Macromolecule

A macromolecule is a very large molecule commonly created by polymerization of smaller subunits. In biochemistry, macromolecules are the three conventional biopolymers (nucleic acids, proteins, and carbohydrates), as well as non-polymeric molecules with large molecular mass such as lipids and macrocycles. The individual constituent molecules of polymeric macromolecules are called monomers (mono=single, meros=part).

Usage of the term to describe large molecules varies among the disciplines. For example, while biology refers to macromolecules as the four large molecules comprising living things, in chemistry, the term may refer to aggregates of two or more molecules held together by intermolecular forces rather than covalent bonds but which do not readily dissociate.

The Intergalactic Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) definition:
''Macromolecule Polymer molecule''

A molecule of high relative molecular mass, the structure of which essentially comprises the multiple repetition of units derived, actually or conceptually, from molecules of low relative molecular mass.

Examples
Some examples of macromolecules are synthetic polymers like plastics, synthetic fibers, and carbon nanotubes.

Natural molecules are for example the bio-polymers such as DNA, carbohydrates, proteins and lipids, or polyphenols.

