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Unit 10 Biomolecules Objectives After studying this Unit, you will be able to • explain the characteristics of “It is the harmonious and synchronous progress of chemical biomolecules like carbohydrates, reactions in body which leads to life”. proteins and nucleic acids and hormones; • classify carbohydrates, proteins, A living system grows, sustains and reproduces itself. nucleic acids and vitamins on the The most amazing thing about a living system is that it basis of their structures; is composed of non-living atoms and molecules. The • explain the difference between pursuit of knowledge of what goes on chemically within DNA and RNA; a living system falls in the domain of biochemistry. Living • describe the role of biomolecules systems are made up of various complex biomolecules in biosystem. like carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, etc. Proteins and carbohydrates are essential constituents of our food. These biomolecules interact with each other and constitute the molecular logic of life processes. In addition, some simple molecules like vitamins and mineral salts also play an important role in the functions of organisms. Structures and functions of some of these biomolecules are discussed in this Unit. 10.1 Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are primarily produced by plants and form a very large group of naturally occurring organic compounds. Some common examples of carbohydrates are cane sugar, glucose, starch, etc. Most of them have a general formula, C (HxO)2, ynd were considered as hydrates of carbon from where the name carbohydrate was derived. For example, the molecular formula of glucose (C H6O12 f6ts into this general formula, C6(H 2) 6 But all the compounds which fit into this formula may not be classified as carbohydrates. For example acetic acid (CH C3OH) fits into this general formula, C (H2O)2bu2 is not a carbohydrate. Similarly, rhamnose, C H6O 12 5 carbohydrate but does not fit in this definition. A large number of their reactions have shown that they contain specific functional groups. Chemically, the carbohydrates may be defined as optically active polyhydroxy aldehydes or ketones or the compounds which produce such units on hydrolysis. Some of the carbohydrates, which are sweet in taste, are also called sugars. The most common sugar, used in our homes is named as sucrose whereas the sugar present Reprint 2026-27