Carbon is essential to many basic biological functions. Carbon’s unique properties are what make this element the basis of all living matter. Carbon is also responsible for the creation of monomers, polymers, and macromolecules. Monomers are small, simple units of carbon that have been strung together to form larger polymers. Polymers are more complex molecules made from individual carbon monomers. Macromolecules are very large molecules made from carbon based chains, such as polymers. The four classes of macromolecules include carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. The creation of these very important macromolecules is caused by the properties of carbon. These properties include carbon’s ability to form four covalent bonds, carbon’s
ability to form strong single double, or triple bonds, and most importantly, carbon’s ability to bond to functional groups. Functional groups are groups of atoms with characteristic chemical features and properties. Carbon bonds with three particular functional groups (carbonyl aldehyde/ketone, amine, and carboxylic) in order to form macromolecules. Carbonyl aldehyde or carbonyl ketone functional groups are built from sugar molecules that bond together to form carbohydrates. Carbohydrates (made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen) are sugar compounds that provide energy to living cells. Amine functional groups create strands of amino acids that link together to form proteins. Proteins (made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen) provide structural support for cells, and help maintain and repair biological tissue. Carboxylic functional groups link to carbon chains that form fatty acids called lipids. Lipids (made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen) help store energy, initiate cell signaling, and assist in cell membrane development.
Cellular respiration and photosynthesis are important in the cycle of energy to withstand life as we define it. Cellular respiration and photosynthesis have several stages in where the making of energy occurs, and have diverse relationships with organelles within the eukaryotic cell. These processes are central in how life has evolved.
Carbon is one of the 115 chemical elements discovered on Earth which is part of the nonmetals group with other elements such as nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen. Carbon as an element has good stability, it is very light, very stable, and has many types of forms such as graphite, and coal. Carbon fiber is just another form of carbon, basically has filaments between five to ten micrometers in diameter of pure carbon or at least 90% of carbon. Thousand carbon fibers are twisted together to form a long chain, which can then be used in a variety of raw forms, including yarns, weaves, and braids, which are in turn mixed with synthetic resins to create the carbon fiber as a composite material. Based on different characteristics carbon fibers can be divided into three principals groups: according to carbon fiber tensile modulus, according to precursor fiber materials, and according to final heat
Carbohydrates are more than just fuels for the body and have other uses. Carbohydrates are hydrocarbons containing a carbonyl group and many alcohol groups. Their polymers can complex or they be simple and contain just one repeating monosaccharide, the roles of polymers can be many such as structural, storage or even signalling. (Tymoczko et al, 2012 p. 131)
The Structure and Function of Carbohydrates Large biological molecules are called macromolecules, there are giant molecules (polymers) made up of repeating units (monomers). Carbohydrates are one of the main classes of biological molecules. Macromolecule units (monomers) are joined together by condensation reactions and hydrolysis reactions split macromolecules down into their individual units. Carbohydrates are molecules that contain elements of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Carbohydrates have a 2:1 hydrogen to oxygen ratio, there are twice as many hydrogen atoms as oxygen atoms (the same proportion as in water).
Macromolecules are define as large molecules of structures found in living organisms. There are four types of macromolecules, which are proteins, carbohydrate, nucleic acid, and lipids also known as fats. Carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids are made of monomers, which are structural units that eventually attached together to form polymers (Dooley 20). For instance, proteins are made of amino acids, which are monomers. In addition, it has a complex structure, which consist of four different levels, primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary. The first structure of protein is the primary structure, which is the sequence of amino acid, while in the secondary structure alpha and beta helices are formed. The structure, in which a protein becomes active, is in the tertiary structure, which is where polypeptide subunits fold. Meanwhile, only certain proteins have the quaternary structure, which is when, more than one polypeptide folds. Proteins are prominent macromolecules mainly because of their numerous functions. For instance, proteins are known for increasing the rate of reactions due to that enzymes are a type of protein. In addition, they are a form of defense mechanism such as they attack pathogens, which cause diseases. In other words, scientists study and gain more insight on certain illness and how to prevent them by using proteins. For example, in a recent study,
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There are lots of natural processes constantly happening all around us, these processes are often linked by passing one type of atom to the next process which passes the same atom to the next one and so on. This ‘passing of the atom’ along a chain of processes is called a cycle, the series of processes in which the carbon atom goes through is called the carbon cycle. Each Carbon is the fourth most affluent element in the universe and is an important part of most molecules that make up most of the world’s natural resources and organic matter, which is why the carbon cycle is one of the most important cycles on earth. Through-out the cycle, carbon can become several different forms such as sugar, oil, diamond and marble. Processes such as photosynthesis, combustion and the compression of the earth play key roles in changing, containing and releasing carbon. All the chemical reactions and processes and forms carbon creates are part of the carbon cycle, which is one of the most important cycle on earth. The majority of carbon on earth is in the atmosphere the rest is stored in rocks, fossil fuels, oceans, plants and soil. Carbon is constantly being added to the atmosphere, the most common forms being carbon dioxide and methane gas. At the same time it’s being removed by plants on land and in the oceans. Carbon can be stored for hundreds of years in sediment, fossil fuels, rocks and the ocean. The carbon in the atmosphere is almost always a compound called carbon dioxide.
