1. Organic Chemistry

2. Carbon Based Molecules To this point in chapter 2, you have studied chemistry that deals with non-life (acids, bases, salts, atoms….) The second part of this chapter deals with the chemistry of life or “Organic Chemistry”. Organic Chemistry is the chemistry that deals with carbon. Carbon forms most of the molecules necessary for life. What makes carbon so unique is a 2-fold: Carbon can bond to itself easily Carbon can form up to 4 more bonds with other atoms – these are covalent bonds! T-17

3. Carbon has 4 outer electrons which allows carbon to bond 4 times.

4. Carbon Based Molecules In many carbon-based molecules, smaller subunits are chained together to make large complex molecules. The subunits are called monomers and the larger molecule is called a polymer. a polymer is many monomers put together: (monomer + monomer + monomer…..=polymer) T-17

5. Carbon Based Molecules Now, when we talk about making big molecules or polymers, all organisms are made up of 4 basic types: Carbohydrates Lipids Proteins Nucleic acids All 4 of these compounds (polymers) have different structures and functions, but all are made by chains of carbons. T-17

6. Carbohydrates These are compounds composed of Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen. They include starches and sugars. Carbohydrates are a major source of energy. When you consume carbohydrates, they are broken down into chemical energy that your cells can use. T-18

7. Carbohydrates The most basic carbohydrates are simple sugars or monosaccharides. Monosaccharides are the monomer for carbohydrates. Many of them are put together to make a polysaccharide, or complex sugar. Most all carbohydrates have carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a 1-2-1 ratio: C 6 H 12 O 6 (Glucose) or C 3 H 6 O 3 or C 12 H 24 O 12 T-18

8. Lipids Are non-polar molecules that include fats, oils, and cholesterol. Like the other 3 major compounds, lipids contain long chains of carbons bonded to oxygen and hydrogen. Lipids are used for both energy for the cell and for the cell’s structure. T-19

9. Lipids Fats and oils are the most familiar type of lipids. Fats store large amounts of chemical energy. Animal fats are things like meats and butter while plant fats come in the form of oils (olive oil and peanut oil). All fats are made by taking fatty acids and chaining them together to make a fat. Each monomer consists of 3 fatty acids and a glycerol. Fatty acid + fatty acid + fatty acid +…..= Lipid T-19

10. Lipids There are generally 3 different types of fats: Saturated fats- fats that have the maximum number of hydrogen atoms. Bad Fats Unsaturated fats- contain at least one carbon double bond. Better fats T-19

11. Lipids Another type of lipid is a Phospholipid. This molecule is the most important part of a cell membrane. It contains a “non-polar” fatty acid end and a “polar” phosphate end. This is how cell membranes regulate what enters and leaves the cell. Cholesterol is the final fat we will talk about. You hear a lot of bad things about cholesterol, but your body needs it to function properly. T-20

12. Proteins Proteins are the most diverse group of organic compounds. A Protein is a polymer made up of monomers called amino acids. This compound contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. There are exactly 20 amino acids. Your body makes 12 of them and you get the other 8 from the food you eat. T-20

13. Proteins All amino acids are structurally the same with the exception of what is called the R-Group. All amino acids have a carboxyl, amine, and hydrogen. They all differ in the R-Group. T-20

14. Proteins Proteins differ from each other by the order in which the amino acids are put together. Twenty amino acids can form thousands of different combinations which is what makes the many different types of proteins possible. One very specific type of protein is called an Enzyme. Enzymes are catalysts. Catalysts speed up chemical reactions by lowering the amount of energy needed for the reaction to start. Every reaction requires a certain amount of energy to build up before the reaction can start. Enzymes decrease the amount of energy needed to start so the reaction starts sooner. T-21

15. Proteins Enzymes are involved in almost every reaction in your body. Enzymes are a specialized protein made up of long chains of amino acids. Enzymes function is affected by temperature and pH. Enzymes work in a certain pH and temperature range and will not work properly if conditions change. This is one reason why a high temperature is very dangerous. T-21

16. Proteins Enzymes work by “binding” or “connecting” to the substrates it is going to affect. Each enzyme is very “specific” to certain substances, which means certain enzymes only act upon certain substrates. This is demonstrated by the “Lock and Key Theory”. T-21

17. Proteins Enzymes work on the “Lock and Key” theory. This means that like a lock and key, only certain enzymes will fit certain interactions. The shape of the enzyme determines which substance it will affect. Notice that the enzyme for one reaction would not work for the enzyme of another reaction because the shapes would not match up. T-22

18. Nucleic Acids Where does your body get the instructions to do everything needed to be done? Nucleic Acids are carbon based molecules that contain hereditary information and instructions on how things are to work. The monomer is a Nucleotide. These nucleotides are composed of a sugar, a phosphate, and nitrogen base. The 2 types are DNA and RNA DNA = stores genetic information RNA = helps build proteins T-22

19. Nucleotide

20. Chemical Reactions Chemical reactions change substances into different substances by breaking and forming chemical bonds. When a reaction occurs, Reactants make Products Chemical reactions break bonds of the reactants and make bonds in the products. Breaking and making bonds is difficult. Bond Energy is the energy needed to break bonds. All chemical reactions involve changes in energy. Reactions will not start until enough energy has built up. This is called Activation energy. Exothermic Reactions= release more energy than they take in Endothermic Reactions= absorb more energy than they release. T-23