- All living things are from 50 to over 90% water, the source of protons, hydrogen and oxygen in photosynthesis and the solvent of biomolecules
- The major elements of covalently bound biomolecules are carbon (C), hydrogen (H), nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), phosphorus (P) & sulfur (S)
- There is a universal set of small molecules (i.e. sugars, amino acids, nucleotides, fatty acids, phospholipids, vitamins and coenzymes)
- The principle macromolecules are proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids
- There is a universal type of membrane structure (the lipid bilayer)
Organic Molecules vs Biomolecules
- Carbon was a major component, found in any type of organism that was analyzed
- Molecules with carbon in them were assumed to be associated with organisms, and so were called organic molecules
- Elements like H, O, N and S can also be found in organic molecules
- Many of the biomolecules contain carbon, and thus, can be referred to organic compounds as well
- 4 different types of organic molecules
- Lipids
- Carbohydrates
- Proteins
- Nucleic Acids
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