1. BIOCHEMISTRY
THE CHEMISTRY OF LIFE

2. BIOCHEMISTRY In simple terms: the chemistry of life
The study of what living things are made of and what “makes them work.”

3. THE BASICS: ELEMENTS
Element: single substances which cannot be broken down any more. There are 118 different elements that are known to man.
List of all elements: Periodic Table

4. 96% of living organisms are made of:
THE ELEMENTS OF LIFE
96% of living organisms are made of:
Carbon (C)
Oxygen (O)
Hydrogen (H)
Nitrogen (N)
The other 4% consists of:
Calcium, Phosphorus, Sulfur
Sodium, Chlorine, Iron
Magnesium, Potassium

5. ATOMS All matter on Earth consists of atoms
Atom: the smallest unit of an element and cannot be broken down by chemical means
Consist of 3 subatomic particles
Protons: positive charge
Neutrons: no charge
Electrons: Negative charge
Live in the energy levels that surround the nucleus
(Millions of atoms could fit in a space the size of the period at the end of this sentence.)

6. CHEMICAL BONDING: HOW ATOMS JOIN
Atoms can form stable substances when joining together through a chemical bond
Chemical bond: force that holds 2 or more atoms together

7. MOLECULES
Formed from the atoms that have been joined by chemical bonds
Examples:
O2 (Oxygen gas)
Consist of two oxygen atoms that
share two pairs of electrons
N2 (Nitrogen gas)

8. COMPOUNDS
Compound: a molecule that contains at least two different elements.
All compounds are molecules, but not all molecules are compounds
Examples:
H20 (water)
CO2 (carbon dioxide)
NaCl (Sodium Chloride aka: salt)

9. How molecules and compounds form
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
How molecules and compounds form
Processes of breaking chemical bonds and forming new ones
Written like so:
____________ _____________
Reactants
Products
Newly formed substances
Starting material

10. CHEMICAL REACTIONS
During reactions: energy is absorbed or released, supplying energy for the organism
Examples:
Water: 2H2 + O2 → 2H2O
Photosynthesis: 6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2
Reactants
Product
Reactants
Products

11. MACROMOLECULES
THE MOLECULES OF LIFE

12. MACROMOLECULES (LARGE, COMPLEX MOLECULES)
Monomer → simple building block
(one lego)
Polymer → large complex molecule made of many monomers
(house built of legos)
Polymers are made from monomers

13. MACROMOLECULES: THE MOLECULES OF LIFE
4 main macromolecules found in organisms:
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Nucleic Acids
Proteins

14. 11/15-16 Reflection: My Favorite Macromolecules 30
Draw your favorite (or favorites) source for proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids.
Include: Color Detail Title Label
Name of polymer: Name of monomer: