CHEM 1003: Chemistry of Food, Health and Drugs

• Professor: G. W. Buchanan
• Office 116 Steacie
• (613)-520-3840
• Email gerald_buchanan@carleton.ca
• Course website: PP slides will be posted
• http://www.carleton.ca/chemistry/
undergrad/courses/CHEM1003.htm
 CHEM 1003 Organization/Grades
• Mid term (2 hours) 40%. Weekend of June 12
• Final (3 hours) 60% : covers all material: June 30, July
2-4
• If absent from midterm for any reason, marks go on final
• Problem sets will be assigned, but not marked. Answers
posted on website
• Questions on quizzes and Final “similar” to those on
problem sets
• Format: Multiple Choice and Short Answer
 Materials
• Text: “ The Extraordinary Chemistry of
Ordinary Things” 4th ed. Carl H. Snyder
Wiley Publishing.

Problems assigned from this text

 Problems from May 12 class
• Chapt 1# 1,2
• Chapt 2# 6,8,18
• Chapt 3# 3
• Chapt 5#26,30
• Chapt 9 # 1,14
• Chapt 12 # 1,18
• May 14 class: Chapt 6 #1,8; Chapt 8#1,21
• Keep up to date!!!!!
 Aims of the course
• Not to produce Chemists!
• To show the relevance of Chemistry in
Food ,Drugs and Health
• To promote critical assessment of
information in the media ie. “Intellectual
Triage” of Food, Drug and Health
concerns, trends, new ideas etc.
• To get student participation!
 Class format

• PP presentations
• Demonstrations (mostly taped)
• What’s in the news? Current topics related to course
material as they appear in media/internet
• We will try to do intellectual triage on each: (i) immediate
action (ii) follow it (iii) forget (rubbish?)
 Some examples
• Vitamin D :link between deficiency and the risk of
developing Multiple Sclerosis (MS) established (Feb 2009)
• “Immediate action”
• Researchers found that proteins activated by Vitamin D
bind to a segment of DNA near a gene implicated in MS
(degenerative neurological condition-destroys nerve cells in
brain and spinal cord)
• Most common in northern populations (Low sunlight )

• All Canadians should take Vitamin D (it is

added to Milk)
Charlatan Story :Raw food diets (Feb 4
2009)
Statement by Natasha Kyssa (Simply Raw,
Ottawa) that people feel “sluggish” when
eating cooked foods because enzymes in
food are destroyed when heated and the
body must use its own enzymes, thus
depleting it of energy
• Analysis: rubbish! The enzymes used in
digestion are not contained in food!
 Lecture topics
• Class #1: atoms, elements, isotopes, origin of food, chemical arithmetic, greenhouse
gases, concentrations, states of matter- “MIXED BAG”
• Class #2: Overview of Organic Chemistry. Energy and food.
• Class #3: Lipids: Fats and oils
• Class #4: Carbohydrates
• Class #5: Amino acids and proteins
• Class #6: Nucleic acids and genes; minerals

• --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
• Midterm covers 1st 6 classes material : Friday June 12 from 5-7 PM
• ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Class #7:
Vitamins; Food additives
• Class #8: Poisons, Toxins, Hazards, risks
• Class #9: Acids and bases: Medicines and Drugs (part I)
• Class#10: Meds and Drugs part II. Lifestyle Drugs: Caffeine, Nicotine, Alcohol
• Class#11: Fitness; Food production; Agricultural Chemistry
• Class#12: Herbal Supplements, Weight loss; Diet fads,review
The units (website PP postings)!
• May 12: Units 1-5
• May 14: Units 6&7
• May 19: Units 8&9
• May 21: Unit 10
• June 2: Units 11 & 12.1
• June 4: Units 12.1 & 12.2
• *** all covered on quiz #1 June 12
 2 half of course
nd

• June 9 : Units 12.3 &13

• June 11: Units 14 &15
• June 16: Units 16 &17
• June 18: Units 18 &19
• June 23: Units 20 &21
• June 25: Final review : Q’s &A’s
• NB. This is approximate!!!
What in the world isn’t Chemistry??
An Introduction to Chemistry:
let’s keep it simple (and fun)
chapter 1
 Chemistry is the branch of science that studies the
composition and properties of matter and the changes that
matter undergoes
Elements are the fundamental substances of
chemistry and are composed of atoms.

~115 different elements have been identified, eg. hydrogen,

phosphorus, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, helium, carbon, calcium,
iron, sodium, chlorine.

Elements cannot be decomposed or converted to simpler substances or

other elements by any common form of energy, eg. heat, light, electricity,
sound, magnetism.
Only neutron bombardment can induce fission of some nuclei (ie 236U)
causing decay to other elements and release of energy.
 An atom is the smallest particle of an element
that can be identified as that element.

Atoms, once thought to be the ultimate indivisible

particles that make up all matter, are among the
fundamental particles of the science of chemistry
John Dalton (1776-1844) (UK) proposed that all
matter was composed of atoms-he was correct!
 A compound is a pure substance formed by the
chemical combination of two or more different elements
in a specific ratio.

Molecules are groups of two or more atoms held

together by the forces of chemical bonds. H2 and O2 are
molecules but not compounds.
 An ion is an atom or group of atoms that
carries an electrical charge.

An anion is a negatively charged ion.

A cation is a positively charged ion.

Electrolytes are substances that conduct

electricity when dissolved in water,
or when melted if they don’t dissolve.
Those that don’t are nonelectrolytes.
Electrolytes in Human Cells
 What are we made of?

• On average, about 60% Water by weight, hence

O and H are major components
• Muscles and fat also contain C and N
• Thus H, O, C and N make up over 95% of our
weight!
• In terms of # of atoms, much higher % H
• As we age, we lose water
 Other Elements in the Human Body
Element ~gms/ 70kg Where Dietary Source

Calcium 1500 bones & teeth milk products

Chlorine 105 all cells& stomach table salt
Cobalt vitamin B12 meat, fish, milk
Copper trace in many enzymes nuts, shellfish
Iodine thyroid seafood
Iron trace hemoglobin beef, fruits
Magnesium in all cells + bones green veggies
Phosphorus trace in ATP & bones meat, eggs
Potassium 2 intracellular cation ‘everywhere’
Sodium extracellular cation table salt
Zinc 22 many enzymes seafood, meat
800
 Nature of these elements

• Many present as ions or in combination with others.

• Chlorine is present as Cl- (chloride ion).
• Phosphorus is in phosphate ion (PO4) -3.
• Sodium & Potassium present as Na+ and K+.
• 2009 “sodium kills” campaign- NaCl and blood pressure
• Iodine present as I- (iodide ion).
• Calcium present as Ca+2, often in Ca3(PO4)2. Calcium
phosphate in teeth and bones.
Trace Elements in the Body (a few of many)

• Selenium : Se-in selenoproteins, acts as a

peroxide scavenger. Hence “anti-aging” effects
(at the proper level). Toxic at higher levels
• Manganese: Mn-in metalloenzymes such as
pyruvate carboxylase
• Molybdenum: Mo-in xanthine oxidase, also a
metalloenzyme
• “ase” suffix denotes an enzyme-physiological
catalyst
 So we are full of Chemicals!!

• The 10 most abundant elements in our body in terms of weight %

• Oxygen 65
• Carbon 18
• Hydrogen 10
• Nitrogen 3
• Calcium 1.5
• Phosphorus 1.0
• Potassium .25
• Sulfur .25
• Chlorine .15
• Sodium .15
• and 37 others (of known function)