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Carbohydrates

CarbohydratescarbohydratesCarbohydrates, commonly known as sugars, are widespread organic chemical compoundschemical compoundschemical compounds that are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. They include one molecule monosaccharides, disaccharides and sugars composed of long chains of monosaccharide units, which are called polysaccharides. Sugars with small particles are easily soluble in water, those with long particles – don’t dissolve easy. The first ones are sweet, others have no taste. Carbohydrates are for all beings the source of energy, they are also building material and supplementary material. Very significant are monosaccharides, such as glucoseglucoseglucose and fructose , which provide energy to cells, as well as ribose and deoxyribose – ingredients of nucleic acids. Disaccharides are: sucrose – used for example to sweeten the tea, lactose – sugar found in milk, maltose – present in sprouting cereals, in nectar and pollens. Polysaccharides are composed of few thousands of glucose particles connected with each other. These are: starchstarchstarch, glycogenglycogenglycogen, cellulosecellulosecellulose and chitinchitinchitin.

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Ilustracja przedstawia fioletowy sześciokąt. Jest to schemat cząsteczki glukozy, simplified schematic of the glucose molecule. Na ilustracji umieszczono napis: Glucose dissolves well in water, so it can be transported through cellular fluids. It is the basic unit from which the polysaccharides are made.

Observation 1

Observation of the shape of the grains of starch.

You will need

• raw potato,

• small knife,

• instruments for the microscope,

• microscope.

Instruction

1. Cut a potato and gather the liquid that appeared on the cut with a knife.

2. Put a drop of that liquid on the slide and add a drop of water. Cover the microscopic section with a cover glass.

3. Look at the section under the microscope.

4. Complete a drawing.

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Ilustracja przedstawia obraz mikroskopowy ziaren skrobi z bulwy ziemniaka. Ziarna są jajowate, załamują światło, które tworzy wokół nich grube fioletowe linie. Drobniejsze owalne plamy to zanieczyszczenia preparatu. Pod ilustracją jest napis: Microscopic image: potato starch, magnification 100x

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Ilustracja przedstawia odręczny rysunek ziaren skrobi oglądanych przez mikroskop. Ziarna są jajowate, widać na nich koncentrycznie ułożone linie. Na ilustracji jest napis: Drawing based on a microscope image: potato starch kernels 100x magnification

Summary

Grains of starch are oval.

Fats

FatsfatsFats are composed of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. These compounds are a perfect spare material, which is a reach source of energy for processes that take place in cells. In plants, fats are stored in the form of an oil, mainly in seeds and some fruit. Animal fats have solid form. They are mainly stored in fat tissue, but also in kidneys, liver, heart – internal organs vital for the body. They have protective and supportive functions there. A thick layer of fat tissue protects animals against mechanical injuries. It also protects them from low temperatures, being an ideal heat‑insulating material. Fat derivatives called phospholipids are very important ingredients that build cell membranes of all living organisms.

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Ilustracja przedstawia model cząsteczki tłuszczu. Cząsteczka tłuszczu ma kształt trzech niemal równoległych długich walców zbudowanych z cząsteczek węgla. Na nich leżą liczne białe kulki wodoru i nieliczne czerwone kulki tlenu

Proteins

Proteins are organic compoundsorganic compoundorganic compounds which have elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur. They are composed of amino acids connected with each other and forming long chains. There are only 20 amino acids in nature, but there are tens of thousands of proteins. Each amino acid appears multiple times in a protein. The sequence of amino acids in a protein chain decides about the great variety of these compounds and about different functions of proteins. Building proteinsproteinsproteins are the ingredient of all organisms, they appear e.g. in cell membranes. Enzymatic proteins decide about biochemical reactions in organisms. Immunological proteins, also known as antibodies, fight against foreign bodies which penetrate our organisms and can cause infections or allergies. Growth hormone and insulin are examples of regulatory proteins that are responsible for regulating the functioning of our body. There are also proteins that allow us to contract muscles. Transporting proteins transport substances between cells. They can be spare material in plants. Especially rich in proteins are peas, beans, broad beans, soy and lentils. It happens very often that these compounds can be used as energy source. The properties of proteins depend on their complex spatial structure.

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Ilustracja przedstawia zbiór kolorowych figur geometrycznych, obrazujących aminokwasy, amino acids. Są tu kwadraty, prostokąty, kółka, romby, trójkąty. Poniżej znajdują się trzy łańcuchy białek, proteins ułożone z tych figur. Każdy łańcuch ma inną kolejność aminokwasów, dlatego jest to inne białko.

Nucleic acids

Nucleic acidsnucleic acidsNucleic acids, which appear in all organisms and viruses, are organic compounds which contain genetic information, that is “the recipe for an organism”. Even though the amount of nucleic acids in cells is around 1%, their role in organisms is extremely important. Each representative of a given species has characteristic, one‑of‑a-kind genetic material, which heavily influences how that representative looks, develops and functions.
Nucleic acids particles have the form of chains that consist of thousands repeated variations of four basic units – nucleitides. Their order, just like the order of letters in a sentence, is the content of the “recipe for an organism”. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is composed of two strings twisted around each other.

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Ilustracja przedstawia schemat budowy kwasów nukleinowych. Po lewej umieszczono owal, zaznaczony przerywaną linią, obrazujący nukleotyd. Znajduje się w nim żółte kółko z literą P, czyli fosforan, phosphate. Jest on połączony z zielonym pięciokątem z literą O, czyli cukrem, sugar. Powyżej łączy się z nim różowy sześciokąt, czyli zasada azotowa, nitrogen-containing base. Po prawej przedstawiono cząsteczkę DNA. Wygląda jak spiralnie skręcona drabinka, zbudowana z szarych wstęg, połączonych ze sobą kolorowymi nukleotydami, nucleotides. Podpisano obrazek łańcucha DNA: DNA deoxyribonucleic acid

Summary

• Organic compounds of organisms are proteins, fats, carbohydrates and nucleic acids.

• Glucose is the main source of energy in cells.

• Polysaccharides have building and spare functions.

• Proteins are the basic building elements of cells and they regulate the life processes.

• Fats are the source of energy and spare material for plants and animals.

• DNA carries genetic information.

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Grafika przedstawiająca tablicę szkolną, na której znajdują się zdania do dokończenia. Finish selected sentences. 1 It was easy for me (uzupełnij). 2 It was difficult for me (uzupełnij). 3 Today I learned (uzupełnij). 4 I understood that (uzupełnij). 5 It surprised me (uzupełnij).

Grafika przedstawiająca tablicę szkolną, na której znajdują się zdania do dokończenia. Finish selected sentences. 1 It was easy for me (uzupełnij). 2 It was difficult for me (uzupełnij). 3 Today I learned (uzupełnij). 4 I understood that (uzupełnij). 5 It surprised me (uzupełnij).

How was this lesson? Did you like it? Finish selected sentences.

Keywords

organic compounds, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, nucleic acids

Glossary