biochemistry the chemistry of life. atoms the smallest unit of matter

Biochemistry

The Chemistry of LIFE

Atoms• The smallest unit of matter

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• Element: substance made of only one type of atom

• The Periodic Table lists all known elements


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• The 4 most common elements in living organisms are:Carbon- C Hydrogen- H Oxygen- O Nitrogen- N









Compound: substance formed by 2 or more elements in definite proportions

• H2O: Water

• H2O2: hydrogen peroxide

• NaCl: salt

• C6H12O6: glucose (sugar)



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Inorganic Compound• Derived from abiotic sources: in

volcanoes, from rocks ,mineral springs



Organic Compound

• Derived from biotic sources

• Contains one or more Carbon atoms

• 4 groups:• Carbohydrates• Lipids• Proteins• Nucleic Acids

THIEVES pgs. 44-48

• I: figure 2-12

• 2nd E: pg. 48, 1-4

Carbohydrates

• Compounds of C, H and O in a 1:2:1 ratio• Base unit (monomer) is the monosaccharide

or simple sugar• Chains (polymers) of sugars form

polysaccharides or complex carbohydrates• Function in energy storage and structure

Monosaccharide-

• Glucose, Fructose, Maltose


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Polysaccharides

• Starch- straight chains of sugars• potatoes

• Cellulose- long, woven chains of sugars• Grass, the paper you are writing on



Lipids

• Fatty compounds of long C-H tails with O

• Don’t dissolve in water

• Includes fats, oils and waxes

• Function in energy storage and insulation, cell membranes

Proteins• Compounds of C, H, O and N• Base unit is Amino Acid• Long chains of Amino Acids form a protein or polypeptide

• Function in structure, transport, enzymes, signaling



Enzymes

• Proteins that carry out chemical reactions

• Speed up reactions more than a million times

Nucleic Acids• Complex compounds that store

information

• Base unit is the nucleotide

• Long chains of nucleotides form DNA and RNA



Enzymes, cont’d.

• Chemical reaction: process that changes one set of chemicals into another set of chemicals• Your body is doing millions of these to

keep you alive (digesting food, breathing out CO2 as a gas rather than a liquid)

• Enzyme:special proteins that speed up or catalyze chemical reactions in cells

Enzymes in your saliva break down starches into simple sugars

• Place the Saltine on your tongue and allow it to dissolve for the rest of note-taking

• Do not chew it, do not swallow it, just let it begin to break down

• Hypothesis: How do you think it will taste in ~10 minutes?

Enzymes are specific to the reaction they speed up

• Different enzymes work best at different temperatures & pH (acid/base) levels

• Denature: when exposed to extreme environmental conditions (like a very high fever), enzymes lose their shape and don’t work anymore• Caused by major temp change or pH shift

Example of denaturing a protein

• Fried egg• Protein is permanently

changed in shape• You can’t uncook an

egg!



XC Write-your-own Review

• 10 Questions & Answers on your notes (Organic Compounds & Enzymes)

• 5 Questions & Answers from your Organic Compound Lab (hint: what chemicals test for what compound?)

• 3 Questions & Answers from the Enzyme Lab

• Total: 18 points if complete!!

biochemistry the chemistry of life. atoms the smallest unit of matter

Documents

structure slide

maltose slide

rna slide

glucose sugar slide

ph shift slide

mineral springs slide

chemistry of life slide

smallest unit of matter