Biochemistry Lecture - Particles in a gas vibrate freely at high

speeds.
- Gasses assume the shapes of their
THEBIOCHEMISTRY
THE CHEMISTRY OF LIFE
OF LIFE containers.

What is Biochemistry?

Biochemistry is the study of structure,

composition (what things are made up of),
and chemical reactions that occur in living
things.

Composition of Matter:
Atoms
Matter – everything in the universe is - The simplest particle of an element that
composed of matter. retains all the properties of that element.
- Matter is anything that occupies space or - All atoms consist of 3 types of smaller
has mass. particles:
- Mass is the quantity of matter an object (1) Proton = has a + (positive)
has. charge
- Weight is the pull of gravity on an object. (2) Electron = has a – (negative)
charge
(3) Neutron = has no charge
States of Matter

There are 3 states of Matter: Elements

1. Solid
- Particles in a solid are tightly packages
usually in a regular pattern.
- Particles in a solid will vibrate but cannot
move past each other.
- Solids retain their shapes.
- Pure substances that cannot be broken
down chemically into simpler kinds of
matter.
- 96% of the mass of an organism is
composed of 4 elements: oxygen, carbon,
hydrogen, and nitrogen.

2. Liquid
- Particles in a liquid are close together
with no regular patter.
- Particles in a liquid Glow and can easily
move or slide past one another.
- Liquids assume the shape of their
containers.
3. Gas
- Particles in a gas are well separated with
no regular patter.
Compounds
- Is a substance made of atoms of different
elements bonded together in a certain
ratio.
- A compound is a pure substance made up
of atoms of two or more elements.
- The proportion of atoms are always Gixed.
Molecules
- Are two or more atoms held together by
covalent bonds.
- Simplest form
Ions form when atoms gain or lose
electrons.
- Ion is an atom that has gain or lost one or
more electron.
- It forms because an atom is more stable
when its outermost energy level is full.
Ionic Bond
- Some atoms become stable by losing or
gaining electrons.
- Atoms that lose electrons are called
positive ions.
- Atoms that gain electrons are called
negative ions.
- Because positive and negative electrical
charges attract each other ionic bonds
form.
Atoms share pairs of electrons in covalent
bonds.
- Some atoms share pairs of electrons.
- Shared pairs of electrons Gill the
outermost energy levels of the bonded
atoms.
- A covalent bond is formed when atoms
share a pair of electrons.
Properties of the Water Molecule
- Water molecule (H2o) is made up of three
atoms: 1 oxygen and 2 hydrogens.
- The oxygen atom attracts more than its
fair share of electrons.
Life depends on hydrogen bonds in water.
Hydrogen bonds – is an attraction between a
slightly positive hydrogen atom and a slightly
negative atom often oxygen or nitrogen.
Homeostasis
- Ability to maintain a steady state despite
changing conditions.
- Water is important to this process
because:
a) Makes a good insulator.
b) Resists temperature change
c) Universal solvent
d) Coolant
e) Ice protects against temperature
extremes (insulates frozen lakes) 3. Capillary action
Ø Allowing water to travel upwards
against gravity.
Properties related to Hydrogen Bonds:

1. Cohesion
§ Attraction among molecules of the
same substance
§ Makes water molecules stick to
each other.
§ Produces surface tension, makes
kind of skin on water.

Solutions
- A solution is a homogeneous mixture of
particles such as ions, atoms, ore
molecules.

