1. The Chemistry of Life
What are living creatures made of? Why do we have to eat?

2. Organic and inorganic compounds
There are two types of compounds that are important to living things:
Organic and inorganic compounds
Organic compounds contain the elements carbon AND hydrogen.
There are 4 types of organic compounds that are important to living things.

3. Some examples include: water (formula: H2O) salt (formula: NaCl)
Inorganic compounds are also important to living things. They DO NOT contain BOTH carbon and hydrogen.
Some examples include:
water (formula: H2O)
salt (formula: NaCl)
Simple Chemistry Clip

4. ORGANIC vs. INORGANIC
Carbon based molecules are called organic molecules.
Non-carbon based molecules—water, oxygen, and ammonia are inorganic molecules.

5. Molecules of Life
Put C, H, N, O, P, S together in different ways to build living organisms
What are bodies made of?
carbohydrates
sugars & starches
proteins
fats (lipids)
nucleic acids
DNA, RNA

6. ATP Why do we eat? We eat to take in more of these chemicals
Food for building materials
to make more of us (cells)
for growth
for repair
Food to make energy
calories
to make ATP
ATP

7. What do we need to eat?
Foods to give you more building blocks & more energy
for building & running bodies
carbohydrates
proteins
fats
nucleic acids
vitamins
minerals, salts
water

8. Don’t forget water Water Rest of you is made of carbon molecules
65% of your body is H2O
water is inorganic
doesn’t contain carbon
Rest of you is made of carbon molecules
organic molecules
carbohydrates
proteins
fats
nucleic acids

9. The Role of Carbon in Organisms
Organic compounds contain carbon
A carbon atom has four electrons available for bonding in its outer energy level. In order to become stable, a carbon atom forms four covalent bonds that fill its outer energy level.
Carbon compounds vary greatly in size.
When carbon atoms bond to each other, they can form straight chains, branched chains, or rings.

10. Types of carbon backbones:
- straight chain
- branched chain
- can form double bonds
- can form ring structures

11. CARBON SKELETONS

12. How do we make these molecules?
We build them!

13. Building large molecules of life
Chain together smaller molecules
building block molecules = monomers
Big molecules built from little molecules
polymers

14. Building large organic molecules
Small molecules = building blocks
Bond them together = polymers

15. Making and Breaking of POLYMERS
Cells link monomers to form polymers by dehydration synthesis (building up)
Short polymer
Unlinked monomer
Removal of water molecule
Longer polymer

16. Building important polymers
Carbohydrates = built from sugars
sugar – sugar – sugar – sugar – sugar – sugar
Proteins = built from amino acids
amino
acid –
Nucleic acids (DNA) = built from nucleotides
nucleotide – nucleotide – nucleotide – nucleotide

17. How to build large molecules
Dehydration Synthesis
building bigger molecules from smaller molecules
building cells & bodies
repair
growth
reproduction +
ATP

18. amino acids = building block
Example of synthesis
amino acids
protein
Proteins are synthesized by bonding amino acids
amino acids = building block
protein = polymer

19. How to take large molecules apart
Hydrolysis (Digestion)
taking big molecules apart
getting raw materials
for synthesis & growth
making energy (ATP)
for synthesis, growth & everyday functions +
ATP

20. Making and Breaking of POLYMERS
Polymers are broken down to monomers by the reverse process, hydrolysis (hydro ~ add water; lysis ~ to split)
Addition of water molecule

21. Example of digestion starch glucose Starch is digested to glucose ATP

22. 1. CARBOHYDRATES
composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen with a ratio of about two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom for every carbon atom.

