Basics of Organic Life Biomolecules

Elements  What are they?  Common Elements in Biology N, C, O, H  96% of human body Other 4% = trace elements EX: S, K, Cl, Na, Ca, Mg, P, I, Fe, F How important are trace elements? Sulfur Sodium

Biomolecules are complex, but are made up of simpler components

Monomer to polymer

Carbohydrates  C, H, O  Simple sugars (monomer)  Monosaccharides- glucose, fructose  Complex sugars (polymer)  Dissacharides - Sucrose  Polysaccharides– starch, glycogen, cellulose  Functions:  Provide energy Monosaccharid + Monosaccharid = Disaccharid Hydrolysis

Dehydration Synthesis

Carbohydrates and Diet  Pasta, bread, potatoes, cereal, rice, fruits,  Complex carbs are broken into simple carbs  Simple carbs are absorbed through the intestines into the bloodstream  The blood delivers the glucose to the body cells to make ATP (energy)  Extra sugars taken to liver and stored as glycogen  Excess sugars stored as fat

Lipids  C, H, and a small amount of O  Fatty Acids (monomer)  Triglyceride (polymer)  Fats, oils, waxes, steroids  Insoluble in water  Functions:  Composes the cell membrane  Shock absorption and protection  Insulation

Lipids and Diet  Fats are essential nutrient  Fats create the cell membrane  Used to synthesize hormones  insulate our nerve cells  keeps us warm  Meats, nuts, dairy products, cooking oils  Broken into fatty acids and glycerol and absorbed by small intestines  Trans fats = preservative  Saturated = bad  Unsaturated = useful

Proteins  C, H, O, N, and sometimes S  Made up of amino acids (monomer)  20 total amino acids  Polypeptide (polymer)  Peptide bond  Functions:  Muscle contraction  Structural components – hair, nails, skin  Transports O 2 in the blood  Provides immunity  Enzymes

Proteins and Diet  Meats, beans, whole grains, eggs, dairy  Proteins broken down into amino acids by digestion  Absorbed by intestines, sent through blood to liver and cells  Cells store amino acids until they need to make proteins  Essential amino acids (8)  Non-essential amino acids (12)

Enzymes  Catalyze a reaction (usually speeds it up)  Protein structures  Usually end is ‘ase’  Affected by temperature and pH  Active sites  Lock and key

Enzymes  Enzymes are protein catalyst  Catalyst- speed up the rate of a chemical reaction Activation energy w/o enzyme Activation energy with enzyme

Vitamins  Function: Acts like a co-enzyme  Needed in small amounts  Organic

Calories and Metabolism  Calorie – energy content of food  2000 calories a day – AVERAGE, depends on a persons metabolism  Metabolism – the rate at which energy is burned or how fast your body processes  Metabolism controlled by thyroid gland  Factors affecting metabolism  Age  Gender  Level of activity  Weight

- DNA and RNA - Building blocks are nucleotides - Nucleotides – phosphate, sugar, nitrogen base - Store hereditary information that is translated into proteins - ATP - Energy molecule of cell Nucleic Acids

Minerals  Generally inorganic  Building materials  Chemical reactions  Needed in small amounts

Water  Structure  2 hydrogen covalently bonded to 1 oxygen  Polar  Uneven charge  Results in hydrogen bonding

Solution  Water is the universal solvent!  Ionic compounds disassociate in water  Solvent  Does the “dissolving”  Solute  Gets “dissolved”

Hydrogen bonding

Surface tension Cohesion - Attraction between particles of the same substance Adhesion - Attraction between two different substances – capillary action

pH  pH scale  Acid (higher H+)  Below 7  Base (higher OH-)  Above 7  Neutral (H+ = OH -)  =7

Ice, water, vapor

Bubbling Potatoes  Place a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide on the potato and the potato chip.  Write your observations.  Hypothesize what is occurring.