What are we made of, and what does it do???? The Chemistry of Life What are we made of, and what does it do????

Lesson Objectives Discuss the 4 major organic molecules in the body Understand how chemical reactions can both absorb and produce energy in the body Understand the role chemical bonds play in energy change Discuss the basic properties of enzymes

Vocabulary Monomer Polymer Carbohydrate Lipid Amino Acid Nucleotide Protein Metabolic Pathway Metabolite Vitalism Endergonic Reaction Exergonic Reaction Enzyme

The Building Blocks of Life The vast majority of all organic molecules in life are formed of 4 molecules that fit together in thousands of combinations Amino Acids, Fatty Acids, Carbohydrates, and Nucleotides These building blocks form molecules that fit together like puzzle pieces and work together to generate the processes of life. These are called metabolic pathways…..which when grouped all together, form an organism’s metabolism.

Monomers and Polymers The 4 basic molecules are called monomers Monomers join together to form long chain molecules called polymers Amino Acid  Proteins Carbohydreates  Polysaccharides Lipids  Fats Nucleotides Nucleic Acid

Carboyhydrates Made up of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen atoms Join together to form polysaccharides Sugars and Starches Energy molecules of the body Excess carbohydrates converted and stored as fats

Fatty Acids Forms cell membranes and certain types of tissue Forms hormone and steroid molecules Secondary energy source for body VERY energy rich Excess stored in adipose cells

Nucleotides Contains a sugar ring, a nitrogenous base, and a phosphate group Nitrogenous base is adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine, or uracil Forms long chains which are self –replicating Responsible for passing heredity material Responsible for genetic expression

Amino Acids Forms very complex protein molecules Proteins can contain thousands of different amino acids Complex shaping and folding mechanisms dictate function Structural molecules and enzymes

Chemical Bonds Creating chemical bonds costs energy Breaking chemical bonds release energy Both of these can happen simultaneously Some of the energy released from breaking bonds in reactants goes into forming bonds in the products Leftover energy can be used to drive other reactions and continue life processes

Chemical Reactions in Life Exergonic and Endergonic Reactions Biochemical reactions pass energy down a chain Energy is chemical and kinetic, not always thermal Exergonic – Net Energy Release Endergonic – Net Energy Absorption

The Breaking and Forming of Bonds Initially breaking a bond REQUIRES energy Once the bond is BROKEN You may get NO energy from the breaking (endergonic) You may get some energy from the breaking (slightly exergonic) You may get a LOT of energy from the breaking (highly exergonic) The net energy change along a metabolic pathway determines this Lighting a campfire? Digesting food?

Enzymes Enzymes are chemical tool used to manage chemical reactions in the body Generally made of proteins Not consumed in the reaction Can be reused