Lipids are chiefly fatty acid esters, and are the basic building blocks of biological membranes.

Another
biological role is energy storage (e.g., triglycerides). Most lipids consist of a polar or hydrophilic head
(typically glycerol) and one to three nonpolar or hydrophobic fatty acid tails, and therefore they are
amphiphilic. Fatty acids consist of unbranched chains of carbon atoms that are connected by single bonds
alone (saturated fatty acids) or by both single and double bonds (unsaturated fatty acids). The chains are
usually 14-24 carbon groups long, but it is always an even number.

For lipids present in biological membranes, the hydrophilic head is from one of three classes:

• Glycolipids, whose heads contain an oligosaccharide with 1-15 saccharide residues.

• Phospholipids, whose heads contain a positively charged group that is linked to the tail by a negatively
charged phosphate group.
• Sterols, whose heads contain a planar steroid ring, for example, cholesterol.

Other lipids include prostaglandins and leukotrienes which are both 20-carbon fatty acyl units synthesized
from arachidonic acid. They are also known as fatty acids

Carbohydrates (from 'hydrates of carbon') or saccharides (Greek σάκχαρον meaning "sugar") are the most
abundant of the four major classes of biomolecules, which also include proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. They
fill numerous roles in living things, such as the storage and transport of energy (starch, glycogen) and
structural components (cellulose in plants, chitin in animals). Additionally, carbohydrates and their derivatives
play major roles in the working process of the immune system, fertilization, pathogenesis, blood clotting, and
development.[1]

Chemically, carbohydrates are simple organic compounds that are aldehydes or ketones with many hydroxyl
groups added, usually one on each carbon atom that is not part of the aldehyde or ketone functional group.
The basic carbohydrate units are called monosaccharides, such as glucose, galactose, and fructose. The
general stoichiometric formula of an unmodified monosaccharide is (C·H2O)n, where n is any number of three
or greater; however, the use of this word does not follow this exact definition and many molecules with
formulae that differ slightly from this are still called carbohydrates, and others that possess formulae agreeing
with this general rule are not called carbohydrates (eg formaldehyde).[2]

A nucleic acid is a macromolecule composed of chains of monomeric nucleotides. In biochemistry these

molecules carry genetic information or form structures within cells. The most common nucleic acids are
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). Nucleic acids are universal in living things, as they
are found in all cells and viruses. Nucleic acids were first discovered by Friedrich Miescher.

Artificial nucleic acids include peptide nucleic acid (PNA), Morpholino and locked nucleic acid (LNA), as well as
glycol nucleic acid (GNA) and threose nucleic acid (TNA). Each of these is distinguished from naturally-
occurring DNA or RNA by changes to the backbone of the molecule.

Proteins are large organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by
peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid residues. The sequence of
amino acids in a protein is defined by a gene and encoded in the genetic code. Although this genetic code
specifies 20 "standard" amino acids plus selenocysteine and - in certain archaea - pyrrolysine, the residues in
a protein are sometimes chemically altered in post-translational modification. This can happen either before
the protein is used in the cell, or as part of control mechanisms. Proteins can also work together to achieve a
particular function, and they often associate to form stable complexes.[1]

Like other biological macromolecules such as polysaccharides and nucleic acids, proteins are essential parts of
organisms and participate in every process within cells. Many proteins are enzymes that catalyze biochemical
reactions and are vital to metabolism. Proteins also have structural or mechanical functions, such as actin and
myosin in muscle and the proteins in the cytoskeleton, which form a system of scaffolding that maintains cell
shape. Other proteins are important in cell signaling, immune responses, cell adhesion, and the cell cycle.
Proteins are also necessary in animals' diets, since animals cannot synthesize all the amino acids they need
and must obtain essential amino acids from food. Through the process of digestion, animals break down
ingested protein into free amino acids that are then used in metabolism