Nucleic acids and proteins

Posted on October 6th, 2008 in random topics by Tatertot

Here is another paper for my biology class. We had to write five. I was really getting tired of writing about biology. Ha-ha. This one is about comparing and contrasting nucleic acids and proteins.

Nucleic acids and proteins are types of macromolecules. So they do have some similarities. Just like carbohydrates and lipids their elements consist of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. But they both have nitrogen and the fifth that proteins have is sulfur and the fifth that nucleic acids has is phosphorus.

They are also very different. Protein’s subunits are amino acids and nucleic acids’ subunits are nucleotides. The structural role of proteins is the part of chromosomes, ribosomes, and component of all embranes. The functional role of proteins is enzymes the control the reaction rates but the functional role of nucleic acids is genetic material that controls cellular activity and inheritance to offspring.

As you can see proteins and nucleic acids are mostly different. They function different, they are in different parts of the macromolecules but they have some of the same elements.

Carbohydrates and lipids

Posted on October 6th, 2008 in random topics by Tatertot

This is another paper I had to write for biology. This one is about comparing and contrasting carbohydrates and lipids. This one was kind of hard.

Carbohydrates and lipids are very different but they also have their similarities. Such as they both are sources of energy. Lipids are a stored source and carbohydrates are an immediate source. They also have similar elements. Both have carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen but lipids have an extra, called phosphorus.

Lipids and carbohydrates have different subunits. Monosaccharides (simple sugars) are the subunits of carbohydrates and fatty acids, glycerol, and cholesterol are the subunits for lipids. They have complete different structural roles and functional roles despite their similarities. The structural role of lipids is a major component of all membranes. In the cell wall and minor component or cell membranes is the structural role of carbohydrates. And, like I mentioned before, their energy is their functional role.

Enzymes

Posted on October 6th, 2008 in random topics by Tatertot

This is a paper I had to write fro biology. It is on enzymes. I just turned it into today so I hope I got a good grade.

Enzymes are proteins that act as a biological catalyst. Only one is needed for each chemical reaction but, most reactions also require activation energy to begin. Enzymes are important for organisms because they speed up chemical reactions that take place in cells. Most cells contain proteins that help turn key enzymes “on” or “off” at critical stages in the life of a cell.

An example of an enzyme is alcohol dehydrogenates. The enzyme does it’s job by speeding up and changing the poisonous alcohol into a more harmless compound. Another example is a catayst. This speeds up, changing hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.