Solubility is the maximum amount of solute

2. Adhesion
§ Attraction among molecules of
different substances
§ Water molecules stick to things.
§ Responsible for the upward curve
on the surface of the water in a test
tube.
§ Helps plants transport water from
their roots to their leaves.
dissolved by a given amount of solvent at a
deGinite temperature.
- The solubility of the given substances in a
given solute is temperature dependent.
3 types of solution:
1. Saturated
- in a saturated solution, the solvent
contains the maximum amount of solute
at a particular temperature.
- Cannot dissolve any more solute.
 2. Unsaturated
- unsaturated solution contains less solute
and completely dissolves in a given
amount of solvent, at a particular
temperature.
- Has a capacity to dissolve more solute.
3. Supersaturated
- the supersaturated solution contains the
maximum amount of solute at a higher
temperature.
- Contains more solute than it can dissolve
under normal conditions.
- When more solute is added into the
solution, crystals form.
Building blocks of living things:
1. Monomer – smallest unit of a large
molecule (building blocks of things)
2. Polymer – the large molecule; formed
by joining monomers (the product/the
thing made = this is the
macromolecule)
Formation of Macromolecules
Monomers are connected by a reaction in
which 2 molecules are bonded to each other
through the loss of a water molecule.

What is a macromolecule?
• These are organic compounds that
contain carbon and are considered to be
“giant molecules.”

Examples:
There are four groups of macromolecules that
make up living things:
1. Carbohydrates
2. Lipids
3. Proteins Polymers are disassembled (broken up) into
4. Nucleic acids monomers by hydrolysis, a process that is
essentially the reverse of the dehydration
reaction.
Six major elements associated with making
up these macromolecules:

These 6 elements make up your body and

they are also important in creating these
organic compounds:

1. Carbon
2. Oxygen
3. Phosphorus
4. Hydrogen
5. Nitrogen
6. Sulfur
4 Major classes of Organic Molecules:
Disaccharide
1. Carbohydrates
• Two monosaccharide bonded together
§ Main source of energy for living
§ Table sugar (sucrose) – made up of
things
glucose + fructose bonded together
§ Plants and some animals use
§ Milk sugar (lactose) – made up of
carbohydrates for structural
glucose + galactose bonded
purposes.
together.
§ Made up of sugars:
• Monosaccharide (monomer) =
1 sugar
Polysaccharide
• Disaccharide = 2 sugars
• More than two monosaccharide
• Polysaccharide = more than 2
bonded together by glycosidic bonds.
sugars
• Serve as storage material or building
material.
§ Storage – starch, glycogen
Organic compounds: carbohydrates
§ Structural – cellulose, chitin
• The elements make them up are C, H,
and O
• Glycosidic bonds attach the sugar
monomers together.
2. Lipids
§ Used to store energy (for the long
• 3 types:
term)
ii) Monosaccharides – C6G12O6 =
§ Important in making your cell
glucose, galactose, and fructose
membranes and waterprooGing the
iii) Disaccharides – 2
certain coverings in the body
monosaccharides joined: sucrose.
(example: cell membranes)
iv) Polysaccharides -long chain of
§ Insulates/protects your bodies
monosaccharides; starch
organs (like a cushion)
§ Examples: fats, oils, and waxes
Monosaccharides:
1. Glucose
Organic compounds: Lipids
• Made during photosynthesis.
• The elements that make them up: C,
• Main source of energy for plants and
H, and O.
animals
• Nonpolar (NOT soluble/will not mix
with water – hydrophobic)
2. Fructose
• The building block for lipids includes
• Found naturally in fruits.
1 glycerol molecule and 3 fatty acid
• Is the sweetest of monosaccharides.
molecules.
• There are 2 ways lipids can be
3. Galactose
represented in the body:
• Found in milk.
• Saturated fat – fatty acids are
• Is usually in association with
“full” of hydrogens; all carbon
glucose.
bonds are single (animal
• Or fructose
products)
 • Unsaturated fat – at least 1
double bond between carbons
(plant products)

• At room temperature, the Functions of proteins:

