Macromolecules

Dr. KT presents

The Macromolecule Escape Room

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Intro

You have entered a dark and unknown house from which you must escape before it's too late. You will venture through multiple parts of this house. Your escape hinges on you correctly answering questions about macromolecules aka biomolecules. Be sure to keep a list of the items you find along the way to include the numbers. Happy hunting!

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Controls

Throughout this activity, you will see the following interactive buttons. You may want to take a picture of them for future references. Be careful though! Using the ? interactive buttons will cause you to restart that particular Mission.

will take you to the introduction of the four major macromolecules

will take you back one page in Mission 1

will take you to the introduction of the reagents used to detect some of the major macromolecules

will take you back one page in Mission 2

will take you back to the beginning of the Macromolecule Review section

will take you back one page in the Review Section

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Intro to the Four Macromolecules

Click on each macromolecule to learn about them.

Proteins

• Proteins are composed (made up) of amino acids.
• This means that amino acids are the monomers of proteins.
• Each amino has three parts (colored boxes in the figure below).
• Amino acids are linked together by peptide bonds to form proteins.
• When two amino acids are linked together, one water molecule is released. This is why the process of creating (synthesizing) a protein is called dehydration synthesis.

The basic structure of amino acids

Proteins are considered the "workhorses" of the cell because they perform many functions such as movement, signaling, and defense.

Four of the twenty amino acids observed in proteins

Nucleic Acids

• Nucleic acids are composed of (made of) nucleotides, the monomers of nucleic acids
• Five nucleotides: Adenine, thymine (DNA), uracil (RNA), guanine, cytosine
• Their functions: serve as genetic material
• The process used to link nucleotides together to form a nucleic acid is called dehydration synthesis reaction aka condensation

The basic structure of each nucleotide. There are two sugars found in nucleic acids. DNA contains deoxyribose, while RNA has ribose.

(a)

(b)

The two types of nucleic acids are shown above. DNA (a) and RNA (b)

Lipids

• Lipids are hydrophobic and nonpolar.
• They are hydrocarbons that include only C-C bonds or C-H bonds.
• Functions of lipids
• Long-term energy use
• Insulation from the environment for plants and animals
• Building blocks of many hormones
• An important constituent of the cell membrane

Testosterone and estrogen are derived from cholesterol.

Examples of Lipids

Carbohydrates

• The monomers of carbohydrates are monosaccharides.
• They are almost universally used as an immediate energy source in living things.

• Polymers of monomers are called saccharides.
• Types of carbohydrates: monosaccharide (examples- glucose, fructose), disaccharide (examples- lactose, maltose), polysaccharide (examples- cellulose, starch)

Above are several polysaccharides. Glycogen and starch are used for energy purposes, while chitin and cellulose are structural polysaccharides.

Two monosaccharides

Mission 1

Use your knowledge about macromolecules to answer the following questions. Make a note of the item you find after correctly answering the next few questions.

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Mission 1

Locked

Locked

Locked

Which molecule contains a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base?

Protein

Nucleic acid

Carbohydrate

Lipid

If a molecule has peptide bonds, it must be a __.

Protein

Nucleic acid

Lipid

Carbohydrate

Select the biomolecule that is nonpolar and hydrophobic.

Nucleic acid

Carbohydrate

Lipid

Protein

Cholesterol is an example of which polymer?

Nucleic acid

Protein

Carbohydrate

Lipid

Glucose would be found in which of the following macromolecules?

Protein

Lipid

Nucleic acid

Carbohydrate

Select the macromolecule that would contain lysine.

Nucleic acid

Lipid

Protein

Carbohydrate

Find the DNA model, your first collectable item, to continue.

The DNA model transforms into a key that you will need later. The key is NOT considered a collected item.

Click on the key to continue.

COMPLETED

Locked

Locked

Click here to revisit macromolecules.

Locked

Continue

Detecting Macromolecules

Five reagents will be used to detect the presence of specific macromolecules. Find the five reagents then click on each to learn about them.

Continue

COMPLETED

Mission 2

Locked

Click here to revisit macromolecules.

Locked

Mission 2 Detecting Macromolecules

Use your knowledge about detecting macromolecules to answer the following questions. Make a note of the item you find after correctly answering the next few questions.

