What elements are found in a phospholipid?

Life is based on Carbon Carbon atoms are versatile building blocks Special bonding properties Has 4 valence electrons so it can form 4 stable covalent bonds with other carbon atoms or atoms of other elements Bonds with CHNOPS – the elements that make up living things; Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur Carbon chemistry = organic chemistry Why is it a foundational atom? What makes it so important? Can’t be a good building block if you only form 1 or 2 bonds. H C

The Chemistry of Carbon What are the main elements that make up life? CHNOPS (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur) All of life is built on carbon Cells ~72% H2O ~25% carbon compounds carbohydrates lipids proteins nucleic acids ~3% salts Na, Cl, K… Why do we study carbon -- is it the most abundant element in living organisms? H & O most abundant C is the next most abundant

Chemistry of Life Organic chemistry is the study of carbon compounds Why is carbon so interesting?? C atoms are versatile building blocks bonding properties 4 electrons in outershell Carbon atoms can bond to each other and form long chains Carbon chemistry = organic chemistry Why is it a foundational atom? What makes it so important? Can’t be a good building block if you only form 1 or 2 bonds. H C H H H

Macromolecules Smaller organic molecules join together to form larger molecules macromolecules 4 major classes of macromolecules: carbohydrates lipids proteins nucleic acids