Chemistry of Life and Cellular

Processes
Unit-3
 Unit Details
Key Concept: System

Related Concepts: Transformation, Energy

Global context: Scientific and Technical Innovation

Global Context: Explorations: Principles

SOI: Scientific principles allow us to understand how the system transforms

energy to support functions.
 Prior Knowledge Test
● Students will appear for a short prior knowledge test. Teacher will use an

online buzzer portal to play a quick quiz that tests the student's prior

knowledge.

● https://buzzin.live/
Engagement -1: Creating Concept Map
● Can you list few materials containing carbon?

● Prepare a concept map using your thought process about applications of

carbon.

● Use your understanding about applications of carbon materials and list

the usefulness and harmful effects of carbon.

● Reading Link: https://www.embibe.com/exams/uses-of-carbon/

Engagement 2: Carbon Cycle
● Carbon cycle is the process
where carbon compounds
are interchanged among the
biosphere, geosphere,
pedosphere, hydrosphere,
and atmosphere of the earth.
● https://www.nwf.org/~/media/
PDFs/Eco-schools/2013%20NA
SA/01_Module%20I/Lesson%2
03/Follow_the_Carbon_Atom_
11_05_10.ashx
 Significance of Water
● Water is the medium through which all essential vitamins and minerals are transported in the
bodies of living organisms.
● Plays a vital role in facilitating the work of enzymes in living organisms.
● Water helps maintain body temperatures in plants and animals.
● Since water can rise in capillary tubes without any external help, it can be transported from the
roots of trees to every other part of the tree.
● Water is an integral part of photosynthesis.
● Water serves as a habitat for more than 50% of all life on Earth.
● Reading Link: https://byjus.com/chemistry/importance-of-water/
 Properties of Water
● Cohesive properties
● Adhesive property
● High specific heat
● High latent heat
● High boiling point
● Universal solvent because it
is polar molecule.

https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/strong-polar-bond-between-w
ater-molecules-creates-water-cohesion-0
Biomolecules
Carbohydrates
● Made up of C, H and O atoms.
● General term is sugar.
● Can be simple sugars or complex
sugars.
● Simple sugar is a monosaccharide
having only 1 molecule of sugar.
Example- Glucose, Fructose.
● Complex sugars can be disaccharide
like sucrose or polysaccharide like
starch.
● Monosaccharides are small and
soluble in water.
● Polysaccharides are mostly
insoluble in water.
 Role of Carbohydrates as Energy Source
● Energy is released by respiration from carbohydrates in all organisms.
● Respiration is done on Glucose.
● In animals, food is digested and glucose is absorbed and transported to
different parts for respiration.
● Excess carbohydrate is stored as glycogen in animals.
● In plants, glucose is converted to sucrose for transportation and excess is
converted in starch for storage.
● Storage of starch in plants is common.
 Fats/Lipids
● Glycerol attached to three long
chains of fatty acids.
● They are insoluble in water.
● Fats are good source of energy
and so stored in cells for future
use.
● Various cells store fats in thick
layers which also provides
insulation to it.
Proteins
● Polymers of amino acids joined
together by peptide bonds.
● There are 20 amino acids in
nature which can join in specific
order to form a particular protein.
● Proteins mainly involved for
growth and repair as they are
major component of plasma
membrane.
● Involved in immune response by
forming antibodies.
● Enzymes are made up of proteins.
Nucleic Acids
● Monomers of nucleic acids are
nucleotides.
● Nucleotides are made of 3
components- a nitrogenous base, a
5 carbon sugar and a phosphate
group.
● If sugar molecule is Ribose then it is
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA).
● If it is Deoxyribose sugar, then
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
● The sequence of the nucleotides in
nucleic acid are encoded or
expressed as genes.
● So role of nucleic acid is carrying
genetic information.
 Tests to detect Biomolecules
● https://www.vedantu.com/chemistry/tests-of-carbohydrates-fats-and-prot
eins-in-given-food-stuffs

● http://amrita.olabs.edu.in/?sub=79&brch=17&sim=205&cnt=2
● Read the resource and perform the tests in virtual lab.
 Enzymes
● Catalysts are the substances that speeds up a chemical reaction without getting used
up.
● In living organisms, enzymes are the proteins which act as biocatalyst to increase the
rate of reaction of metabolic reactions.
● Example- Amylase breaks starch into maltose, Maltase breaks maltose into glucose
Lock and Key Hypothesis of Enzyme action
Induced Fit Hypothesis of Enzyme Action
 Properties of Enzymes

● They are proteins and act as catalyst in metabolic reactions.

● They changes substrate to products without being used up.
● They function actively at an optimum temperature and at higher
temperatures they denature as they are proteins.
● They have an optimum pH.
● They are specific to substrate with which they combine.
Temperature and Enzyme action
pH and Enzyme activity
Substrate concentration and Enzyme activity
 Applications of Enzymes
● Used in washing powders.
- Proteases, Lipases to remove plant and animal stains.
● Used in food industry- to extract juices, for sugar, baby food.
- Plant cells stuck together so pectinase used to separate them.
- Amylase enzyme used to break starch to simple sugars like maltose.
- Baby food made of amino acids by using proteases which gets easy for
babies to absorb.
● Used in medical industry for treatments of enzyme related disorders.
 Nutrition and Balanced Diet
● The process of taking in of food is called nutrition and the process of
breaking the food into simpler components which can be absorbed and
used by the body is called digestion.
● Animals need 7 important nutrients- carbohydrates, proteins, fats,
vitamins, minerals, fibres and water.
● Diet which has correct amount and proportions of these nutrients is
called balanced diet.
● The amount of food needed by the organism for energy is used and
excess is stored in the body as fats.
 Digestion
● Engagement- 1 : Watch the video to understand the process of digestion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og5xAdC8EUI

Additional link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm3oIX6jjn4

● Engagement- 2 : Role Play: You are given the role of a food. Think about
your journey as you pass through the alimentary canal.
 Respiration
● Engagement- 1 : Facilitator will ask students about the digested food. They will
be doing some deep breathing exercises and explore the movements of thorax
region. This will lead them to understand the basic definition of respiration and
breathing.
● Engagement- 2 : Watch the video to understand the respiratory system.

https://youtu.be/cL0mP3IfmHE

● Engagement 3: Understand the functioning of lung.

https://youtu.be/8NUxvJS-_0k
 Aerobic and Anaerobic Respiration
● Engagement-1: Read the resource and compare and contrast between
aerobic and anaerobic respiration.

https://www.toppr.com/guides/biology/difference-between/aerobic-and-a
naerobic-respiration/
 Photosynthesis
● Engagement- 1 : Watch the video to understand photosynthesis.

https://youtu.be/NqCmzk4Z9LA