Question

1. What are the subunits found in carbohydrates? What are the properties of these subunits? How do the properties of these subunits influence the structure and properties of carbohydrates?

2. What are the subunits found in proteins? What are the properties of these subunits? How do the properties of these subunits influence the structure and properties of proteins?

3. What are the subunits found in lipids? What are the properties of these subunits? How do the properties of these subunits influence the structure and properties of lipids?

4. What are the subunits found in nucleic acids? What are the properties of these subunits? How do the properties of these subunits influence the structure and properties of nucleic acids?

Answer 1

1) subunit of carbohydrates is monosacrides in which glucose is quite common. Glucose is 6C sugar with polyhydroxy group ana aldehyde. It form glycosidic linkage with other glucose molecules with elimination of water. Glucose residue exist in two different form alpha and beta forms and that's leads to alpha glycosidic linkage and beta glycosidic linkage.

Carbohydrates having alpha glycosidic linkage leads to formation of helical like structure and present in starch and glycogens and function as wnergy storage material while beta glycosidic bond presents in cellulose and hence form extended sheet like structure which help in writting purpose or structural role like cell wall of plant.

2) proteins made of amino acids subunit which is having carboxylic acid and amine group. These group held in peptide bond formation which involves carboxylic group of one amino acids combines with amine group of another amino acids.

There are 20 different amino acids which are different in side chain and when these side chain interect with water leads to different 3D sruction and hence specific function.

3) lipids- are made of glycerol and three fatty acids.

Because of these long chain of fatty acids lipid is highly insoluble in water so acts chief storage of energy also it is part of cell membrane and acts as presursor of sex hormones, cholesterols, vitamin, pigments etc.

4) Nucleic acid (NA)-NA is made up of sugar, nitrogen bases and phosphates ions.so it's subunit is nucleotides,

These 4 type of nucleotides are attached to each other through phospho diester bonds and nitrogen bases form stable hydrogen bonds with complementary nitrogen bases. Also, base stacking between bases and hydrogen bonds leads to antiparellel alpha helical structure of DNA.

This anti-parellel structure with complementary base pairing help in replication of DNA.

Hope it's clear. Thanks