Chapter 1

Introduction
 Introduction
• A physical chemist seeks to predict and/or
explain chemical events using certain models
and postulates.

• A very important phenomenon is the

cooperative nature of binding of oxygen to
hemoglobin.
 Introduction
• The CO2-O2 transport process in blood is
buffered by the bicarbonate-carbonic acid
system.
• Being amphoteric, that is, possessing the
ability to act both as an acid and as a base,
hemoglobin itself can act as a buffer.
• This process is an acid-base equilibrium
reaction.
 Introduction
• In principle, a macromolecule can fold in many
different ways; the native conformation
represents the minimum Gibbs energy
structure.
 Introduction
• To appreciate how delicate the balance of these
forces can be in some cases, consider the
replacement of a glutamic acid by valine in the
β chains of hemoglobin:
+NH3 CH3 +NH3
I\ I

• HOOC—(CH2)2—C—COO-CH—C—COO-
I / I
H CH3 H

• Glutamic acid Valine

 Introduction
• This seemingly small alteration is sufficient to
produce a significant conformational change—an
increase in the attraction between protein
molecules, resulting
in polymerization.

. The insoluble polymers that form distort red blood

cells into a sickle shape, causing the symptoms of
the disease sickle-cell anemia.
Table 1.1 SI Base Units
 Table 1.2
Prefixes used with SI and Metric Units
 Derived Units
• 1) Force: the force required to give a mass of 1
kg an acceleration of 1m / s2
N (newton) = 1 kg m / s2

• 2) Pressure: force per unit area

Pa = 1 N / m2
 Figure 1.1
• A barometer for
measuring atmospheric
pressure.

• Above the mercury in

the tube is a vacuum.

• The column of mercury

is supported by
atmospheric pressure.
 Figure 1.2

• Two types of manometers used to measure gas

pressure.
a) A closed-tube manometer used to measure
gas pressures less than atmospheric pressure.
Pgas = Ph

b) An open-tube manometer used to measure

gas pressures more than atmospheric pressure.
Pgas = Ph + Patm
Figure 1.2