Introduction to Biochemistry & Cells

Liana-Belle L. Battung
Instructor 1
Outline of the Presentation
❑ Definition & Uses of Biochemistry
❑ Review of Organic Chemistry
❑ The Discovery of Cells
❑ Principles of Cell Theory
❑ Types of Cells
❑ Classifying Cells
❑ Biochemical Energetics

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❑ Definition & Uses of Biochemistry
Biochemistry is the application of chemistry to the study of biological
processes at the cellular and molecular level.
Biochemistry has become the foundation for understanding all
biological processes. It has provided explanations for the causes of
many diseases in humans, animals and plants.
Biochemistry is both life science and a chemical science - it
explores the chemistry of living organisms and the molecular basis
for the changes occurring in living cells.
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❑ Definition & Uses of Biochemistry

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❑ Review of Organic Chemistry

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❑ Review of Organic Chemistry
TYPES OF CHEMICAL BONDING
Ionic Bonding Electron transfer from a metal to a non-metal atom
Covalent Bonding Electron sharing between non-metal atoms

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❑ Review of Organic Chemistry
Drawing Organic Structures
Lewis Structure

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❑ Review of Organic Chemistry
Drawing Organic Structures
1. Skeletal Structure
2. Condensed Structure

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❑ Review of Organic Chemistry
• Functional Groups
1. A functional group is an atom or a group of atoms with
characteristic chemical and physical properties. It is the
reactive part of the molecule.

2.Heteroatoms—atoms other than carbon or hydrogen. Common

heteroatoms are nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, phosphorus, and the
halogens. Heteroatoms have lone pairs and create electron-
deficient sites on carbon.

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❑ Review of Organic Chemistry
• Functional Groups

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❑ Review of Organic Chemistry
• Hydrocarbons are compounds made up of only the elements carbon
and hydrogen. They may be aliphatic or aromatic.
• Aliphatic hydrocarbons. Aliphatic hydrocarbons can be divided into
three subgroups.

1. Alkanes
2. Alkenes
3. Alkynes

• Aromatic hydrocarbons. This class of hydrocarbons was so named

because many of the earliest known aromatic compounds had
strong, characteristic odors. 11
❑ Review of Organic Chemistry

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❑ Review of Organic Chemistry

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❑ Review of Organic Chemistry

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❑ Review of Organic Chemistry

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❑ Review of Organic Chemistry

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❑ Review of Organic Chemistry

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❑ Review of Organic Chemistry

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❑ Principles of Cell Theory
The cell theory states that:

1. All living things are composed of cells (or cell products)

2. The cell is the smallest unit of life

3. Cells only arise from pre-existing cells

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❑ Principles of Cell Theory

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❑ The Discovery of Cells

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❑ The Discovery of Cells

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❑ The Discovery of Cells

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❑ The Discovery of Cells

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❑ The Discovery of Cells

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❑ The Discovery of Cells

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❑ The Discovery of Cells

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❑ Types of Cells

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❑ Types of Cells

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❑ Types of Cells

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❑ Classifying Cells

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❑ Biochemical Energetics
Basic Concepts
The system is any part of the universe that we choose to study and everything else is
the surroundings

TYPE DESCRIPTION
Open system Can exchange matter and energy with the surroundings
Close system Can exchange energy, but not matter with the
surroundings
Isolated system Cannot exchange matter and energy with the
surroundings

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❑ Biochemical Energetics
Energetics of Biochemical Reactions
1. Three fundamental principles (the laws of thermodynamics) govern all chemical,
physical and biological processes.

LAW STATEMENT
1st Law The total energy of an isolated system is conserved
2nd Law Systems tend to proceed from ordered states to disordered states
3rd Law The entropy of any crystalline, perfectly ordered substance must
approach xero as the temperature approaches 0K.

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❑ Biochemical Energetics
Energetics of Biochemical Reactions
2. Enthalpy (ΔH) is the heat exchanged between the system and the surroundings at constant
pressure.

(+) heat gained – endothermic

(-) heat released – exothermic

3. Entropy (ΔS) is the measure of the number of equivalent disorder or randomness in the system.

It represents energy dispersion – the dispersion of energy among a large number of molecular
motions relatable to quantized states (microstates).

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❑ Biochemical Energetics
Energetics of Biochemical Reactions
4. Free energy (ΔG) describes the spontaneity of a reaction based on ΔH and ΔS at constant
T and P.
ΔG = ΔG° + RT ln Q
at equilibrium ΔG° = -RT ln K
Where Q is the mass action
ΔG < 0 exergonic , ΔG=0 equilibrium , ΔG > 0 endergonic
Chemical Standard State Biochemical Standard State
Notation of ΔG ΔG° ΔG°’
Pressure and Temperature 1 atm 25°C 1 atm 25°C
All solutes at 1 M
Concentration of solutes All solutes at 1 M
Except [H+] = 10-7M
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❑ Biochemical Energetics
Energetics of Biochemical Reactions
5. Heat capacity (Cp) is also used to describe biochemical events.

A. A positive ΔCp for a process indicates that molecules have acquired new
ways to move.

B. A negative ΔCp means that the process has resulted in less freedom of
motion for the molecules involved.

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❑ Biochemical Energetics

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