1. The Chemistry of Life

3. Parts of an Atom Nucleus Electrons (-) Protons (+) Neutrons
(no charge)
Electrons (-)

4. What is an element?
A pure substance consisting only of one type of atom
Which of the following are elements?
Water
The Helium in a balloon
Steel
Iron
Oxygen
Air
Lithium
Sodium
NaCl

6. How many elements are in the human body?

8. Important elements for living organisms
Carbon
Oxygen
Hydrogen
Nitrogen
Small amounts of:
Phosphorus
Sulfur

9. Bonding
Each element has a certain number of bonds it prefers to make to be the most “stable”
This number directly corresponds (in most cases) to the element’s position on the periodic table

10. These elements like to form….
1 bond
4 bonds
2 bonds
3 bonds

11. Energy Levels - Every atom has energy “shells” around it.
- Electrons constantly circulate the nucleus of an atom in these shells, or the electron cloud.
- Each shell can only hold a certain number of electrons.

12. Carbon Carbon is critical for life on earth.
All organic molecules contain carbon
Carbon easily forms 4 bonds

13. Monomers and Polymers
Polymerization – large compounds are built by joining smaller compounds together (like building with legos)
Monomer – the small units used in polymerization
(like 1 lego piece)
Polymer – a molecular structure that consists of many smaller, repeating subunits
(like a stack of legos)

14. Molecular Formulas NaCl H2O CaCO3 5H2O (NH4)2CO3
How many atoms in the following molecules?
NaCl
H2O
CaCO3
5H2O
(NH4)2CO3

15. Isomers
Two or more molecules with the same molecular formula, but each have a different structure
Example:

16. Isomers (cont.)
Glucose Fructose

17. Why do I need to know all this?
Macromolecules play a huge role in life on Earth. Knowing the different types of macromolecules, their functions, and properties, will give you a better all-around view of the chemistry of life.
Macromolecule: “Giant Molecule” (Macro-great/large)

18. Types of macromolecules in Biology:
-Carbohydrates
-Lipids
-Proteins
-Nucleic Acids