CHAPTER 4

THE CHEMICALS
OF LIFE
By :- Mr.Deepak Upreti
Biology Teacher
GMIS,Jakarta
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 THE CHEMICALS OF LIFE
• 1. Elements = are the substances that are
made up of only one type of atom.
• There are approximately 118 elements where
92 are natural and the rest of them are
artificial / manmade elements.
• 2. Compounds = are substances that are made
up of two or more type of elements that are
joined together in a fixed ratio by weight. Ex. –
water (H2O).

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 THE CHEMICALS OF LIFE
• 3. Mixture = are those substances that are made
up of two or more types of elements that are
joined together in any ratio(no fixed ratio). Ex. –
tea.
• 4. Water = is a colorless, tasteless, odorless,
transparent liquid that forms the water bodies
and is the basis of fluids of living organisms.
• Chemical formula of water = H2O.
• Boiling point of water = 99.98 oC = 100 oC.
• Melting point of water = 0 oC.
• Flash point = Non-flammable.
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 WATER
• Properties of Water :-
• 1. It is a universal solvent(anything / everything
can be dissolved in water).
• 2. All metabolic reactions takes place in water.
• 3. It shows cohesive(cohesion) force /
properties(attraction between same molecules).
• 4. It shows adhesive(adhesion) force /
properties(attraction between different
molecules).
• 5. Water on solidification becomes light and
floates.
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 WATER

• 6. It has high heat of vapourisation.

• 7. It helps in moving substances from one place
to another in the living body.
• 8. It helps in maintaining body temperature
(thermoregulation) and body’s salt
concentration (osmoregulation) = Homeostasis.

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 CARBOHYDRATES
• CARBOHYDRATES = are made up of Carbon(C),
Carbon Water Hydrogen(H) and Oxygen(O).
• Its of three types :-
• 1. Monosaccharides = are also known as simple
single sugar sugar. They are very
small in size and soluble in water. They have
sweet taste. Ex. – Glucose (C6H12O6 ).

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 CARBOHYDRATES
• 2. Disaccharides = are those which are
two sugar made by joining two simple
sugars / monosaccharides.
They are soluble in water and sweet in taste.
Ex. – (i).Sucrose (C12H22O11 ) is used regularly.
(ii).Maltose is malt sugar.
• 3. Polysaccharides = contains thousands of
monosaccharides joined by glycosidic bond.
• They are insoluble in water and tasteless.
Ex. – Cellulose(Cell wall ), Starch(Plant’s reserve
food) and Glycogen(Animal’s reserve food).
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 FUNCTIONS OF CARBOHYDRATES
• 1. It provides energy in the form of heat.
• 2. One gram of carbohydrate gives 17KJ (Kilojoules)
of energy.
• 3. Mitochondria produces energy during aerobic
respiration.
• 4. Animals transport glucose whereas plants
transport sucrose in their body.
• 5. Plants store starch as reserve food whereas
animals store glycogen as reserve food(Liver and
muscles).
• 6. Plants have extra protection on their cells in the
form of cell wall which is made up of cellulose. 8
 TEST OF CARBOHYDRATES
• 1. Reducing sugar Test =
• (i). You are given a food item.
• (ii). With the help of mortar and pastel, crush the food
item into fine particles.
• (iii). Add Benedict’s solution(Blue color) to the food
item in a boiling tube.
• (iv). Heat the boiling tube with solution (directly or
with water bath).
• (v). The color of the solution changes from blue to
green to yellow to orange to brick red color. It shows
the presence of reducing sugar.
• (vi). If no color change(solution remains blue color),
then the absence of reducing sugar.

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 TEST OF CARBOHYDRATES
• Food item + Benedict’s solution(Blue color) +
Heat ----------- Blue -> Green -> Yellow->
No Change -> Orange -> Brick red.

Reducing sugar absent.

Solution remains blue.

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 TEST FOR CARBOHYDRATES
• 2. Starch Test =
• (i). A food item is given to you.
• (ii). With the help of motar and pestle, crush the
food item into fine particles.
• (iii). Add iodine solution(orange-brown color) to
the food item in a boiling tube.
• (iv). Shake the solution.
• (v). If the color changes to blue-black color, then
starch present.
• (vi). If no color change(orange-brown color
remains), the starch absent.
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 TEST OF CARBOHYDRATES
• Food item + Iodine solution(Orange-brown
color) ----------- Blue- black color. Starch is
No Change present.

Starch is absent.
Solution remains orange-brown color.