23. Carbohydrates sugars sugar - sugar - sugar - sugar - sugar
Building block molecules =
sugars
sugar - sugar - sugar - sugar - sugar
sugar

24. Carbohydrates Function: Examples glucose C6H12O6 sucrose starch
quick energy
energy storage
structure
cell wall in plants
Examples
sugars
starches
cellulose (cell wall)
glucose C6H12O6
sucrose
starch

25. Building carbohydrates
Synthesis
1 sugar = monosaccharide
2 sugars = disaccharide |
glucose |
glucose |
maltose
mono = one
saccharide = sugar
di = two

26. Building carbohydrates
Synthesis
1 sugar = monosaccharide
2 sugars = disaccharide |
glucose |
fructose |
sucrose
(table sugar)
How sweet it is!

27. BIG carbohydrates Polysaccharides large carbohydrates starch glycogen
energy storage in plants
potatoes
glycogen
energy storage in animals
in liver & muscles
cellulose
structure in plants
cell walls
chitin
structure in arthropods & fungi
exoskeleton
poly = many

28. Building BIG carbohydrates
glucose + glucose + glucose… =
polysaccharide
starch
(plant)
energy storage
glycogen
(animal)

29. Digesting starch vs. cellulose
enzyme
starch easy to digest
Animals do not have the enzyme to digest cellulose. We need the help of bacteria living in our intestines.
enzyme
cellulose hard to digest

30. Cellulose Cell walls in plants herbivores can digest cellulose well
most carnivores cannot digest cellulose
that’s why they eat meat to get their energy & nutrients
cellulose = roughage
stays undigested
keeps material moving in your intestines
Cross-linking between polysaccharide chains = rigid & hard to digest
The digestion of cellulose governs the life strategy of herbivores.
Either you do it really well and you’re a cow or an elephant or a horse (spend a long time digesting a lot of food with a little help from some microbes & have to walk around slowly for a long time carrying a lot of food in your stomach)
Or you do it inefficiently and have to supplement your diet with simple sugars, like fruit and nectar, and you’re a gorilla.

32. Releases energy for cells
Organic
Compound
Composed of:
Examples
Function
Carbohydrate
C, H, O
Sugar
Starch
cellulose
Releases energy for cells

33. Lipids (ie. fats, oils, waxes)
composed largely of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen
They are not true polymers
They are grouped together because they do not mix with water (Nonpolar)
(ie. fats, oils, waxes)

34. Lipids Examples fats oils waxes Steroid hormones sex hormones
testosterone (male)
estrogen (female)

35. Lipids Function: energy storage cell membrane cushions organs
very concentrated
twice the energy as carbohydrates!
cell membrane
cushions organs
insulates body
think whale blubber!

36. Structure of Fat
not a chain (polymer) = just a “big fat molecule”

37. Saturated fats Most animal fats Limit the amount in your diet
solid at room temperature
Limit the amount in your diet
contributes to heart disease
deposits in arteries

38. Lipids include fats,
Fats are lipids whose main function is long term energy storage
Other functions:
Insulation in higher vertebrates
“shock absorber” for internal organs
Fatty acid
Fatty acid 38

39. Saturated & Unsaturated fats
fatty acids of unsaturated fats (plant oils) contain double bonds
These prevent them from solidifying at room temperature
Saturated fats (lard) lack double bonds
They are solid at room temperature

40. Saturated fats Most animal fats Limit the amount in your diet
solid at room temperature
Limit the amount in your diet
contributes to heart disease
deposits in arteries 40

41. Unsaturated fats Plant, vegetable & fish fats
liquid at room temperature
the fat molecules don’t stack tightly together
Better choice in your diet

42. Saturated vs. unsaturated

43. Other lipids in biology
Cholesterol
good molecule in cell membranes
make hormones from it
including sex hormones
but too much cholesterol in blood may lead to heart disease

44. Other lipids in biology
Cell membranes are made out of lipids
phospholipids
heads are on the outside touching water
“like” water
tails are on inside away from water
“scared” of water
forms a barrier between the cell & the outside

46. Stores and releases MORE energy for cells
Organic
Compound
Composed of:
Examples
Function
Lipid
C, H, O
Fats
Oils
Waxes
Stores and releases MORE energy for cells
Cell membranes are made of lipids