Carbon atoms readily form bonds with other carbon atoms forming a backbone to which other atoms can attach. This means that a large number of different types/sizes of molecules can form (based on carbon). Carbon containing molecules are known as organic molecules.
Chains of individual molecules are known as polymers - the individual molecule being known as a monomer. Examples include saccharides (monosaccharides are the individual unit, polysaccharides are the chain of monomers), amino acids (the amino acid is the monomer, a polypeptide is the polymer), and nucleotides (nucleotides are the monomers, polynucleotides are the polymer). If two monomers are bonded together it is known as a ‘di-‘ (e.g a disaccharide, and a dipeptide)
To join monomers together we use condensation reactions. These bind molecules with the elimination of water when the chemical bond forms.
To break apart polymers into their constituent monomers we add water (known as a hydrolysis reaction) to break the chemical bond formed upon condensation.
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