amino acids are the monomers that join together to form

Legos are composed of a plastic called acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ( ABS). To get a sense of how monomers are used, let’s think about Legos. Note the prefix “mono,” which indicates “one” (as in monorail, monotheism, monosyllabic, etc.) Many biomolecules (carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids) are built of one or more building blocks called monomers. We’ll get to know important details about each of the biomolecule families later in this set of tutorials. There are, for example, lots of synthetic macromolecules (that aren’t biological). Note that these terms aren’t perfectly synonymous. Biomolecules, because these are the molecules found in living things.Macromolecules, because these molecules are big, consisting of anywhere from a dozen to thousands of atoms.When we speak of these molecules collectively, two terms are commonly used (and in what follows, I’ll use both): Nucleic Acids include DNA, the molecule that makes up genes RNA, a molecule used to direct cellular activities and ATP, the molecule used by cells to meet their moment-to-moment energy needs.Proteins include muscle tissue (meat) structural proteins that makeup skin, hair, and fingernails enzymes (which catalyze and control the chemical reactions in living things), and antibodies (immune system molecules that fight infectious organisms such as bacteria and viruses).Lipids include fats, oils, waxes, and steroid hormones like estrogen and testosterone.Carbohydrates include sugars, starches, and plant fiber (also known as cellulose).To start to get to know them, take a moment and study the list below. Chips have carbohydrates, fat, and a little proteinĮxcept for nucleic acids, these molecule families are probably familiar to you, because they’re also food groups (the lipids, as you’ll see in a moment, include the yummy and calorie-rich fats and oils). Ignoring the water which makes up most of the mass of any organism, they’re each composed of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

But these organisms, despite their different forms, sizes, and ecological niches, are built from the same four types of molecules. I think of the California redwoods, the Archaea (prokaryotic cells) that live in the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park, bread mold, horseshoe crabs, and Orcas (also known as killer whales). Think of the five most different living things that you can imagine. We’re all built from the same stuff: the four families of biological molecules

They join together to form short polymer chains called peptides or longer chains called polypeptides.Looking for a student learning guide? Go to the main menu for your course.Amino acids are the structural units (monomers) that make up proteins.The key elements of an amino acid are carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), and nitrogen (N).Amino acids are organic compounds that contain amino (–NH 2) and carboxyl (–COOH) functional groups.

Drawback: The polypeptide batteries didn’t perform quite as well as traditional lithium-ion batteries, they are an exciting alternative because the energy storing materials inside them were easily recovered.Reusable: The researchers disassembled the batteries and broke the polypeptide electrodes down into amino acids and other small molecule building blocks that could be reused to re-build battery electrodes later.Electrodes: They built electrodes by mixing the polypeptides with carbon black, another conductive material, and a binding material to hold everything together.Conduction: Polypeptides are not inherently conductive, so the researchers chemically modified them by attaching structural units that can transfer electrons back and forth.Basic material: The researchers chose polymers of amino acids which is called polypeptides because these polymers break apart into their building blocks, amino acids, when heated with just the right amount of acid.Researchers at Texas A&M developed a battery that would be lightweight and powerful, like lithium-ion batteries and more easily recyclable.

Amino acids are the monomers that join together to form