WHAT IS

BIOCHEMISTRY?
✔ Biochemistry is the science that deals
with the chemical basis of life.
✔ It is also the science that is concerned
with the chemical constituents of living
cells and with the reactions and
processes they undergo.
✔ Biochemistry encompasses large areas
of cell biology, molecular biology and cell
genetics.
• It is a branch of science that explores the
chemical processes within and related to
living organisms.
• It is a laboratory based science that
brings together biology and chemistry.
• It focuses on processes happening at a
molecular level.
• A science that integrates life with
chemistry
• A science that attempts to determine
how lifeless molecules combine to give
the attributes of life
• A science that operates by the principle
that life’s molecules are selected for the
functions they perform
• A science that delves into the world of
the unseen for answers to life’s mysteries.
HOW DOES BIOCHEMISTRY DESCRIBE LIFE
PROCESSES?
• Living organisms, such as humans and
even the individual cells of which they are
composed, are enormously complex and
diverse. Nevertheless, certain unifying
features are common to all living things
from the simplest bacterium to the human
being. They all use the same types of
biomolecules, and they all use energy.
As a result, organisms can be studied via
the methods of chemistry and physics.
What is the biochemistry used for?

Biochemistry seeks to unravel the complex

chemical reactions that occur in a wide
variety of life forms, it provides the basis for
practical advances in medicine, veterinary
medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology.
 BIOMOLECULE
• It is also called biological molecule, any of
numerous substances that are produced by cells
and living organisms.
• It has a wide range of sizes and structures and
perform a vast array of functions.
• The four major types of biomolecules are
carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and protein.
Carbohydrates

• Carbohydrates are found in a wide

array of both healthy and unhealthy
foods—bread, beans, milk, popcorn,
potatoes, cookies, spaghetti, soft
drinks, corn, and cherry pie. They
also come in a variety of forms. The
most common and abundant forms
are sugars, fibers, and starches.
Lipids

• A lipid is any of various organic

compounds that are insoluble in
water. They include fats, waxes, oils,
hormones, and certain components
of membranes and function as
energy-storage molecules and
chemical messengers.
Nucleic Acid

• Nucleic acids are naturally

occurring chemical compounds
that serve as the primary
information-carrying molecules in
cells. They play an especially
important role in directing protein
synthesis. The two main classes of
nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid
(RNA).
Proteins

• Protein is an important part of a

healthy diet. Proteins are made up
of chemical 'building blocks'
called amino acids. Your body uses
amino acids to build and repair
muscles and bones and to make
hormones and enzymes. They can
also be used as an energy source.