Essay On Importance Of Carbon

Role of carbon as back bone of biomolecules and universal set of small molecules

Carbon is the basic element of organic compounds. Organic compounds contain both hydrogen and carbon together carbon shows unique properties so it has great importance for living organisms. carbon play an important role in formation and maintenance of all life on earth. All living organisms are made up of biomolecules in which carbon is most abundant. Carbon can creat a long chains serving as the backbone of organic molecules .All living things contain C in some form. The primery component of macromolecules is carbon, macromolecules including Protien , Lipids , Nucleic acids and Carbohydrates. Carbons shows following properties

Carbon a tetravalent

The valency of carbon is four. carbon form covalent bond by sharing of electrons. carbon has four electron so it combine with four atoms or radicals these bond form the tetrahedron structure this structure gives the stable configuration

Combinations of carbons

Carbon atom combines with other carbon atoms and form a structure which may be branched or ringed so carbon form a large number of

on hydrolysis it gives many molecules of glucose it gives biue colours with iodine it has 2 types one is Amylose Starch and other is Amylo pectin .Amylose starch is soluble in hot water and it has unbranched chain of glucose. Amylo pectin has branched chain it is insoluble in hot and cold water glycogen is a chief storage compounds of animals .it is found in liver and muscles of animals it is insoluble in water it give red colors with iodine it give glucose on hydrolysis .The most abundant carbohydrate is cellulose because it gives many molecules of glucose on hydrolysis cotton is pure form of cellulose it is main component of cell walls it gives no colors with