Organic Molecules, Carbon Atoms, and Cell Molecules: Understanding Biology

One thing that can be difficult for people to understand is the study of organic molecules and carbon atoms. Organic molecules are molecules of the living world. These molecules contain both carbon and hydrogen, while inorganic molecules, such as H2O, do not.

A carbon atom has the total of six electrons, with four being in the outer shell. Most of the time it shares its electrons to complete its outer shell. A special property that it has is that it is able to bond with as many as four other elements. Carbon atoms tend to share electrons with other carbon atoms. A special type of carbon atom, known as a hydrocarbon, is a chain of carbon atoms that is bonded only to hydrogen atoms. Additionally, isomers is a classification in which they have the same number and kinds of atoms in a variety of different arrangements, which may also give them different properties.

Despite the fact that all organic molecules contain both carbon and hydrogen, they can still differ. For example, they can have different sizes and shapes of their carbon skeleton. Also, their functional groups can be different. A functional group is the specific combination of atoms that have bonded that always have the same chemical properties and always react in the same way. The reactivity of the molecule depends on the functional group that is attached to. Essentially, what these groups do is determine how these carbon-based molecules will interact with other molecules and also confirms the hydrophobic or hydrophilic nature of the molecule.

Cells are made of biological molecules as well. They can be broken down into four main categories: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. These four cell groups can also be broken down even more to show the type of substance that they are. Within these cells there are monomers, which are subunits. Furthermore, there are polymers, which as their name suggests are monomers that have joined together. The dehydration reaction is what joins monomers and creates polymers. Basically, what it does, is that it removes the water molecule. On the reverse side, hydrolysis is what breaks polymers apart and is used to break the bond.

These concepts can be difficult to grasp for the beginning biologist, but they are essential to understand the basic building blocks of life. Without organic molecules, there would be no life, there would only be inorganic molecules such as water.