Carbon

1
Carbon the Molecular Diversity of Life

• CHAPTER 4

2
Importance Characteristics of Carbon

• 4 valence electrons
• can form 4 single covalent bonds which branch off
  in 4 different directions (tetravalence)
• capable of forming double triple covalent bonds
• carbon chains form the backbones of most organic
  molecules

3
Diversity

• variation in carbon backbones is an important
  factor in the diversity of organic compounds
• hydrocarbons
• organic molecules that consist of only carbon
  hydrogen

4
Diversity cont.

• isomers compounds with the same numbers of
  atoms and the same elements but different
  structures ? creates different properties
• structural (different atom arrangements)
• geometric (different spatial arrangements)
• enantiomers (mirror images)

5
Functional Groups

• attachments that replace one of the H atoms
  bonded to the C-skeleton
• important in determining the properties of the
  molecule (along with size shape of C-skeleton)
• the most important ones to living things are
• all of these are hydrophilic which increases the
  solubility of these molecules in water

Phosphate group
6
Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (ATP)

• important energy-transferring molecule in the
  cell
• consists of an adenosine molecule attached to a
  string of three phosphate groups
• the bond between the second third phosphate
  groups is energy-rich