Chemical Group: Hydroxyl
Structure: -OH
Compound: Alcohols(specific names usually end in ol)
Properties:
- Polar
- Forms hydrogen bonds with water molecules, helping dissolve organic comounds
Carbonyl
>CO
Ketones:If the carbonyl group is within a carbon skeleton
Aldehydes: If the carbonyl group is at the end of the carbon skeleton
- May be structural isomers with different properties
- Also found in sugars
Carboxyl
-COOH
Carboxylic acids/organic acids
- Acts as an acid; can donate H+ bc of the covalent bond between O & H is so polar.
- Found in cells in the ionized form with a charge of 1- and called a carboxylate ion
Amino
-NH2
Amines
- Acts as base; can pick up an H+ from the surrounding solution(water, in living organisms)
- Found in cells in the ionized form with a charge of 1+
Sulfhydryl
-SH
Thoils
- Two sulhydryl groups can react, forming a covalent bond. This "cross linking" helps stabilize protein structure
- Cross linking of cysteines in hair proteins maintains the hair structures; can be altered by perms and so on by the breaking and reforming the cross linking bonds.
Phosphate
(P)
Organic phosphates
- Contributes negative charge to the molecule
- Molecules containing phosphate groups have the potential to react with water, releasing energy.
Methyl
-CH3
Methylated compounds
- Addition of a methyl group affects the gene expression
- Arrangement of methyl groups in male and female sex hormones affects their shape and function
