Question

What three elements do all macromolecules share? Explain how the chemical properties of lipids, nucleic acids, proteins, and amino acids differ from carbohydrates

Answer 1

Answer

Macromolecules in human body

             The macromolecules found in human body are:

1. Carbohydrate,

2. Proteins

3. Lipids, and  

4. Nucleic acids.  

Elements they common share

             All these macromolecules have three elements in common which are:

1. Carbon

2. Hydrogen, and

3. Oxygen.  

                   These elements constitute about 95% of human body.

Difference in Chemical properties

                    Carbohydrate is composed of glucose monomers, which may have aldehyde functional group or ketone functional group. Protein is composed of monomers called amino acids. Each amino acid has carboxylic functional group, amino group, alkyl or aryl group and hydrogen atom. Lipid is composed of fatty acids and glycerol. While nucleic acid is composed of monomer called nucleotide. Each nucleotide is composed of pentose sugar, phosphate group and nitrogenous group. Due to the presence of different functional groups all these macromolecules have chemical properties different from each one