Notes 3-3 Chemical Compounds in Cells

Elements Vs. Compounds ELEMENTS Any substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances Examples: Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Gold, anything on the periodic table… Elements are made up of atoms COMPOUNDS Two or more elements that combine chemically Examples: Water (H2O), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), DNA, Proteins, etc…

Water Most chemical reactions in the cell could not take place without the compound water. Your body is 2/3 water Since water changes temperature so slowly, it helps cells not change their temperature too fast

Inorganic Compounds Compounds that do NOT contain the element carbon (C) Examples: Water (H2O) and Table Salt (NaCl)

Organic Compounds Compounds that contain the element carbon (C) Organic compounds are found in all living things Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, and Nucleic acids are important groups of organic compounds in living things that help cells function

Carbohydrates Provides immediate energy for cell Make up some cell parts Made up of elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen Carbs = sugars Examples: starches, like potatoes, pasta, bread, also found in cell membranes and cell walls

Lipids Contain even more energy than carbs Cells store energy in lipids for later use Made of the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen Examples: fats, waxes, oils, makes up most of cell membrane

Nucleic Acids Very long Made up of elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus Contain instructions for cells to carry out all functions of life Usually found in nucleus of cell Examples: DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) which is the genetic info passed from parent to offspring, and RNA (Ribonucleic acid) which helps make proteins

Proteins Remember that the goal of the cell is to MAKE PROTEINS Made up of the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur Found in cell membrane, help make up many organelles, hair, finger nails, spider webs, feathers, etc. Examples: meat, eggs, beans, enzymes (we will talk about this more in a minute)

Structure of Proteins Proteins are made up of long chains of amino acids 20 different amino acids can form thousands of different proteins (just like 26 letters of the alphabet can form thousands of words) Similar to letters and words, the order of amino acids will determine which protein it is

Enzymes Proteins that speed up chemical reactions in organisms Without enzymes, many chemical reactions needed for life would not occur or would occur to slowly Example: enzymes (proteins) in your saliva speed up digestion of food by breaking it down into simpler sugars in your mouth