Grade 10- Science

Unit 1- Chemical Basis of life

(Biology)
Even though the smallest living structure in organisms is the cell, that is also made up of
structures called, “atoms of elements”
There are about 25 elements in the living body; most common elements out of them are,
o Oxygen : 65%
o Carbon : 18%
o Hydrogen : 10%
o Nitrogen : 3%
Other essential elements are,

Sulphur (S), Phosphorous (P), Sodium (Na), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium
(Mg), iron (Fe) and Chlorine (Cl)

Mainly the chemical compounds that build up living matter are of 2 types
o Organic compounds
o Inorganic compounds

Carbohydrates

Proteins
Organic compounds
Lipids
Chemical compounds in
living matter
Nucleic acids

Water
Inorganic compounds

Minerals
 Carbohydrates
Elemental composition: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen

Common molecular formula: Cx(H2O) y

Are mainly of three types:

1. Monosaccharides C6H12O6
2. Disaccharides C12H22O11
3. Polysaccharides (C6H10O5) n

Monosaccharides Disaccharides Polysaccharides

• C6H12O6
• Simple sugars
• Crystal shaped
• Sweet taste (galactose )
• Water soluble Eg:  Maltose
Eg:  Glucose
➢ End product during
hydrolysis of starch
➢ First product of
photosynthesis
➢ Energy is released by
breaking down glucose
➢ Present in ripen fruits,
Bee honey
 Fructose
➢ Known as fruit sugar
➢ Sweetest sugar
➢ Formed during ripening
of fruits
➢ Present in, ripen fruits,
bee honey, pumpkin,
carrots
 Galactose
➢ Present in, dairy
products
➢ No sweet taste
• C12H22O11 • (C6H10O5) n
• Crystal shaped • Not crystals
• Sweet taste • No sweet taste
• Water soluble • Water insoluble
Eg:  Cellulose
➢ Glucose + Glucose →Maltose + Water ➢ Not digested in
➢ Present in germinating seeds the human
 Sucrose digestive system
➢ Glucose + Fructose →Sucrose + Water ➢ Present in, plant
➢ Present in, white and brown sugars, cell wall, fibers
sugar cane and beet, phloem sap in  Starch
trees ➢ Type of
 Lactose carbohydrates
that’s being
➢ Glucose + Galactose→Lactose + Water
➢ Present in, dairy products
stored in plants
➢ Present in, Grains,
➢ Only sugar that is absent in plants
yams, jak etc.
 Glycogen
➢ Type of
carbohydrates
that’s being
stored in animals
➢ Present in, animal
liver and muscles
Importance of Carbohydrates

As an energy source
As a storage compound
o In plants – Starch
o In animals - Glycogen
As a transporting compound
o In plants – Sucrose
o In animals - Glucose
As a structural component in plant cell wall
As a constituent of nucleic acids

Proteins
Elemental composition: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen and sometimes Sulphur
Structural unit of proteins: - Amino Acids

Simplest Amino Acid – Glycine

Types of proteins

- Hemoglobin, present in RBC

- Keratin, present in hair

- Albumin, present in egg white

Importance of Protiens

As an energy source
To make structural components
As enzymes
As hormones
As anti-bodies

Enzymes

o The special proteins (organic catalysts) that are produced within the living cells of
organisms to increase the rate od bio- chemical enzymes are known as “enzymes”.

Eg: - Starch Amylase Maltose

Enzyme
 o Function of the enzymes is to catalyze the bio-chemical reactions
o Let’s Observe the activity of enzymes

Materials needed : - Flour, Amylase, Test tube, white porcelain tile, Iodine solution

Methodology :- Put 2ml of Starch solution into a test tube

Add 2ml of Amylase into it and mix well

Get a drop from the solution after 2 minutes and place it on a white porcelain
tile and add a drop of iodine on to the drop of mixture

Continue the same procedure for about 20 minutes in 2-minute intervals

Observation : - Blue colour of the drop obtained from the mixture gradually reduces with time and
finally obtains the colour of iodine (yellow/ brown)

Conclusion: - Drops taken from the mixture finally gives no colour change with iodine because all the
starch has converted to iodine.

Lipids
Elemental composition: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen

Fats (Lipids which are solids at room temperature)

Lipids

Oils (Lipids which are liquids at room temperature)

Lipids are insoluble in water, soluble in organic solvents

Fatty acids and glycerol react to form lipids

Fatty acids + Glycerol Lipids + water

Fatty acids are of 2 types
o Saturated fatty acids (contain only single bonds)
o Unsaturated fatty acids (contain one or more double bonds)

Importance of Lipids

As an energy source
To make structural components. Eg: - plasma membrane
For conservation of water
To maintain body temperature
To protect internal organs in the body
To synthesize some hormones. Eg: - Oestrogen, testosterone
 Nucleic Acids
Elemental composition: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorous
Nucleic acids are linear polymers made up of a large number of nucleotides (A polynucleotides)
Each nucleotide consists of 3 main parts
o Pentose sugar group
o Nitrogenous base group
o Phosphate group

There are 2 types of nucleic acids

o DNA – Deoxy Ribo Nucleic Acids
o RNA – Ribo Nucleic Acids

DNA RNA
Made up of 2 polynucleotide chains Made up of one polynucleotide chains
Repeating unit - Deoxy Ribo Nucleotide Repeating unit - Ribo Nucleotide
Nitrogenous bases present Nitrogenous bases present
Adenine Adenine
Thymine Uracil
Guanine Guanine
Cytosine Cytosine

Importance of Nucleic Acids

DNA – Controlling cellular activities in the cell

Stores and transfers genetic information from generation to generation
For the occurrence of variations due to mutations
RNA – For protein synthesis
Important in storing genetic information in some viruses
 Water
2/3rd of the body weight of most of the organisms is water
Water is the most abundant inorganic compound found in living organisms

Let’s observe the specific properties of water

Copy down
the table 1.4

Minerals
7% of the body weight is composed of minerals
From that amount, Calcium and Phosphorous gets the priority

Macro elements (Needed in higher amounts)

The elements needed to our body

Micro/ trace elements (Needed in trace amounts)

Copy down the

table 1.5 and
1.6
 Vitamins
Vitamins are a group of substances that are needed for normal cell function, growth,
and development. This means that these vitamins are required for the body to work
properly.
Vitamins are of 2 types
1. Water soluble - Vitamin B, Vitamin C
2. Water insoluble - Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E

Copy
down the
table 1.7

Identifying tests of different compounds in substances