1. Unit #1: Biochemistry
Chapters 1-6

2. Properties of Life Order Reproduction Growth and development
Energy utilization
Response to environment
Homeostasis
Evolutionary adaptation

3. Chemistry Matter: elements and compounds Life requires 25 elements
Structure of atom
Isotopes (radioactive and medicine)
A molecules biological function is related to shape
Chemical reactions make and break bonds

4. Water
Water’s polarity results in hydrogen bonding, which results in ALL of water’s properties:
Surface tension
Adhesion/cohesion
High heat capacity
Ice floating
Hydrophobic vs. hydrophilic
Acids/bases and buffers!

5. Carbon Chemistry
A cell is 70-95% water, most of rest is carbon based compounds (organic)
Carbon’s tetravalence (4 dots means 4 friends!)
CHONPS (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous, and sulfur)

6. Functional Groups Hydroxyl (-OH) – alcohols, sugars
Carbonyl (C=O) – aldehydes and ketones
Carboxyl (-COOH) – carboxylic acid and one side of amino acid!
Amino (-NH2) – amines and one side of amino acid!
Sulfhydryl (-SH) – protein disulfide bridges
Phosphate (-PO4) – ATP and DNA

7. Polymers Polymer = long molecule of repetitive subunits, ie monomers)
Condensation/dehydration = builds chains
Hydrolysis = (“water-cutting”) breaks chains

8. Carbohydrates Mono, di, polysaccharides
Glucose, sucrose, starch/glycogen/cellulose
Immediate source of energy for organisms
Photosynthesis vs. cellular respiration

10. Lipids All lipids are hydrophobic Fats, phospholipids, steroids
Fat = glycerol and fatty acid chain
Phospholipid = phosphate + fatty acids
Steroids = four fused carbon rings with small chain attached

12. Proteins A polymer made of amino acids
Each amino acid has 4 items attached:
A carboxyl group
Amino group
A hydrogen
A variable R group
20 different R groups make 20 different amino acids

15. Proteins Amino acids joined together by dehydration
Primary: linear chain of amino acids
Secondary: alpha helix and beta sheets
Tertiary: hydrophobic interactions, disulfide bridges
Quaternary: combining small chains/individual subunits

17. Nucleic acids Polymers of nucleotides
Nucleotide = phosphate + sugar + base
Purines vs. pyrimidines (CUT)
Ribose vs. deoxyribose
Bases: adenine, thymine, uracil, cytosine, guanine
Nucleic acids store information

20. Metabolism Sum total of all chemical processes
Anabolism vs. catabolism
Kinetic vs. potential energy
Motion vs. stored
Exergonic vs. endergonic
Free energy and spontaneity

22. ATP Adenosine triphosphate (adenine + ribose + 3 phosphates)
Bonds between phosphates are NRG rich!
ATP transfers phosphates (NRG) to other molecules in cell which makes them able to be used in their chemical pathways
This is called coupling

24. Enzymes
Biological catalysts that lower activation energy, speeding up reaction rates
Substrate specific (structure relates to…)
Active site = where substrate fits
Allosteric site = where activators/inhibitors bind to change conformation (shape)
Temperature/pH = denature enzymes

28. Enzymes
Allosteric regulation – activity is controlled by what binds to allosteric site (activator or inhibitor)
Feedback mechanisms = a product in a pathway can allosterically inhibit an enzyme earlier in the pathway…
Cooperativity – hemoglobin and oxygen