1. The chemicals that make things living!
Organic Chemistry
The chemicals that make things living!

2. Organic and Inorganic
Inorganic – Molecules or compounds that are not from a living thing
Organic – Molecules or compounds that are typically found in living things (these contain a hydrogen bonded to a carbon)
Organic compounds always have carbon and hydrogen, but typically have nitrogen and oxygen as well.
These four elements (carbon, hydrogen ,oxygen, and nitrogen) are the most abundant elements found in living things

3. Organic Molecules Which of the following compounds are organic?
Water (H2O)
Glucose (C6H12O6)
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Oxygen (O2)
Urea (CH4N2O)
Salt (NaCl)
How did you determine this?

4. Water Water is not organic (because it doesn’t contain carbon)
Water is essential to living things because of
its properties and the fact that all living things
rely on water to survive
Water has special properties
Polarity – one end of water is more negative and the
opposite end more positive
Cohesion – the polarity causes water molecules to
stick together (negative is attracted to positive ends)
Solvent – other substance dissolve easily in water
Water can separate to form ions (charged particles)
It will form H+ and OH-

5. pH Ion formation of water is important to pH because pH is
a measure of the H+ ions in a solution.
Water has a pH of 7 (not acid, not base) because it has an even amount of H+ and OH- ions
Acids have a lower pH because they have more H+ ions
Bases have a higher pH because they have less H+ ions
Buffers are solutions that can neutralize strong acids and bases preventing sudden changes in pH (usually salts)

6. NaOH + HCl  H2O (water) + NaCl (salt)
Neutralization
When we mix an acid and a base we get salt and water . . .
NaOH + HCl  H2O (water) + NaCl (salt)
Our bodies want to maintain a neutral environment (homeostasis), our bodies create buffers
Buffers are weak acids and bases that we can secrete to maintain our pH

7. 4 Organic Molecule Types
Carbohydrates
Sugars (anything sweet)
Grains (pasta, bread, rice, cereal, etc.)
Lipids
Fats (oil, butter, grease, etc.)
Proteins
Meats (fish, eggs, steak, beans, etc.)
Nucleic Acids
DNA (found in every living cell)

8. Indicators
Substances used to test the presence of a specific substance
Many times an indicator will change color when it combines with its specific molecule
Benedict’s Solution – turns from blue to yellow in the presence of glucose
Iodine – changes from amber to dark blue in the presence of starch
Paper Towel – turns shiny when a lipid is placed on its surface
To find DNA we use many different indicators, such as luminol

9. Carbohydrates or Sugars
These molecules are composed of a carbon, two hydrogen molecules, and an oxygen or any multiples of this.
CH2O
Monosaccharide – a simple sugar that cannot be broken down into any smaller units (taste really
sweet)
Examples: glucose, and fructose
Glucose – C6H12O6
Polysaccharide – a complex sugar
composed of two or more
monosaccharides (not sweet)
Examples: starch, and cellulose C O H

10. Carbohydrates
Living things use carbohydrates as their main source of energy (plants store this energy in the form of starch, when we eat plants we break this starch down and harness the energy that plants were storing)
Carbohydrates contain energy in their bonds, so during digestion when these bonds are broken energy is released.
Carbohydrates are macromolecules (large molecules synthesized by combining smaller subunits)
The subunits of carbohydrates are simple sugars (monosaccharide)

11. Lipids A large molecule composed of a glycerol and fatty acids
These molecules are hydrophobic (afraid of water); they will not mix with water
Example: oil in water
They can be used to store energy as well
They make up the membranes and steroids found in living things

12. Nucleic Acids These are the subunits that make up DNA and RNA
Nucleic Acids contain nitrogen, so they are sometimes referred to as the nitrogen base of DNA or RNA
They combine with a sugar and a phosphate molecule to create a nucleotide
Nucleotides combine to make a strand of DNA
DNA is how we pass hereditary information on from one generation to the next

13. Proteins Proteins can also be called polypeptides
Proteins are made by sticking many different amino acids together
Amino Acids are compounds that contain an amino group (-NH2) and a carboxyl group (-COOH), so they contain nitrogen
Enzymes are one category of protein, but they are
special because they help catalyze reactions
Catalyze – speed up a reaction

14. Enzymes
Enzymes make reactions possible because they act as a catalyst.
Most reactions do not occur spontaneously, they need an input of energy to occur. This energy is called ACTIVATION ENERGY.
Catalysts (enzymes) speed up the rate of a chemical reaction by
reducing the amount of activation energy needed for a reaction to occur.
Without a catalyst
most reactions in our
body would not be
possible
Enzymes are shape
specific with their
substrate
Activation energy without Catalyst
Activation energy with Catalyst