other rail to form rungs. The bases from one side of the ladder are
attached to the bases hanging from the other rail. This keeps the ladder together. The
bases attach in a very specific way: ‘A’ bases always attach to ‘T’ bases, and ‘C’
bases always attach to ‘G’ bases.

39. Describe the structure and shape of DNA.

40. What are the rails of the ladder made of?

41. How are the rails of the ladder kept together?

42. What are the four different DNA bases?

43. ‘A’ always pairs with what base?

RNA is very similar to DNA in all ways except for a few differences. First, where the sugar in DNA is
deoxyribose, the sugar in RNA is ribose. Second, where DNA is a double helix, RNA has just one strand.
Third, where the bases in DNA are C, G, A, and T, in RNA the bases are C, G, A, and U. The U in RNA takes
the place of the T in DNA. Fourth, DNA cannot leave the nucleus of the cell, and RNA can.

44. List four differences between DNA and RNA.

45. List three similarities between DNA and RNA.