molecules of a saturated fat are
packed closely together, forming a
solid.
• At room temperature, the
molecules of an unsaturated fat
cannot pack together closely
enough to solidify because of the
kinks in their fatty acid tails.
3. Proteins
§ The majority of the processes that
take place in the body occur
because of proteins.
§ The elements that make up
proteins are C, H, O, and N.
§ Amino acids (AA) are the
monomers of proteins.
Organic compounds: Proteins
• There are 20 different amino acids
found in nature.
• Amino acids are made up of 3
functional groups:
§ An Amino group ( -NH2)
§ An R group (different per amino
acid)
§ A Carboxyl group (-COOH)
4 types of proteins and its function in the
body:
a) Regulatory (ex: enzymes)
Þ Controls the rate of reactions in
your body.
b) Transport (ex: hemoglobin transports
O2 )
Þ Sending nutrients to different
parts of the body.
c) Structural (ex: collagen, found in skin
and bones)
Þ Forms/makes up different parts
of the body.
d) Protective (ex: antibodies protect
against disease)
Þ Makes cells that act as Gighters for
the body.
4. Nucleic acids
§ The function of nucleic acids is to What is a Chemical Reaction?
store and transmit genetic • Everything that happens inside of an
information. organism is based on chemical
§ The elements that make up nucleic reactions.
acids are C, H, O, N, and P. • Example:
§ 2 types: § Growth
• DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) § Its interaction with the
• RNA (ribonucleic acid) environment
§ Reproduction
§ Movement
Organic compounds: Nucleic Acids
• The monomers of nucleic acids are
nucleotides Chemical reaction
• Each nucleotide is made up of: Þ A process that changes one set of
§ 5-carbon sugar chemicals into another.
§ Phosphate group Þ Always involve the breaking of
§ Nitrogenous base bonds and the formation of new
bonds.
Monomer + Monomer = Polymer

Chemical reaction breakdown

Monomers (or Polymers
building blocks) There are 2 parts to every chemical reaction:
Monosaccharides Carbohydrates
(polysaccharides)
Glycerol and fatty lipids CO2 + H20 C6H1206 + O2
acids (building
block) reactants products
nucleotides Nucleic acids
Amino acids Proteins
• Reactants represent what is being
used/what enters into a reaction.
• always found below the arrow.

• Products represent what is

made/what exits a reaction.
• always found after the arrow.
Do we need energy to complete all of these
reactions?
Chemical reactions that release energy are
called exergonic reactions.
• These often occur spontaneously –
such as cellular respiration.
Chemical reactions that absorb energy are
called endergonic reactions.
• These often occur without a source of
energy – such as photosynthesis (the
original energy comes from the sun)
Photosynthesis
Cell respiration
But not all reactions are spontaneous, some
still require a little energy.
Energy needed to get a reaction started us
called activation energy.
• This “start energy” is important,
because it can determine whether you
release or absorb energy.
• It is important to every organism that
they maintain a certain amount of
energy, the amount of energy you use
in the beginning can make a big
difference on whether or not you
complete an important reaction.
However, there is a problem.
Some chemical reactions that make life
possible are too slow or have activation
energies that are too high to make them
practical for living tissue (in other words,
they take too long)
Solution:
Your body has protein that lowers the
amount of energy needed at the beginning of
a reaction, so you have more energy to
complete your metabolic processes needed to
live your life.
These are called Enzymes
Enzymes are proteins that act as biological
catalysts.
• Catalysts - substance that speed up
the rate of reaction, without using a
large amount of energy.
Most enzymes end in the letters -ase.
Ex: saliva/spit is called amylase.

Enzymes
• Speed up a reaction by lowering the
activation energy of a reaction.
• Act as a site of a reaction and are not
used up.
Scientists use a model to represent the way
enzymes carry out chemical reactions:
The Enzyme-Substrate Complex – “Lock and
Key” Model
• Enzymes have very speciGic active
sites, where only certain reactants can
bind to reduce activation energy (EA)
• These reactants are called substrates.
• Enzymes release products after a
reaction and can start the same
process over again.
Remember:
• Enzymes are a type of protein.
• Their job is to regulate the body’s
activities without using too much
energy.
• When you damage a protein, so it no
longer works it becomes denatured.
Denaturation and re-naturation of a
Protein
There are many things that can affect the way
an enzyme works:
• Extreme temperatures – both hot
and cold can damage an enzyme.
• pH changes – mixing proteins with
strong acids or bases.
• cell activators – things that may turn
on an enzyme.
• Cell inhibitors – things that may turn
off certain cell activities.