Title: biomolecule
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - biomolecule
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.09633
Status: current

Definition
Molecule of biological origin.

Notes
1) Most biomolecules are organic compounds present in living organisms. They may also include exogenous molecules modified by metabolism. Some typical biomolecules representing subjects of bioanalytical chemistry are amino acids, peptides, polypeptides, proteins, nucleotides, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, glycoconjugates, lipids, antibodies, haptenes, and receptors, as well as primary and secondary metabolites.
2) Modern bioanalytical chemistry shifts its attention to the analysis and investigation of biomacromolecules, such as nucleic acids, proteins, polysaccharides, and others.

Related Terms
- bioanalytical chemistry: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/09632
- carbohydrates: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/09809

Source
- PAC, 2018, 90, 1121. 'Terminology of bioanalytical methods (IUPAC Recommendations 2018)' on page 1123 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2016-1120)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/09633/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/09633/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/09633/xml

Citation: Citation: 'biomolecule' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.09633
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Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.
Accessed: 2026-06-28T10:31:25+00:00