1. Created by: J. Quigley September 2013
Chemistry of Life
Created by: J. Quigley
September 2013

2. Matter and Substances
Every living and nonliving thing is made up of matter.
Matter is anything that has a mass and takes up space
To understand how living things work and interact, you must understand the structure of matter

3. Atoms All matter is made of atoms
An atom is the smallest unit of matter that cannot be broken down by physical means
An atom has a positively charged core surrounded by a negatively charged region

4. Atomic Structure Atoms are made of three types of particles
Protons: have a positive charge
Electrons: have a negative charge
Neutrons: Have no charge

5. Elements
An element is a substance made up of atoms that all have the same number of protons…
For example, each atom of carbon has 6 protons.

6. Chemical Bonds
Valence electrons- electrons in the outermost level/shell of the atom
Chemical bonds form between groups of atoms because most atoms become stable when they have eight electrons in the valence shell… therefore they like to give, take electrons or share electrons

7. Compound
A compound forms when atoms of different elements bond, it is a substance made of the bonded atoms of two or more different elements
Sodium (Na) has an extra electron. Chlorine (Cl) is missing one electron. When Sodium gives its electron to Chlorine they become a compound and have a chemical bond between them…
Na + Cl = NaCl

8. Covalent Bonds A covalent bond is when atoms SHARE electrons
Water is a covalent bond.
Remember atoms want 8 electrons in their outer shell.
Oxygen has 6, and each hydrogen has 1.
H2O has two hydrogen and one oxygen
6+1+1 = 8 Electrons
A molecule is a group of atoms held together by covalent bonds.

9. Ionic Bonds
Atoms can also achieve a stable valence level (8 electrons) by losing or gaining electrons.
When an atom loses an electron it becomes positively charged
When an atom gains an electron it becomes negatively charged
When an atom has either a positive or negative charge, it is called an ION.
The attractive force between oppositely charged ions is called an IONIC BOND.
The salt example is Ionic
Na+ + Cl- = NaCl

10. Polarity
In some covalent bonds, the shared electrons are attracted more strongly to one atom than another. As a result, one end, or pole, of the molecule has a partial negative charge while the other end has a partial positive charge

11. Polarity
When a molecule, like water, has a partial negative and partial positive side, it is said to be POLAR
When a molecule, like CH4, is totally balanced and does NOT have any partial positive or negative sides (oil, grease, fat, wax)… it is said to be NONPOLAR

12. Solubility
Because of the charges involved, water can dissolve POLAR molecules
Nonpolar substances do NOT dissolve in water.

13. Hydrogen Bonds
When bonded to oxygen, nitrogen or fluorine atoms, a hydrogen atom has a partial charge nearly as great as a proton’s charge. It attracts the negative pole of other nearby molecules
This attraction is called a hydrogen bond
Hydrogen bonding plays an important role in many of the molecules that make up living things.

14. Water and Solutions
A human can survive for a few weeks without food, but only a few days without water. In fact, all of the Earth depends on this simple substance
Most of the unique properties of water result because water molecules form hydrogen bonds with each other

15. Properties of water
ICE FLOATS- when water freezes, hydrogen bonds lock water molecules into crystal structure with empty spaces. This makes frozen water less dense than liquid water… allowing it to float

16. Properties of Water
WATER ABSORBS AND RETAINS HEAT: Hydrogen bonds are constantly forming and breaking between water molecules, because of this, water can absorb a large amount of heat without changing temperature… it is also why water takes a longtime to cool.

17. Properties of Water
WATER MOLECULES STICK TO EACH OTHER: hydrogen bonds hold water molecules together much the same way hold hands keeps a crown of people together. This is why small drops of water make a ball.
Cohesion- attraction of particles of the same substance. Water is cohesive

18. Properties of Water
WATER MOLECULES STICK TO OTHER POLAR SUBSTANCES: attraction between particles of different substances is called adhesion.
Adhesion is the attractive force between two bodies of different substances that are in contact with each other.

19. Solutions
A solution is a mixture in which two or more substances are uniformly dispersed
Dissolving salt into water creates the solution: salt water
Dissolved substances can move more easily within and between cells

20. Acids and Bases Some water molecules break apart to form ions.
In pure water hydronium ions (H+) & hydroxide ions (OH-) are present in equal numbers
In solution, some substances change the balance of these ions.

