Biomolecules

Biomicromolecules

Analysis of Chemical Composition

• Chemical analysis is done to find out the types of organic compounds (compounds containing carbons) found in living tissues.

  • Living tissue taken

  • Grinded in trichloro acetic acid to obtain slurry

  • Slurry is filtered to get filtrate (acid-soluble fraction: contains biomacromolecules) and retentate.

  • Thousands of organic compounds found in filtrate

  • Separation techniques used for separating one compound from another

  • Molecular formula and probable structure of the compound found by using analytical techniques

  • All carbon-containing compounds that we get from living tissues are called biomolecules.

• Analysis of inorganic compounds:

  • Living tissue taken

  • It is dried to evaporate all water, and the remaining material gives its dry weight.

  • The dried material is burnt.

  • All organic compounds are oxidised to gaseous compounds and are removed to leave “ash”.

  • Ash contains many inorganic elements like Ca, Mg, etc.

Biomolecules

• Chemistry point of view: Functional groups like aldehydes, ketones etc., can be recognised

• Biology point of view: Organic and inorganic constituents of living cells are classified as amino acids, fatty acids, nucleotide bases, etc.
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• Recognition of biomolecules, which can be micromolecules or macromolecules

• Molecules with weight more than thousands − biomacromolecules

• Molecules with weight less than thousands − biomicromolecules

Amino Acids

• In these compounds, α-carbon has the substituents as hydrogen, carboxyl group, amino group and a variable group R.

• Based on the R group, there are 20 amino acids
  When R is H − glycine (the simplest amino acid)
  When R is CH₃ − alanine

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• The chemical and physical propert…