1. What are we made of, and what does it do????
The Chemistry of Life
What are we made of, and what does it do????

2. Lesson Objectives Discuss the 4 major organic molecules in the body
Understand how chemical reactions can both absorb and produce energy in the body
Understand the role chemical bonds play in energy change
Discuss the basic properties of enzymes

3. Vocabulary Monomer Polymer Carbohydrate Lipid Amino Acid Nucleotide
Protein
Metabolic Pathway
Metabolite
Vitalism
Endergonic Reaction
Exergonic Reaction
Enzyme

4. The Building Blocks of Life
The vast majority of all organic molecules in life are formed of 4 molecules that fit together in thousands of combinations
Amino Acids, Fatty Acids, Carbohydrates, and Nucleotides
These building blocks form molecules that fit together like puzzle pieces and work together to generate the processes of life. These are called metabolic pathways…..which when grouped all together, form an organism’s metabolism.

6. Monomers and Polymers The 4 basic molecules are called monomers
Monomers join together to form long chain molecules called polymers
Amino Acid  Proteins
Carbohydreates  Polysaccharides
Lipids  Fats
Nucleotides Nucleic Acid

7. Carboyhydrates Made up of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen atoms
Join together to form polysaccharides
Sugars and Starches
Energy molecules of the body
Excess carbohydrates converted and stored as fats

8. Fatty Acids Forms cell membranes and certain types of tissue
Forms hormone and steroid molecules
Secondary energy source for body
VERY energy rich
Excess stored in adipose cells

9. Nucleotides
Contains a sugar ring, a nitrogenous base, and a phosphate group
Nitrogenous base is adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine, or uracil
Forms long chains which are self –replicating
Responsible for passing heredity material
Responsible for genetic expression

10. Amino Acids Forms very complex protein molecules
Proteins can contain thousands of different amino acids
Complex shaping and folding mechanisms dictate function
Structural molecules and enzymes

11. Chemical Bonds Creating chemical bonds costs energy
Breaking chemical bonds release energy
Both of these can happen simultaneously
Some of the energy released from breaking bonds in reactants goes into forming bonds in the products
Leftover energy can be used to drive other reactions and continue life processes

12. Chemical Reactions in Life
Exergonic and Endergonic Reactions
Biochemical reactions pass energy down a chain
Energy is chemical and kinetic, not always thermal
Exergonic – Net Energy Release
Endergonic – Net Energy Absorption

13. The Breaking and Forming of Bonds
Initially breaking a bond REQUIRES energy
Once the bond is BROKEN
You may get NO energy from the breaking (endergonic)
You may get some energy from the breaking (slightly exergonic)
You may get a LOT of energy from the breaking (highly exergonic)
The net energy change along a metabolic pathway determines this
Lighting a campfire?
Digesting food?

14. Enzymes
Enzymes are chemical tool used to manage chemical reactions in the body
Generally made of proteins
Not consumed in the reaction
Can be reused