An element that is present in small quantities in a living organism
Amino acids
(alpha amino acid) A compound consisiting of a carbon atom to which are attached a primary amino group, a carboxylate group, a side chain (R group), and an H atom
Carbohydrate
A compound with the formula (CH2O)n where n is greater than or equal to three. Also called a sacchardie
Monosaccharide
A carbohydrate consisting of a single sugar molecule
Nucleotide
A compound consisting of a nucleoside esterified to one or more phosphate groups. Nucleotides are the monomeric units units of nucleic acid
Lipid
Any membrer of a broad class of macromolecules that are largely or wholly hydrophobic and therefore tend to be insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents.
Monomer
A structural unit from which a polymer is built up.
Polymer
A molecule consisting of numerous smaller units that are linked together in an organized manner.
Residue
A term for a monomeric unit after it has been incorporated into a polymer
Peptide bond
An amide linkage between the alpha-amino group of one amino acid and the alpha-carboxylate group of another. Peptide bonds link the amino acid reidues in a polypeptide.
Phosphodiester bond
The linkage in which a phosphate group is esterified to two alcohol groups (eg. two ribose units that join the adjacent nucleotide residues in a polynucleotide)
Glycosidic bond
The covalent linkage between two monosacchrides units in a polysaccharide, or the linkage between the anomeric carbon of a saccharide and an alcohol or amine.