The term macromolecules is sometimes used to refer to aggregates of two or more macromolecules held together by intermolecular forces rather then by chemical bonds. Another common macromolecule property that does not characterize smaller molecules is the need for assistance in dissolving into solution. Many require salts or particular ions to dissolve in water. Cells can combine small molecules into large macromolecules, forming a higher level in the biological hierarchy. Macromolecules are polymers, chains of identical or similar subunit molecules called monomers. Although there is a limited number of monomers common to all organisms, each organism is unique because of the specific arrangement of there monomers into polymers with distinctive structures and properties. Monomers of all four classes of macromolecules form larger molecules by a number of different methods for example, dehydration and synthesis, a chemical reaction in which one monomers donates a hydrolysis. In this way large molecules in food are digested into monomers small enough to enter our cells.
Carbon improves harden ability, strength, hardness, and wear resistance; it reduces ductility, weldability, and toughness.
Carbohydrates are biomolecules that consist of a chain or ring of carbon atoms attached to hydrogen and oxygen atoms. The simplest formula for carbohydrates is (CH2O)n. Carbohydrates are important to organisms for a variety of reasons. They are used to form the structural components of the cell, aid in energy storage, and serve as intermediary compounds for more complex molecules. Carbohydrates are classified as either monosaccharides, disaccharides, or polysaccharides. Both monosaccharides and disaccharides dissolve easily in water. Carbohydrates are produced in plants through the process of photosynthesis and animals obtain these carbohydrates by eating the plants. ("BIO 1510 Laboratory Manual," 2016)
Carbohydrates For my health project, I did carbohydrates. They are the bodies energy source. Carbohydrates supply the body with the energy it needs to function. They are found almost exclusively in plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, peas, and beans.
C14 is the radioactive isotope of rearular carbon, c12. The cocentration of C14 in the body is one billionth of a gram in the body to one gram of C12. This C14 is contantly decaying, but through animals and plants breathing it is replenashed when an organism is alive. When the animal dies the C14 intake stops and a decay that is not replenashed.(Comas 456) During life an organism have a specific activity of 15.6 disintigrations per minuate per gram of regular carbon in thier body.(Comas 456) “
The carbon cycle is known as an essential part in life itself. Although carbon is limited on earth Its constant cycle allows it to be set in different places and forms. The reactions that move carbon around make up a giant web called the carbon cycle. The carbon cycle can be defined as the continuous biological process through which the carbon is exchanged between the environment and the organisms. Carbon specifically, is a major attribute of the Biogeochemistry of the planet ,as it is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of the Earth. Carbon is the only element other than Silicon to form long continuous chains, as It is a nonmetallic tetravalent. however, silicon having weaker inter molecular forces
Carbon Carbon is one of the basic elements of matter (Bush 1230-1231). The name carbon comes from the Latin word "carbo" meaning charcoal. Carbon is the sixth most abundant element (Gangson). More than 1,000,000 compounds are made from carbon (Carbon (C)). "The Element Carbon is defined as a naturally abundant non-metallic element that occurs in many inorganic and in all organic compounds, exists freely as graphite and diamond and as a constituent of coal, limestone, and petroleum, and is capable of chemical self-bonding to form an enormous number of chemically, biologically, and commercially important molecules.
Carbon Dioxide is a colorless, odorless gas that occurs in small quantities in the earth's atmosphere naturally. The earth's ocean, soil, plants and animals release CO2. The formula of Carbon Dioxide is CO2. The CO2 molecule contains 2 oxygen atoms that each share 2 electrons with a carbon atom to form 2 carbon - oxygen double bonds. The atoms are arranged as so (OHT). This is called a 'linear molecule'.