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Question

What happens when a functional group is added to a carbon chain?


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Answer 1

When a functional group is added to a carbon chain (a hydrocarbon or aliphatic organic molecule) the 'new' molecule becomes something with biological activity.

If you add a carboxyl group to the chain, it becomes a carboxylic acid (fatty acids). If you add a hydroxyl group it becomes an alcohol. If you add a carboxyl group and a phosphate group, it becomes a phospholipid (used to make cell membranes). And so on.

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Answer 2

When a functional group is added to the carbon chainfor example if the peptide bond is added to the carbon chain the aminoacid will be formed along with the hydrogen atom. The formation of the biomolecules wil be there and those formation depends upon the functional group added to it.