21. ACIDS
Acids: any compound that increases the number of hydronium (H+) ions when dissolved in water
Lemons
HCl (Hydrochloric acid)
Vinegar

22. BASES
Base: any compound that increases the number of hydroxide (OH-) ions when dissolved in water
Ammonia
Antacid (tums)
Hand soap

23. pH pH is a measure of how acidic or basic a solution is.
The pH scale goes from 0 to 14.
0 is the most acidic possible
14 is the most basic possible
7 is neutral (neither acidic or basic)

24. Buffers
The pH of the solutions in living things must be stable. The pH of human blood is about 7.4. If the pH goes down to 7.0 or up to 7.8, the person will die within minutes!
A buffer is a substance that reacts to prevent pH changes in solutions. It helps to maintain the pH of a solution.

25. Carbon Compounds
The parts of a cell are made up of large, carbon based, complex molecules, often called biomolecules.
Lipids
Proteins
Carbohydrates
Nucleic acids

26. Biomolecules
A biomolecule is a large, complex molecule built from a few smaller, simpler substances, repeating units arranged in an extremely precise way.
They are the molecules of LIFE!

27. Carbohydrates
A carbohydrate is a biomolecule that includes sugars, starches and fiber
It is made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in predictable rations (CH2O)
Sugars are the building blocks of carbohydrates

28. Carbohydrates A single sugar molecule is called a monosaccharide
Glucose
Two sugars can be linked to make a disaccharide
Sucrose and lactose
Many sugars can be lined to make polysacchrides
Starch, cellulose and glycogen

29. Carbohydrates They are a major source for quick energy
Cellulose (a type of carbohydrate) is important in providing structural support in shells and cell walls
The basic unit of a carbohydrate is a SUGAR!

30. Lipids
Lipids are biomolecules that are made of fat (waxes and steroids)
The main function of lipids are to store energy, control water movement and insulation/protective coatings.
Lipids also include steroid hormones, used in signaling molecules.

31. Lipids
Lipids consist of chains of carbon atoms bonded to each other and hydrogen atoms, they also have oxygen
There are much fewer oxygen atoms in lipids than in carbohydrates
Beef Fat (C57H110O6)

32. Lipids Lipids are insoluble (do not dissolve) in water
They are made of a fatty acid and a glycerol

33. Proteins
A protein is made of one or more chains of amino acids that twist and fold into certain shapes that determine what the proteins do.
It is an important part of every single cell
Proteins: provide structure and support, enable movement, aid in communication and help carry out chemical reactions

34. Proteins A protein molecule is made of amino acids
Every amino acid has an amino group (NH2), a carboxyl group (-COOH) and a variable side group (can be many different things)
The carboxyl group of an amino acid can link with the amino group of another amino acid and form a PEPTIDE BOND

35. Nucleic Acids All of your cells contain nucleic acids
Nucleic acid is a long chain of nucleotide units
A nucleotide is a molecule made up of three parts:
A Sugar
A base
Phosphate group

36. Nucleic Acid
Nucleotides of deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA contain the sugar deoxyribose
Nucleotides of ribonucleic acid or RNA, contain the sugar ribose

37. Nucleic Acid
DNA molecules act as “instructions” for the processes of an organism’s life. These instructions called the genetic code, depend on the order of the bases in the nucleotides that spiral around each other.
Nucleic acids store and transmit hereditary information

38. Nucleic Acid
Some single nucleotides have important roles. Cells need a steady supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to function.
ATP is a nucleotide that has three phosphate groups
ATP releases energy when it breaks apart

39. Biological Reactions
Living things carry out many chemical reactions that help maintain a stable internal environment. Many of these reactions require large amounts of energy to get started. Many of these reactions would not occur without the help of enzymes

40. Enzymes
An enzyme is a molecule that increases the speed of a biochemical reaction
Enzymes hold molecules close together and in the correct orientation
By assisting in necessary biochemical reactions, enzymes help organism maintain homeostasis, without enzymes, chemical reactions would not occur quickly enough for life to exist!

41. Enzymes

42. Metabolism
Your cells get most of the energy needed for metabolism from the food you eat. When food is digested, it is broken down into small molecules that enter the blood, which delivers them to the cells.
In the cells, chemical reactions release energy by breaking down the food molecules so that cells can use it