By: Ms.

Ladie Marie Labado

 What are the
chemical structures
of the components of
living matter?

How does living matter

extract energy from its
surroundings in order to
remain alive?
How does an organism
store and transmit the
information it needs to
grow and reproduce?
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

What is Biochemistry?

A brief look at the

Organic compounds that
Biomolecules
have bearing to life

Carbohydrates
Physical- Chemical
Lipids Characteristics of the
Biomolecules:
Protein
What is Biochemistry?

Biochemistry is a branch of chemistry that study

the substances found in living organisms and of the
chemical reactions underlying life processes

-(Hendrix, 2001).
Biochemistry includes the chemical change which
takes place in living organisms like respiration, digestion,
absorption, tissue metabolism and the like. This science is a
branch of both chemistry and biology; the prefix bio, comes
from bios, the Greek word for “life”.
- Cabatit (1967)
 The subject Biochemistry reveals the essence of the
biomolecules needed by the body to maintain and continue the
cellular activity.

To further understand of why humans need to eat is simply

because of the necessity to furnish energy to function normally.

The chief goal of biochemistry is to understand the structure

and behavior of biomolecules such as carbohydrates, proteins,
fats and lipids.
▪ Biochemistry draws its major themes from
many disciplines.
✓ Organic chemistry
✓ Physical chemistry
✓ Biophysics
✓ Medical Science
✓ Nutrition
✓ Physiology
✓ Cell biology
✓ Genetics

Biochemistry is also a distinct discipline,

with its own identity.
Biochemistry as a
Chemical Science

▪ biochemistry often describe as a life science and relate its

developments to the history of biology, it remains first and
foremost a chemical science.
▪ understand the chemical elements of living matter and
the complete structures of many biological compounds.
▪ You will need to know the stoichiometry and mechanisms
of a large number of reactions.
 The Chemical Elements
of Living Matter

▪ Life depends primarily on a few

elements (C,H, O, N, S, and P),
although many others play
essential functions as well.
▪ The elements C, H, O, and N are
important to life because of their
strong tendencies to form
covalent bonds.
 A brief look at
the Biomolecules

➢ Biomolecules is present in the cell.

➢ Important classes of biomolecules are
carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids.
➢ Carbohydrates are poly hydroxyl aldehydes or ketones, or
substances that yield such compounds when they react with water.

➢ Carbohydrates are the basic fuel molecules of the cell.

➢ Subdivided into;
Monosaccharide
Disaccharide
Oligosaccharide
Polysaccharide
 📌
➢ Proteins are polymers of small building blocks called amino
acids.
➢ Their molecular weights range from 6000 to many millions, so they
can be very large molecules.
➢ Proteins are very important molecules in cells and organisms,
playing both structural and functional roles.
➢ Some proteins are enzymes, catalyzing specific metabolic
reactions, some transport materials in the bloodstream or
across biological membranes, and some (hormones) carry chemical
messages to coordinate the body’s activities.
➢ Lipids are biological substances that are soluble in
nonpolar organic solvents, such as chloroform and carbon
tetrachloride.
➢ Lipids are fatty substances that play a variety of roles in
the cell.
➢ They include the familiar food fats and oils, the lipids of
biological membranes, steroid hormones, and many
unusual and exotic compounds.
Answer the following if it’s TRUE or FALSE

___ 1. Biochemistry is a branch of chemistry that study the substances

found in humans only.
___ 2. The chief goal of biochemistry is to understand the structure
and behavior of biomolecules such as carbohydrates, proteins,
fats and lipids.
___ 3. Carbohydrates re the basic fuel molecules of the cell.
___ 4. Lipids are molecules built up of small subunits called amino acids.
___ 5. Biomolecules of many other types are also found in cells.
➢ Biochemistry is a branch of chemistry that study the substances found in
humans only - False

➢ The chief goal of biochemistry is to understand the structure and behavior

of biomolecules such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats and lipids. - True

➢ Carbohydrates re the basic fuel molecules of the cell. - True

➢ Lipids are molecules built up of small subunits called amino acids. - False

➢ Biomolecules of many other types are also found in cells. - True

➢ The physical characteristics of biomolecules are dependent
on the nature of the substance.
➢ Example, the solubility of carbohydrates is dependent on the
type of solvent used in the carbohydrates.
➢ In the Laboratory operations, these biomolecules are
expressed either quantitatively or qualitatively in solutions
 Organic compounds that
have bearing to life:

➢ The biomolecules namely: carbohydrates, fats and lipids, and

proteins are organic in nature.
➢ Take for an example, carbohydrates are considered to be a
derivative of alcohol, particularly a polyhydroxy alcohol.
➢ Proteins are polymers build up from simple unit called amino
acids.
➢ Most organic compounds are composed of the element carbon,
hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen phosphorus and sulfur.
 THANK YOU

- See you next Meeting!