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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