Lecture 1

Introduction to Biology
LIF101
Instructor: Prof. Sai Prasad Pydi
 Instructors

Prof. Sai Prasad Pydi Prof. Amitabha Bandyopadhyay

Part I: Basic Biology Part II: Genetics
➢ The molecules of life ➢ DNA structure and function
➢ Cell, the structural and functional unit of life ➢ From DNA to protein
➢ Introduction to metabolism ➢ Controls over genes
➢ Photosynthesis ➢ How cells reproduce
➢ Cellular respiration ➢ Meiosis and sexual reproduction
➢ Observing patterns in inherited traits
➢ Human inheritance
➢ Biotechnology
Resource:
Biology Concepts and Applications
8th edition

By

Cecie Starr
Christine A. Evers
Lisa Starr
 Biology?

Study of life
structure, function, growth, origin, evolution and distribution of living
organisms
 Biologists Study Life at Different Levels of Organization

Atoms Molecules Cell Tissue Organ Organ System

Multicelled Population Community Ecosystem Biosphere

Organism
 How Firefly Glow?

http://entopia.com/oneplantatatime/entomology/firefly-ecosystem-services/ https://scientificconceptsartandlife.wordpress.com/2017/05/17/%F0%9F%98%91-how-do-fireflies-light-%F0%9F%98%91/
 Why does Rain Smells Good?

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2017/03/heres-why-it-smells-so-nice-after-it-rains/

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-chemistry-behind-the-smell-of-rain
 Why we Addicted to Phones and Social Media?

https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/new-facebook-and-instagram-tools-seek-to-curb-your-social-media-addiction
Engineering and Biology?
There Are 86 Billion
Neurons in Your Brain

Neurons Are Connected

Through Synapses Neurons Communicate
Through Electric Signals

We Can Record Electrical Signals in the Brain

https://neuralink.com
Help study and treat neurological disorders
Life’s chemical basis
 Start with atoms

Atoms form the fundamental building blocks of all matter

Atoms have electrons, protons and neutrons

Elements are made up of identical atoms with the same number of protons
The “Shell model” of electron distribution in an atom

Concentric circles
represent successive
energy levels:

1st shell: up to 2 electrons

2nd shell: up to 8 electrons
3rd shell: up to 8 electrons
 Atoms and Ions
An atom is most stable when it has no vacancies

Atoms fill vacancies by gaining or losing electrons, or by sharing

electrons with other atoms

An atom with a different number of electrons and protons carries

a charge, and is called an ion

A chlorine atom
becomes a negatively
charged chloride ion
by gaining an electron
and filling the vacancy
in the third shell. A sodium atom
becomes a positively
charged sodium ion by
losing an electron in
the third shell.
 From atoms to molecules
Two atoms with vacancies can join in a chemical bond which is an
attractive force produced when electrons interact and the
result is a molecule.

A compound is a molecule that consists

of two or more elements

A mixture is an intermingling of
substances

The same atoms bonded together in

different ways make up different
molecules
 Types of bonds
The characteristics of a bond arise from the properties of atoms that take part in it

Covalent bond
Two atoms share an electron such that the vacancy of
each atom is partially filled. Depending on the number of
electrons shared a covalent bond may be a single, double
or a triple covalent bond.
Nonpolar covalent bond
When the participating atoms exert
the same pull on the shared electrons.
e.g. H2, O2

Polar covalent bond

When one of the participating
atoms can exert a stronger pull on
the shared electrons e.g. the
oxygen atom in water.
 Non-covalent bonds
Ionic Bond
Is a strong mutual attraction of oppositely charged ions. Example is the ionic bond
between the sodium and chloride ion in the salt crystal
Hydrogen bond
A weak attraction between a hydrogen atom and another atom taking
part in a separate polar covalent bond.
Hydrophobic interactions

Hydrophobic interactions occur between 2 or more nonpolar molecules

when they're in polar environments (most commonly water)

http://www.huichun.tcu.edu.tw/MMP/Protein%20structure/doc/Protein%20Structure-61.htm#item0
 Water
http://ken-foundation-awareness2.blogspot.com/p/save-water-save-life.html

No life can exist

without water
Why does water play a
significant role in living
systems?
Properties of Water
Polarity of the water molecule

Polar covalent bonds join two

hydrogen atoms to one oxygen
atom in each water molecule
 Water’s solvent properties
Water is a solvent that easily dissolves salts, sugars, and other polar substances

Solvent: Liquid that can dissolve other substances

Solute: A dissolved substance

Water molecules dissolve a

substance by clustering
around its ions or molecules
and forming hydration shells
which separate them.

