Biochemistry Mincer/Scully

Chemistry Life functions because of chemical reactions. A chemical reaction is where atoms form with other atoms to make molecules. A molecule is an arrangement of at least two atoms, although some have hundreds of atoms.

Molecules The reason why life depends on chemical reactions is because of chemical bonds. Chemical bonds are how atoms “hold on” to other atoms. There are different kinds of chemical bonds, but all chemical bonds store energy. That energy is what organisms use to carry out life functions.

Elements for Life Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), Nitrogen (N)

Types of Organic Molecules So, how many ways can C H O N combine for form a molecule? Millions!!!! But, scientists classify all organic molecules into four basic categories (More on that later)

Organic Molecules Organic molecules are molecules that have CHO and sometimes N. Living organisms are made from them and produce them. Most organic molecules are polymers, meaning they are long chains made of repeating units. The repeating units are called monomers.

Types of Organic Molecules Carbohydrates- Most organisms use these for their energy content, so they are the fuel for most organisms. Nucleic Acids- Organisms use these molecules for storing genetic information. Lipids- Organisms use these molecules for cellular components and energy storage. Proteins- Organisms use these molecules for structure and chemical reactions. (Very important molecules!!)

Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are the main type of molecule that organisms use for energy. The monomer for carbohydrates is glucose: C 6 H 12 O 6 All carbohydrates are just chains of different numbers of glucose. Starch (amylose) is hundreds of glucose, while cellulose is a molecule with thousands of glucose molecules chemically connected.

Glucose Glucose is the monomer for carbohydrates. It has a distinctive shape:

Lipids-C-H-and a few O Lipids are molecules that organisms use for cellular components and to store energy. Lipids have a LOT of bonds. Lipids are made of two kinds of monomers: 1 Glycerol 3 Fatty Acids

Lipids

Nucleic Acids Nucleic acids are used by organisms to store and transfer genetic information. DNA and RNA

Proteins Proteins are very important molecules. They are used by organisms for structure and to regulate chemical reactions. They are VERY complex They are made of C, H, O, and N

Amino Acids A protein is a long chain of different amino acids. There are 22 different kinds of amino acids. Each protein is a chain of amino acids put together in a specific order. The order of the amino acids determines the complex shape of the protein. The shape of the protein determines the function of the protein.

Amino Acids Amino acids are simple, but vary in one place, called the R-group

Enzymes Enzymes are proteins that regulate chemical reactions. They are also called catalysts. All enzymes are proteins. The shape of the enzyme determines what kind of molecules it can interact with. The molecules are called substrates.

Chemical Reactions During a chemical reaction, the enzyme just moves the substrates closer together to make the chemical reaction easier to happen. The enzyme ISN’T changed during the chemical reaction.

Enzymes

Reaction Rates So, what affects how fast enzymes do their job? Shape affect function, so anything that affects shape will affect how fast an enzyme works When an enzyme’s shape changes, it’s called denatured

Denaturing an Enzyme A change in temperature will cause an enzyme to change its shape and stop working A change in pH will cause an enzyme to change its shape.

pH pH is a measure of how acidic or how basic a solution is. It goes from 0 to is considered a neutral solution, and is neither acidic nor basic. 0---Acid Base---14 The farther away from 7 a solution is, the stronger it is.