Biochemistry and Much, Much More

An Introduction to the Chemistry of Life

Five Common Acids

1.  Acetic Acid: CH3COOH 2.  Hydrochloric Acid: HCl 3.  Nitric Acid: HNO3 4.  Sulfuric Acid: H2SO4 5.  Phosphoric: H3PO4

The Magnificent Seven

1.  N2

2.  H2

3.  O2

4.  F2

5.  Cl2

6.  Br2

7.  I2

What is Life Made of? §  Physical and Chemical sciences alone

may not completely explain the nature of life, but they at least provide the essential framework for such an explanation.

§  All students of life must have a

fundamental understanding of organic chemistry and biochemistry.

Organic Chemistry § Organic chemistry is the study of

Carbon compounds. § Organic compounds are compounds

composed primarily of a Carbon skeleton.

§ All living things are composed of organic compounds.

Organic Chemistry

§ What makes Carbon Special? Why is Carbon so different from all the other elements on the periodic table?

§ The answer comes from the ability of Carbon atoms to bond together to form long chains and rings.

Organic Chemistry

Organic Chemistry

Carbon can covalently bond with up to four other atoms.

Carbon can form immensely diverse compounds, from simple to complex.

Methane with 1 Carbon atom

DNA with tens of Billions of Carbon atoms

Polymers and Monomers

§ Each of these types of molecules are polymers that are assembled from single units called monomers § Carbohydrate § Protein § Nucleic Acid

Monomers

Polymer Carbohydrates Proteins Nucleic acids

Monomer Monosaccharide Amino acids Nucleotides

Carbohydrates

§ Carbohydrates are made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms, always in a ratio of 1:2:1.

§ Carbohydrates are the key source of energy used by living things.

§ The building blocks of carbohydrates are sugars, such as glucose and fructose.

Carbohydrates

§  What do the roots mono-, di-, oligo-, and poly mean?

§  Each of these roots can be added to the word saccharide to describe the type of carbohydrate you have.

§ 

Polysaccharides

§  Most common type of carbohydrate

Proteins

§ Proteins are building blocks of structures called amino acids

§ Proteins have four levels of structure

§ A peptide bond forms between amino acids (monomers in a protein) § There are 20 kinds of amino acids

Nucleic Acids

§ Basic unit (monomer) is nucleotide

§ Nucleotides made up of nitrogen base, phosphate and sugar