CHAPTER 3: THE MOLECULES OF
LIFE
,Overview: The Molecules of Life
All living things are made up of four classes of
large biological molecules: carbohydrates,
lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids
Macromolecules are large molecules
composed of thousands of covalently
connected atoms
Molecular structure and function are
inseparable
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
,Figure 5.1
, Macromolecules are polymers,
built from monomers
• A polymer is a long molecule consisting of
many similar building blocks linked by covalent
bonds
• These small building-block molecules are called
monomers
• Three of the four classes of life’s organic
molecules are polymers
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Nucleic acids
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
LIFE
,Overview: The Molecules of Life
All living things are made up of four classes of
large biological molecules: carbohydrates,
lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids
Macromolecules are large molecules
composed of thousands of covalently
connected atoms
Molecular structure and function are
inseparable
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
,Figure 5.1
, Macromolecules are polymers,
built from monomers
• A polymer is a long molecule consisting of
many similar building blocks linked by covalent
bonds
• These small building-block molecules are called
monomers
• Three of the four classes of life’s organic
molecules are polymers
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Nucleic acids
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
