What is the difference between polymer and macromolecule

Biological macromolecules all contain carbon in ring or chain form, which means they are classified as organic molecules. They usually also contain hydrogen and oxygen, as well as nitrogen and additional minor elements.

Each of these types of macromolecules performs a wide array of important functions within the cell; a cell cannot perform its role within the body without many different types of these crucial molecules. All the molecules both inside and outside of cells are situated in a water-based i.

Interactive: Monomers and Polymers : Carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids are built from small molecular units that are connected to each other by strong covalent bonds. The small molecular units are called monomers mono means one, or single , and they are linked together into long chains called polymers poly means many, or multiple. Each different type of macromolecule, except lipids, is built from a different set of monomers that resemble each other in composition and size.

Lipids are not polymers, because they are not built from monomers units with similar composition. Most of the times a macromolecule is formed due to polymerization.

Then they are called polymer molecules. But some macromolecules are formed due to the chemical bonding of more atoms together. The main difference between polymer and macromolecule is that polymers contain repeating units that represent the monomers whereas not all macromolecules have a monomer in their structure. What is a Macromolecule — Definition, General Properties 3. A polymer is a type of macromolecule that is composed of a large number of repeating units.

These repeating units represent monomers from which the polymer is made. Monomers are small molecules. These monomers have either double bonds or at least two functional groups per molecule. Then they can undergo polymerization in order to form polymer material.

Since polymers are diverse, they can be categorized into several different groups depending on different parameters. The classification is given below.

Polymers have different properties depending on the repeating units present in the polymer, microstructure of the polymer material, etc. How are monomers, polymers and macromolecules related? What are the monomers and polymers of carbohydrates? What are the polymers of nucleic acids?

Why is glucose considered a monomer? Are polysaccharides, proteins, and triglycerides all formed by condensation reactions? Reference work entry First Online: 20 June How to cite.

Synonyms Macromolecule; Polymer; Polymer molecule. This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.