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 FATS / LIPIDS
• FATS / LIPIDS = are made up of Carbon(C),
Hydrogen(H) and Oxygen(O) where the
concentration of oxygen is less than carbon.
• 3 fatty acid molecules
• Fat 4 Molecules =
• 1 Glycerol molecule =1 Fat Molecule.
• Fats in the body are transported and stored as
Triglycerides.
• They are insoluble in water.
• Liquid fat at room temperature is called oil.13
 FUNCTIONS OF FATS/ LIPIDS
• 1. It provides energy in the form of heat.
• 2. One gram of fat gives 39 KJ(Kilojoules) of
energy.
• 3. It is stored under the skin in the adipose tissue
in the form of oil and fat droplets. The thick layer
in some animals is called Blubber. Ex. – Walrus,
Whales, etc,
• 4. Fats help in insulation from outside
environment.
• 5. Plants store fats in the form of oil in the seed
which can be used for germination. Ex.- peanut,
mustard seed, coconut.

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 TEST FOR FATS / LIPIDS
• 1. Grease Test =
• (i). A food item is given to you.
• (ii). With the help of motar and pestle, crush the
food item into fine particles.
• (iii). Take a tissue paper.
• (iv). Rub the food particles on the tissue paper.
• (v). If the tissue paper changes to translucent
than fat is present.
• (vi). If the tissue paper does not changes to
translucent than fat is absent.
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 TEST FOR FATS / LIPIDS
• 2. Ethanol Test =
• (i). A food item is given to you.
• (ii). With the help of motar and pastel, crush the food item
into fine particles.
• (iii). Take the crushed food item in a boiling tube and add
ethanol.
• (iv). Shake the solution.
• (v). Now take water in another boiling tube.
• (vi). Slowly, put the solution of Food item and ethanol into
the boiling tube with water.
• (vii). If emulsion formed, than it shows the presence of fat.
• (viii). If emulsion does not formed, than it shows the
absence of fat.

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 TEST FOR FATS / LIPIDS
• 1. Grease Test =
Food item + Tissue Paper -> Translucent.
• 2. Ethanol Test =
Shake it well
Food item + Ethanol -------------- now pour it
into water ----- forms emulsion ---
No Change Solution looks opaque like milk
(Presence of fat).
Solution remains transparent(Fat absent).
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 PROTEIN
• Proteins = contains different elements like
Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen and Sulfur.
• Proteins are made up of long chain of amino
acids which are joined together by peptide bond.
• There are 20 different types of amino acids which
are joined together in a specific fashion to make a
protein. There are millions types of proteins.
• Amino acid molecules join together to form
proteins.
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PROPERTIES / FUNCTIONS OF PROTEIN
• Proteins are not normally used for energy.
• Only if carbohydrates and fat deposits exhaust in the body
then the proteins are used for energy.
• Proteins helps in growth, repair and regeneration(Liver) by
the formation of new cells.
• It is soluble in water(Haemoglobin).
• Some proteins are insoluble in water. Example –
Keratin(Hair and nails).
• All enzymes are proteins.
• All hormones are proteins.
• They provide immunity to the body by forming antibodies
that can kill pathogens.
• Genetic material like DNA and RNA also contain proteins.

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 TEST FOR PROTEIN
• Biuret Test / Protein Test =
• (i). A food item is given to you.
• (ii). With the help of motar and pestle, crush the
food item into fine particles.
• (iii). Take the crushed food item in a boiling tube
and gently add Biuret solution (Dilute Copper
Sulfate and Dilute Potassium Hydroxide Solution).
• (iv). Shake the solution.
• (v). If the solution turns purple. Protein is
present.
• (vi). If the color of solution remains same. Protein
is absent.
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 TEST FOR PROTEIN

• 2. Biuret Test / Protein Test =

Shake it well
Food item + Biuret solution -------------------
--------------Purple color.
No Change Presence of Protein.

Absence of Protein. Same color.

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 DNA
• DNA(Deoxy ribo nucleic acid) = is the genetic material found in most living
organisms.
• It has 2 strands which contain different genetic codes that controls
different features of a living organism.
• DNA is a chain of polynucleotides.
• The length of DNA is usually defined as number of nucleotides(or a pair of
nucleotide referred to as base pairs)present in it.
• A nucleotide has three components – a nitrogenous base, a pentose
sugar(ribose in case of RNA and deoxyribose for DNA) and a phosphate
group.
• There are two types of nitrogenous bases – Purines(Adenine and
Guanine), and Pyrimidines (Cytosine, Uracil and Thymine). Adenine,
Guanine and Cytosine is common for both DNA and RNA and Thymine is
present in DNA. Uracil is present in RNA at the place of Thymine.
• It was only in 1953 that James Watson and Francis Crick, based on the X-
ray diffraction data proposed a very simple but famous Double Helix
model for the structure of DNA.

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 DNA
• A = Adenine. Join by 2 single Hydrogen
• T = Thymine. bonds.
• G = Guanine. Join by 3 single Hydrogen
• C = Cytosine. bonds.
DNA

• Nitrogen Base Sugar Phosphoric Acid

A=T deoxyribo sugar P

G=C

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THANKYOU

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