Hello, and today we will be talking about Chemical compounds in cells.
Carbon dioxide, which is found in gas bubbles, is a chemical compound. A molecule of carbon dioxide has one atom of carbon, and 2 atoms of oxygen. Water is also a chemical compound. A water molecule is made of one atom of oxygen and 2 atoms of hydrogen.
Here is a picture of some organic compounds. Organic compounds contain carbon, and are found in living things. There are 4 groups of organic compounds: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
Carbohydrates are energy rich compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Sugars and starches are 2 examples of carbohydrates. Many fruits and vegetables such as pineapple, watermelon, carrots, and beets have carbohydrates in the form of sugars. Other carbohydrates like potatoes, rice, bread, and pasta are in the form of starches. Starches are large molecules of sugars. This is called a complex carbohydrate.
Lipids are energy rich organic compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Examples include fats, oils, and waxes. Lipids contain more energy than carbohydrates. So cells store energy in lipids for later use. This hybernating bear is able to live on the energy stored in fat within his cells.
Proteins are large organic molecules made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and at times, sulfur. Foods high in proteins include meat, eggs, fish, nuts, and beans. This slide also shows the structure of a protein at the molecular level.
Finally, Nucleic Acids are our 4 th type of organic compound. These molecules are very long and made of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and phosphorus. They contain the instructions that cells need to carry out all the functions of life. One kind of nucleic acid is DNA. Information in DNA directs all of the cells functions.
I hope you enjoyed the presentation on some of the different chemical compounds found in cells. Hope to see you soon, bye bye.