Continue

A blue-detecting agent was added to a sample. If the sample turns purple after the addition of the detecting agent, the sample must be a __.

Protein

Nucleic acid

Carbohydrate

Lipid

Which solution can detect the presence of a monosaccharide in a solution?

Benedict's solution

Diphenylamine

Biuret solution

Sudan III

Iodine

Deoxyribose is a five-carbon sugar that can be detected by __.

Benedict's solution

Diphenylamine

Biuret solution

Sudan III

Iodine

Keratin is a protein that can be detected by Biuret because it has ___.

simple monosaccharides

phoshodiester bonds

deoxyribose

starch

peptide bonds

Mission 3

Completed

Completed

Click here to revisit macromolecules.

Click here to revisit detection reagents.

Locked

You have discovered a secret message. The notes are your second collectible item.

♪♬ø

Remember these notes and play them on the piano in the correct order. Click on the piano to play the notes.

01

...Keep playing

02

...One more

03

Start over...

You have found a new item.

This is your third collectible. Click it to continue.

Find the macromolecule that serves as the genetic material of all living organisms. Click on it to continue. Hint: You may have to move some folks to find it...

Completed

Completed

Completed

Mission 4

Click here to revisit macromolecules.

Click here to revisit detection reagents.

A briefcase, your fourth collectible, has appeared...

It's locked...Look in the inventory for something to open it.

Macromolecule Review

Which of the following would DNA not have? Hint: There are two correct answers.

Peptide bonds

Thymine

Hydrogen bonds

Deoxyribose

Glycosidic bonds

Macromolecule Review

Only one of the listed molecules did not have a specific reagent that could be used to test for it. Which molecule was it?

5' A T C A G G A T C A G 3'3' T A G T C C T A G T C 5'

glucose-glucose-glucose-glucose

5' C G A U U A C G A C 3'

5' alanine-lysine-valine 3'

Macromolecule Review

Starch is to glucose as DNA is to ___.

fatty acid

amino acid

nucleotide

glycogen

alanine

Macromolecule Review

Sudan III could be used to detect which molecule?

An antibody

Triglyceride

Chitin

Insulin

Macromolecule Review

Which test tube could contain a starch solution?

Macromolecule Review

Remember the code; it is the locker number you will need to open.

245

Continue

Completed

Completed

Completed

Completed

Continue

00:00

There are _____ major polymers found in living organisms.

Unknown

20

The final password ishelix.

Continue

Congratulations!You made it out!

Don't forget to take the Lab Macromolecules quiz on GAVIEW. You will need the list of collectible items. the locker number, and the final password.

Wrong answer!

Try again.

Sudan III

Detects lipids

• Stains lipids
• Sudan II is a red-colored liquid that detects the water insoluble substances.
• It can be used to detect lipids, fats, triglycerides, and lipoproteins.

Biuret Reagent

Detects proteins

• Detects peptide bonds
• When Biuret’s Reagent is mixed with proteins, the reagent turns purple and pink in the presence of short chains of polypeptides.
• Biuret reagent would detect the presences of hemoglobin, albumin, and tubulin since they are all proteins.

Inventory

♪♬ø

Thankfully, you found the key earlier to open the briefcase.

Iodine

Detects complex sugars

• Detects complex sugars aka polysachharides
• Iodine interacts with and binds to a structure in the starch molecule. The new structure transmits a dark bluish-black color.
• Iodine can be used to detect complex sugars like starch and glycogen because both are polysaccharides with similar structures.

Diphenylamine

Detects DNA

• When diphenylamine is heated in the presence of DNA, it reacts with the deoxyribose sugar to form a blue-colored complex.
• Because RNA does not have the 5-carbon sugar, deoxyribose, RNA cannot be detected using diphenylamine.
• Remember that DNA and RNA are both examples of nucleic acids, one the four major biomolecules.

Benedict's Solution

Detects simple sugars

• Detects reducing (simple) sugars, typically mono or disaccharides
• Benedict's solution is a blue-colored liquid that contains copper sulfate.
• When Benedict’s solution and simple carbohydrates are heated, the solution changes to orange-red/brick-red.
• This solution can be used to detect the dissaccharides, lactose and maltose, as well as the monosaccharides, glucose and galactose.

Examples of Test Results

Inventory

♪♬ø