The Chemicals of Life

Organic Compounds Organic compounds contain carbon and are produced by the life processes of living things Example: photosynthesis, protein synthesis etc. Proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and carbohydrates are the major organic substances common to all living things. However, man now has the ability to create organic materials in laboratory and many of these are part of your everyday life! Plastics, styrofoam, nylon, rayon, and polyester are all examples of man-made organic polymers.

Inorganic Compounds Not all compounds that contain carbon however are organic, carbon oxides (CO2, CO) hydrogen carbonates (HCO3) and carbonates (CaCO3) are all inorganic even though they contain CARBON and are sometimes found in living things! All compounds that do NOT have carbon are considered inorganic.

Properties of the Carbon Atom Carbon can form 4 covalent bonds because it needs four electrons to fill its outer most energy level or valence shell.

Properties of the Carbon Atom Carbon bonds readily to other carbons to create straight chains, branched chains, or cyclic or ring structures.

Properties of the Carbon Atom Carbon atoms will form covalent bonds readily with hydrogen atoms to form hydrocarbons Hydrocarbon = non-polar covalent A hydrocarbon chain is an organic molecule or a portion of an organic molecule that is composed of hydrogen covalently bonded to carbon atoms in the chain.

Properties of the Carbon Atom Carbon atoms can form multiple covalent bonds between themselves. This results in the formation of unsaturated hydrocarbon chains. Carbon can share one, two, or up to three pairs of electrons between two carbon atoms forming single, double, or triple bonds

Properties of the Carbon Atom Carbon atoms will bond readily to other non-metals such as oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur nitrogen carbon oxygen hydrogen The structural model above is of the organic substance called urea. It has two nitrogen atoms each covalently bonded to the central carbon atom and an oxygen atom with two covalent bonds bonded to the central carbon atom.

Functional Groups Functional groups are groups of atoms attached to the carbon skeleton of molecules Give the molecule its characteristic chemical and physical properties acidic, basic, polar, ionizing Usually participate in chemical reactions

Functional groups form the following compounds: You will need to memorize structure, function, and properties of each of the functional groups and the combining capacity of C,H,N,O,S and P Functional groups form the following compounds: Functional Group Compound Hydroxyl alcohols Carbonyl Aldehydes and ketones Carboxyl Carboxylic acids Amino Amines Sulfhydryl Thiols Phosphate Organic phosphates

LE 3-2 Estradiol Female lion Testosterone Male lion

Practice Questions Identify the circled functional groups

Identify as many functional groups as you can:

Definitions Macromolecules = large complex organic molecules (often composed of subunits) Polymers = long chain organic molecules composed of repeating subunits Monomers = the subunit of polymers

Biological Macromolecules Four major classes in living organisms: Proteins Lipids Carbohydrates Nucleic Acids All of which are more or less a number of repeating subunits

Macromolecule Subunit Complex carbohydrate Simple sugar (glucose) Lipid Glycerol and fatty acids Protein Amino acids Nucleic acids (DNA, RNA) Nucleotide

Biological Reactions Metabolic reactions = any reaction in a living system Anabolic reactions = reactions that produce larger molecules Catabolic reactions = reactions that breakdown larger molecules

Dehydration Synthesis / Condensation Reactions Most common form of anabolic reactions Two subunits are linked together Water is formed as a by-product Used in polymerisation Absorbs energy

Short polymer Unlinked monomer Dehydration reaction Longer polymer LE 3-3a Short polymer Unlinked monomer Dehydration reaction Longer polymer

Hydrolysis Most common catabolic reaction Macromolecule is broken into subunits using water Polymer breakdown usually involve this Releases energy

LE 3-3b Hydrolysis

Both condensation and hydrolysis reactions require enzymes to take place efficiently. Enzymes are catalysts that speed up a reaction without being consumed in the process Enzymes are substrate specific eg. Maltase works on maltose