University:
California State University, Northridge
Course:
BIOL 101 | General Biology
Academic year:

2024
Views:

496

Pages:

2
Author:

B. Coleman

Vitamins and minerals for cells Vitamins are inorganic components that cells need in relatively small amounts but must be present. The main function of vitamins is to maintain metabolic function, namely the growth and destruction of free radicals. Examples of vitamins are: A, b1-b6, b12, c, d, e, k, and h. Minerals are chemical elements other than carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and are found in large quantities and those needed in quite large quantities are calcium (ca), phosphorus (p), magnesium (mg), sodium (na), chlorine (cl), and sulfur(s). Meanwhile, the minerals needed in small quantities are iron (fe), iodine (i), zinc (zn), cobalt (co), and fluorine (f). For cells, minerals function as structural components of cells, maintaining metabolic functions, regulating enzyme work, and maintaining cell acid-base balance. Organic components of cells The four important macromolecules in cell life are: Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. The form of these large molecules is molecules arranged in long chains called polymers, which are composed of many small molecules called monomers. Usually these monomers are covalently bonded through the release of one water molecule by a condensation reaction or dehydration reaction. On the other hand, the polymer will be broken down into its monomers through a hydrolysis mechanism, which is the reverse process of the dehydration reaction. Each cell will have a diversity of different types of macromolecules and this varies from one cell type to another in the same organism. Polymer variations occur especially in DNA and proteins. Very large differences will occur between individuals who are not related, and become even greater in differences between species. Thus, the diversity of macromolecules in life is very large with the potential for unlimited diversity. The important thing that is the key to diversity is the regulation of sequence variations of the units that make up each macromolecule.