Unit 2 Refleciton

Unit 2 Reflection

This unit was about the big four macro molecules and enzymes. The big four macro molecules are: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Carbohydrates are sugars which are made up of rings of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Lipids are large molecules that are made up of long chains of carbon and hydrogen called fatty acids. Proteins are large molecules made up of smaller molecules called amino acids. Amino acids are chained together to make proteins. Enzymes make chemical reactions happen and break molecules apart or put molecules together. Nucleic acids are large molecules composed of up to thousands of repeating nucleotides. 

     For producers, carbohydrates store energy. For consumers, they are the main source of energy. The three types of carbohydrates are: monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. Monosaccharides have one ring and taste sweet. Disaccharides have two rings and also taste sweet. Polysaccharides, also known as complex carbohydrates, have three or more rings and taste starchy.

     Most lipids are non-polar, or uncharged. Lipids make up brain cells, and are used to break bonds between carbon and hydrogen to get energy when glucose is running low. The two types of fatty acids are: saturated fats and unsaturated fats. Saturated fats are straight chains of carbon and hydrogen which are bad for health. They are solids at room temperature. Unsaturated fats are double bonded in some carbon chains. These type of fats are better for health and are liquids at room temperature. 

This protein, hemoglobin, is
responsible for carrying oxygen

     Structural proteins support the body, help cells communicate, make up muscle proteins, skin, and bones. Enzymes are made up of three main parts. The substrate is the molecule the enzyme works on. The active site is where the substrate attaches to the enzyme. The product is what the enzyme produces. 

This is the structure of a nucleic acid.
This nucleotide contains the five-carbon
sugar deoxyribose, adenine, and
 one phosphate group.

     The nucleotides in the nucleic acids are made up of a sugar, a phosphate, and a base. The nucleotides bond together to make one or two strands. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has one strand, while Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is made up of one strand. DNA serves as a blueprint for making proteins. Adenosine phosphate (ATP) is the primary energy transferring molecule in the cell. 
     Through this unit I learned many things about myself. My favorite part of class was the labs. The most interesting lab was the cheese lab. Before the lab, all I knew about cheese was that it contained milk. After doing the lab, I found out that cheese was made up of all different types of bacteria. I also realized that time management is very important. For me, it is important to do the vodcast and CFU every night they are assigned because they help me understand the material in the chapter. Lastly, I know now that I have to study a lot harder to maintain the information from unit 2.