Multimolecular, Macromolecular and Associated Colloids (Micelles)

The molecule is the smallest unit of a substance that can retain its physical characteristics. It is made of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds. The diameter of a molecule is less than 10 Ao (10-6 nm). For Example, 5H2O is 5 molecules of water, Cl2 is 1 molecule of chlorine.

Multimolecular

The colloidal particles are aggregates of a large number of atoms or molecules having a diameter of less than 1 nm.

Macromolecules

Macromolecules are small molecules having a low molecular weight and are commonly known as monomers. Monomers chemically combine to form a polymer, a macromolecule. Macromolecules contain fewer carbon atoms. Macromolecules are the building blocks of macromolecules such as monosaccharides. The process of hydrolysis in presence of amylase as catalyst results in the formation of monosaccharides. Biological macromolecules perform essential functions in living beings. Macromolecular form of sugar i.e glucose (monomer of carbohydrates), is the main source of energy for plants, and plant-eating organisms. 

Macromolecules are very large molecules (consisting of more than 10,000 atoms) ranging between the diameter of 10-5 nm to 10-3nm. They are formed as the result of the polymerization process and are also called polymers. The smaller molecules (monomers) of elements such as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen undergo the process of polymerization to form polymers. It is usually larger than the normal molecule. Polymers can be obtained either naturally or synthetically. Some of the examples of synthetic polymers are nylon, polyethylene, Teflon, etc. Natural polymers can be directly extracted from nature, and are water-based macromolecules. The biological macromolecules are polar. Some examples of natural macromolecules (polymers) are silk, wool, cellulose, etc. 

Types of Macromolecules 

• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Lipids
• Nucleic Acid

Carbohydrates (monomer – monosaccharides):  

Carbohydrates consist of a carbon atom (C), an Oxygen atom (O), and a hydrogen atom (H) where the last two elements exist in the form of hydrate (H2O). Thus, carbohydrates have derived their name. Carbohydrate is energy-giving food, particularly glucose. Polysaccharides are long polymeric chain carbohydrates. They are made of monomers (monosaccharides) which are bonded by a glycosidic linkage to form the bonds. The most common monomers of carbohydrates are glucose and fructose. Polysaccharides or Poly Carbohydrates come in linear to complex structures. Polysaccharides are often heterogeneous where the monosaccharides are repeated with slight moderations. The resulting macromolecule can have different properties than its monosaccharides. Examples of polysaccharides are starch, glycogen, cellulose, chitin, etc.

Proteins (Monomer – Amino Acids):  

Proteins are polymers of repeated units of amino acids. There are natural complex substances formed by hundreds and thousands of amino acids linked in the form of long chains by peptide bonds. They consist of a carbon atom (C), a hydrogen atom (H), an oxygen atom (O), and a nitrogen atom (N).  It has very high nutritional value and is called the building block of the body. Amino acid, the monomer of proteins, consists of both an amine group and an acid group. Thus, amino acids have both positive and negative charges on their strand due to the presence of positively charged amino groups and negatively charged acid groups. They help in the process of  metabolism, movement, repair of damaged tissues, etc in living organisms. The most common examples of proteins are collagen, insulin, enzymes, etc.

Lipids (Monomers – glycerol and fatty acids):  

Lipids (Fats) are organic compounds consisting of hydrocarbon chains. Due to their hydrophobic and nonpolar nature, they are insoluble in water. There are various structures of lipids and they play diverse roles in living organisms. Fat molecules consist of monomers like glycerol (having three hydroxyl groups) and fatty acids (a long hydrocarbon chain connected to a carboxyl group). Fatty acids are saturated if there are single bonds in the hydrocarbon chain and unsaturated if the hydrocarbon has a double bond. Saturated fatty acids have mostly straight structures because of single covalent bonds. Due to the presence of double bonds, unsaturated fatty acids can exist in the cis or trans configuration. The various functional lipids such as omega-3, omega-6 fatty acids, triglycerides, phytosterols, etc. which help in controlling obesity, manage cardiovascular movement, blood pressure, etc. 

Nucleic Acids (Monomer- Nucleotides): 

Nucleic acids are polymers of nucleotides having pentose sugar (5-Carbon sugar), nitrogenous base, and a phosphate group. If the nucleotide monomer of nucleic acids contains ribose then the polymer is called ribonucleic acid (RNA), and if sugar is deoxyribose then it is called deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).  They are responsible for holding genetic information (as DNA or RNA) encoded in the cells of living beings. Nucleic acids consist of carbon atom (C), Nitrogen atom (N), Hydrogen atom (H), oxygen atom (O), and phosphorous atom (P). Nucleic acids also generate energy (ATP molecules) and help in storing genetic information of every cell. 

Macromolecular Symposia: 

Macromolecular Symposium is a new field of science including macromolecular chemistry and physics. It is the result of intense research taking place in international meetings, such as the International Union Of Pure And Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), European Polymer Federation ( EPF), Society of Polymer, Japan (SPSJ), AND American Chemical Society ( ACS). Macromolecular Symposia is a collection of scientific findings in the form of a journal and printed as hardcovers. Macromolecular Symposia is published in Germany by Wiley-VCH Verlag, covering the journal history from 1994-2020. It is related to the field of Material Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Condensed Matter Physics, Polymers, and Plastic. SCimago Journal Rank (SJR) measures and ranks the scientific journal AS 0.257. The overall Impact Score (IS), 2020 of Macromolecular Symposia is marked as 0.85. The way of measuring citation impact and productivity is called the h-index. Macromolecular Symposia has an h-index of 76 indicating it has 76 articles in the journal having more than 76 citations. 

Macromolecules are large molecules made of macromolecules (small molecules).  The biomacromolecules are essential to life. The macromolecules are also called polymers while macromolecules are called monomers. 

Conclusion 

The most important macromolecules are carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and nucleic acid. The monomers of carbohydrate is glucose, proteins are amino acids, fats are fatty acids and glycerol and that of nucleic acids is nucleotides. Apart from the biological uses of macromolecules, they are also used for industrial purposes like fibers, and plastic.