Biomolecules Vocabulary

starch

a polysaccharide consisting of highly branched chains of glucose units used as food storage in plants

cellulose

a polysaccharide made of glucose units hooked together found in plant cell walls

glycogen

a polysaccharide with highly branched chains of glucose units, used by animals as a food store

monosaccharide

a simple one unit sugar such as glucose or fructose having the formula C6H12O6

protein

contains the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen and is composed of amino acids examples are insulin, hemoglobin, and enzymes

peptide bond

links amino acids together

polymers

macromolecules made of many monomers joined together

nucleic acids

macromolecules such as DNA and RNA

lipids

organic compounds commonly called fats and oils

carbohydrates

organic compounds used to store and release energy

enzymes

proteins catalysts that speed up the rate of a chemical reactions in the body

fatty acids and glycerol

the building blocks/subunits of lipids which are arranged in the shape of a letter E

nucleotides

the building blocks/subunits of nucleic acids

amino acids

the building blocks/subunits of proteins

polysaccharides

the largest carbohydrate molecules, they are polymers composed of many monosaccharides linked together for example: starch, glycogen, and cellulose

monomers

the small building blocks of polymers