Macromolecules

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Dr. KT presents

The Macromolecule Escape Room

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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!

Intro

will take you back one page in the Review Section

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

will take you back one page in Mission 2

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 1

will take you to the introduction of the four major macromolecules

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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.

Controls

Click on each macromolecule to learn about them.

Intro to the Four Macromolecules

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

Proteins

Four of the twenty amino acids observed in proteins

The basic structure of amino acids

• 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.

(b)

(a)

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

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

• 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

Nucleic Acids

Testosterone and estrogen are derived from cholesterol.

Examples of 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

Lipids

Two monosaccharides

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

• The monomers of carbohydrates are monosaccharides.
• They are almost universally used as an immediate energy source in living things
• Additional function: Play structural roles
• Polymers of monomers are called saccharides.
• Types of carbohydrates: monosaccharide, disaccharide, polysaccharide

Carbohydrates

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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.

Mission 1

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Mission 1

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

Lipid

Carbohydrate

Nucleic acid

Protein

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

Lipid

Carbohydrate

Nucleic acid

Protein

Protein

Select the biomolecule that is nonpolar and hydrophobic.

Lipid

Carbohydrate

Nucleic acid

Protein

Cholesterol is an example of which polymer?

Lipid

Carbohydrate

Nucleic acid

Lipid

Carbohydrate

Nucleic acid

Protein

Glucose would be found in which of the following macromolecules?

Protein

Select the macromolecule that would contain lysine.

Lipid

Carbohydrate

Nucleic acid

Find the key to continue.

Click here to revisit macromolecules.

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

Detecting Macromolecules

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Mission 2

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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.

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Mission 2 Detecting Macromolecules

Protein

Carbohydrate

Nucleic acid

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 __.

Lipid

Iodine

Benedict's solution

Diphenylamine

Biuret solution

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

Sudan III

Iodine

Benedict's solution

Diphenylamine

Biuret solution

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

Sudan III

peptide bonds

simple monosaccharides

phoshodiester bonds

deoxyribose

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

starch

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Mission 3

You have discovered a secret message.

♪♬ø

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

01

02

...Keep playing

03

...One more

Start over...

This is your third found item.

You have found a new item for your inventory.

Search for the macromolecule that serves as the genetic material of all living organisms using the ball of light.

Completed

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Click here to revisit macromolecules.

Mission 4

Completed

Completed

A briefcase has appeared...

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

Deoxyribose

Hydrogen bonds

Thymine

Peptide bonds

Macromolecule Review

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

Glycosidic bonds

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

5' alanine-lysine-valine 3'

glucose-glucose-glucose-glucose

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'

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?

glycogen

nucleotide

amino acid

fatty acid

Macromolecule Review

Starch is to glucose as DNA is to ___.

alanine

Chitin

Insulin

Triglyceride

An antibody

Macromolecule Review

Sudan III could be used to detect which molecule?

Macromolecule Review

Which test tube could contain a starch solution?

Continue

216

Macromolecule Review

Remember the code.

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Unknown

There are _____ major macromolecules.

20

Continue

14+3 =

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Wrong answer!

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.

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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.

Examples of Test Results

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.

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