Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry
CHEMISTRY OF LIFE
Elements: simplest form of a
substance - cannot be broken down
any further without changing what it is
Atom: the actual basic unit composed of protons, neutrons, and
electrons
THE ATOM
Just like cells are the basic unit of life, the
ATOM is the basic unit of matter.
They are very small. If placed side by side
one million would stretch a distance of 1cm.
The atom is made up of 3 particles.
Particle
Charge
PROTON
NEUTRON
NEUTRAL
ELECTRON
ELECTRONS
PROTONS
+
ATOMIC # = 2 (PROTONS)
+
-
ATOMIC MASS = 4
(PROTONS &
NEUTRONS)
ISOTOPES
CARBON DATING
TRACERS
KILL BACTERIA / CANCER CELLS
COMPOUNDS
a substance formed by the chemical
combination of 2 or more elements in definite
proportions
Ex: water, salt, glucose, carbon dioxide
CHEMICAL BONDS
Chemical bonds hold the atoms in a
molecule together.
There are 2 types of chemical bonds
IONIC and COVALENT
IONIC BONDS
Occur when 1 or more electrons are
TRANSFERRED from one atom to another.
When an atom loses an electron it is a
POSITIVE charge.
When an atom gains an electron it is a
NEGATIVE charge
These newly charged atoms are now called
IONS
Example: NaCl (SALT)
COVALENT BONDS
Occur when electrons are SHARED by atoms.
These new structures that result from covalent
bonds are called MOLECULES
** In general, the more chemical bonds a
molecule has the more energy it contains
SHARING IS CARING!
MIXTURES
Water is not always pure. It is often found as
part of a mixture.
A mixture is a material composed of TWO OR
MORE ELEMENTS OR COMPOUNDS THAT
ARE PHYSICALLY MIXED
Ex: salt & pepper mixed, sugar and sand can be
easily separated
SOLUTION
Two parts:
SOLUTE SUBSTANCE THAT IS BEING
DISSOLVED (SUGAR / SALT)
SOLVENT - the substance in which the solute
dissolves
Materials that do not dissolve are known as
SUSPENSIONS.
Blood is the most common example of a
suspension.
Cells & other particles remain in suspension.
FORMULA
C2H6O
Neutralization Reactions
When an acid reacts with a base to produce a
salt and water.
pH SCALE
measures degree of
substance alkalinity or
acidity
Ranges from 0 to 14
0 5 strong acid
6-7 neutral
8-14 strong base
CARBOHYDRATES
Living things use carbohydrates as a key source
of ENERGY!
Plants use carbohydrates for structure
(CELLULOSE)
include sugars and complex carbohydrates
(starches)
contain the elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
(the hydrogen is in a 2:1 ratio to oxygen)
Polysaccharides
Dehydration Synthesis
Combining simple molecules to form a more
complex one with the removal of water
ex. monosaccharide + monosaccharide ---->
disaccharide + water
(C6H12O6 + C6H12O6 ----> C12H22O11 + H2O
Hydrolysis
Addition of WATER to a compound to
SPLIT it into smaller subunits
(also called chemical digestion)
ex. disaccharide + H2O --->
monosaccharide + monosaccharide
C12 H22 O11 + H2 O ---> C6 H12 O6 + C6 H12 O6
Lipids (Fats)
Fats, oils, waxes, steroids
Chiefly function in energy storage, protection,
and insulation
Contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen but the
H:O is not in a 2:1 ratio
Tend to be large molecules -- an example of a
neutral lipid is below
PROTEINS
contain the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen,
and nitrogen
composed of MANY amino acid subunits
It is the arrangement of the amino acid that
forms the primary structure of proteins.
The basic amino acid form has a carboxyl
group on one end, a methyl group that only
has one hydrogen in the middle, and a amino
group on the other end.
Attached to the methyl group is a R group.
FUNCTIONAL GROUPS
There are certain groups of atoms that are
frequently attached to the organic molecules we
will be studying, and these are called functional
groups.
These are things like hydroxyl groups which
form alcohols, carbonyl groups which form
aldehydes or ketones, carboxyl groups which
form carboxylic acids, and amino groups
which form amines.
Dipeptide
Hydrolysis of a dipeptide
Polypeptide (protein)
composed of three or more amino acids linked
by synthesis reactions
Examples of proteins include insulin,
hemoglobin, and enzymes.
** There are an extremely large number of
different proteins.
The bases for variability include differences in
the number, kinds and sequences of amino
acids in the proteins
NUCLEIC ACIDS
in all cells
composed of NUCLEOTIDES
store & transmit heredity/genetic information
Nucleotides consist of 3 parts:
1. 5-Carbon Sugar
2. Phosphate Group
3. Nitrogenous Base
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
a process that changes one set of chemicals into
another set of chemicals
REACTANTS elements or compounds that
enter into a chemical reaction
PRODUCTS elements or compounds that are
produced in a chemical reaction
Chemical reactions always involve the breaking of
bonds in reactants and the formation of new
bonds in products.