What are Functional Groups?
In biological molecules, the carbon skeleton determines their general 3D shape. But what’s on the surface of the molecules determines their chemical behavior. Small chemical species, hanging off the exterior of these molecules, bump into each other and react. These are known as FUNCTIONAL GROUPS. To understand what kinds of chemical reactions biological molecules can do, you have to understand the chemical behavior of the functional groups on the surface of the molecule.
In biological molecules, the carbon skeleton determines their general 3D shape. But what’s on the surface of the molecules determines their chemical behavior. Small chemical species, hanging off the exterior of these molecules, bump into each other and react. These are known as FUNCTIONAL GROUPS. To understand what kinds of chemical reactions biological molecules can do, you have to understand the chemical behavior of the functional groups on the surface of the molecule.
