![]() In the process, a water molecule is formed. This type of reaction is known as dehydration synthesis (also known as condensation), which means “to make while losing water.”įigure 3.2 In the dehydration synthesis reaction shown above, two molecules of glucose are linked together to form the disaccharide maltose. In doing so, monomers release water molecules as byproducts. The monomers combine with each other using covalent bonds to form larger molecules known as polymers. Most macromolecules are made from single subunits, or building blocks, called monomers. In addition, they may contain hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and additional minor elements. Biological macromolecules are organic, meaning they contain carbon. Combined, these molecules make up the majority of a cell’s dry mass (recall that water makes up the majority of its complete mass). Each is an important cell component and performs a wide array of functions. There are four major classes of biological macromolecules: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. ![]() Describe dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis reactions.īiological macromolecules are large molecules, necessary for life, that are built from smaller organic molecules.Understand the synthesis of macromolecules.Name the four major classes of biological macromolecules.By the end of this section, you will be able to:
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |