Introduction to Biochemistry Part 1

Review of Organic, Inorganic Chemistry, Cells and Origins of Biochemistry:

Cells Organelles A challenge to “Vitalism.”
Famous Dead Biochemist
What is Biochemistry?
• Biochemistry - chemistry of life. Fallacy #1: Biochemicals can only be produced by
• Biochemists use physical and chemical principles living organisms
to explain biology at the molecular level. • Dead Biochemist #1
• Basic principles of biochemistry are common to all • 1828 Friedrich Wohler
living organism

How does biochemistry impact you?

• Medicine
• Agriculture
• Industrial applications Fallacy #2: Complex bioconversion of chemical
• Environmental applications substances require living matter
 Dead Biochemists #2
Principle Areas of Biochemistry  1897 Eduard Buchner
• Structure and function of biological Glucose + Dead Yeast = Alcohol
macromolecules
• Metabolism – anabolic and catabolic processes.  Dead Biochemists #3
• Molecular Genetics – How life is replicated.  Emil Fischer
Regulation of protein synthesis

Once upon a time, a long time ago..

Vitalism: idea that substances and processes associated
with living organisms did not behave according to the
known laws of physics and chemistry
Evidence:
1) Only living things have a high degree of
complexity
2) Only living things extract, transform and utilize
energy from their environment
3) Only living things are capable of self assembly and
self replication
  Dead Biochemists #4
 1926 J.B. Sumner

Findings of Other famous dead Biochemist

• 1944 Avery, MacLeod and McCarty identified DNA
as information molecules
• 1953 Watson (still alive) and Crick proposed the
structure of DNA
• 1958 Crick proposed the central dogma of biology

Organization of Life
• elements
• simple organic compounds (monomers)
• macromolecules (polymers)
• supramolecular structures
• organelles
• cells
• tissues
• organisms
Elements of Life
Most abundant, essential for all organisms: C, N, O, P, S,
Range of the sizes of objects studies by H
Biochemist and Biologist Less abundant, essential for all organisms: Na, Mg, K, Ca,
1 angstrom = 0.1 nm Cl
Trace levels, essential for all organism: Mn, Fe, Co, Cu,
Zn
Trace levels, essential for some organisms: V, Cr, Mo, B,
Al, Ga, Sn, Si, As, Se, I,

Important compounds, functional groups

Many Important Biomolecules are
Polymers

protein lipid nucleiccarb

s monom s acids
f a t t y a c id
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a mn iun cogl e lauo cct i od se e
er
polym p h o s p h o l i p i d p r o t e i n Dc seNullAbu ulo n s i et
er
supramolecul
m e m b r a n e p r o ct eh ir no mc oeo mlls owp mlae llex
ar
structure