Water molecules dissolve an ionic solid such as NaCl by

surrounding the atoms and pulling them apart
Water is an excellent solvent

Polarity of water molecules

attracts other polar
molecules

Hydrophilic substances dissolve easily in water; hydrophobic substances do not

Hydrophilic :Substance that dissolves easily in water, such as salt

Hydrophobic: Substance that resists dissolving in water, such as oil

Life depends on hydrophobic interactions

 Water stabilizes temperature
•Temperature: Measure of molecular motion

•Temperature stability is important for homeostasis; most molecules of life function within a
certain temperature range

•Because of hydrogen bonding, it takes more heat to raise the temperature of water
compared with other liquids
https://betterlesson.com/lesson/632289/evaporation-liquid-to-a-gas

A large input of energy can increase

molecular motion and break hydrogen bonds
which causes evaporation.

Evaporation :Transition of a liquid to a gas which requires energy

(removes heat from liquid).
Below 0°C, hydrogen bonds resist breaking and lock water molecules
in the bonding pattern of ice.
In ice crystals each molecule of water is tetrahedrally
surrounded by four nearest neighbors to which it is
hydrogen bonded.

Liquid water has 15% less hydrogen bonding than ice at 0°C

Structure of liquid water is irregular.

Liquid water

Ice
 https://www.everythingabout.net/articles/biology/animals/arthropods/insects/bugs/water_strider/

Water’s cohesion
Hydrogen bonds cause water
molecules to resist separating from
each other

Cohesion: Tendency of
molecules to stick together

Causes surface tension

http://www.ramehart.com/surface_tension.htm
Water’s cohesion Pulls water upward in plants
 ACIDS, BASES and BUFFERS
Most biological processes occur within a narrow range of pH,
typically around pH 7

pH: Measure of concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in a fluid

Concentration: Number of molecules or ions of a solute per unit

volume of a solution

Acids release hydrogen ions in water; bases accept them

Acid : Substance that releases hydrogen ions in water

Base :Substance that accepts hydrogen ions in water

 Water
In liquid water, water molecules
spontaneously separate into
hydrogen ions (H+) and hydroxyl
ions (OH-)

H2O (water) ↔ H+ (hydrogen

ions) + OH– (hydroxide ions)

At neutral pH (7), the amounts of

H+ and OH– ions are equal
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PH_Scale.svg
Strong acids give up more H+ ions than weak
acids

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is a strong acid that,

when added to water, easily separates into H+
and Cl–

HCl (hydrochloric acid) ↔H+ (hydrogen ions) + Cl– (chloride ions)

 Buffers
A buffer keeps a solution within a consistent range of pH

Most cell and body fluids are buffered because most molecules of life
work only within a narrow range of pH

buffer : Set of chemicals that stabilize pH of a solution by alternately

donating and accepting ions that contribute to pH

An acid-base conjugate pair of a weak acid and its

corresponding base (such as acetic acid and acetate ion) has an
important property: it resists changes in the pH of a solution.
In other words, it acts as a buffer.
 The Bicarbonate Buffer System
Carbon dioxide gas becomes a weak acid when it dissolves in the fluid portion of human blood:

H2O + CO2 (carbon dioxide) → H2CO3 (carbonic acid)

Carbonic acid separates into hydrogen ions and bicarbonate ions, which can recombine to
form carbonic acid:

H2CO3 (carbonic acid) ↔ H+ + HCO3- (bicarbonate)

Exchange of ions between carbonic acid and bicarbonate keeps blood

pH between 7.3 and 7.5 – up to a point

Buffer failure can be catastrophic in a biological system

Example: Too much carbonic acid forms in blood when breathing is

impaired suddenly – the resulting decline in blood pH may cause coma
 Important points:
What are the basic kinds of interactions between atoms?

• Covalent Bond
• Non-covalent Bond
• Hydrogen Bond
• Hydrophobic interactions
• Polar covalent bond

What are properties of water that make it suitable for sustaining life?
Should know each property and why it is beneficial.

What is pH? How is it calculated?

What is a buffer?

Why is pH important for living systems?

How is buffering done in living systems?

Resource:
Biology Concepts and Applications
8th edition

By

Cecie Starr
Christine A. Evers
Lisa Starr