There are four main types of biomolecules: carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. These biomolecules make up cells, which make up organisms, and are responsible for the mechanisms within the body. Carbohydrates are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They form oligosacharrides that can be bound to cell surface proteins to aid in cell signaling and other functions. Proteins are made up of amino acids, which are composed of a central carbon bound to an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a variable "R" group that determines the nature of the amino acid's interactions. The R group can be nonpolar, polar without charge, negatively charged, or positively charged. The polarity of the R group will influence how different amino acids interact intramolecularly or intermolecularly with other molecules. Lipids are made up of mainly hydrocarbons and are therefore insoluble in water. Lipids can be saturated or unsaturated to different levels, which will affect their solidity at room temperature. A saturated lipid is saturated with hydrogens, while unsaturated lipids have double bonds which cause there to be less hydrogens bonded to the carbons. Lastly, nucleic acids are mostly know for making up the DNA in cells. Nucleic acids are made up of nucleotides that consist of a sugar ring, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base. In DNA, phosphate groups and sugars form phosphodiester bonds, which make up the sugar-phosphate backbone. The nitrogenous bases form hydrogen bonds across two strands of DNA to form the DNA ladder.
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