THE CHEMISTRY OF LIFE

Organic Chemistry

BIOMOLECULES C, H, O, N make up practically

all compounds in living things Compounds are either organic

or inorganic• Organic- compounds that contain carbon (except CO2)• Inorganic- compounds that do not contain carbon

BIOMOLECULES

Your body, along with other living things, make polymers to build tissue. This is called polymerization,or making bonds• In order to make a bond, water is removed

BIOMOLECULES

Your body can also break these polymers apart (like in digestion). This is called hydrolysis, or breaking bonds• In order to break a bond, water must be added

ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

carbohydrateslipids

proteinsnucleic acids

BIOSYNTHESISthe putting

together of substances by living things

ORGANIC COMPOUNDS Carbon has 4 valence electrons that will readily bond with other carbon atoms

Carbon will share more than 1 electron with other atoms

FUNCTIONS OF ORGANIC

COMPOUNDS• Structural-compounds used as

building blocks of structures• Enzymatic-compounds that are

enzymes or help enzymes function • Storage- compounds that store

energy, other substances or information for future use

CARBOHYDRATES monosaccharides• single sugars

– Glucose- plant sugar– Galactose- milk sugar– Fructose- fruit sugar

disaccharides• double sugar• Sucrose- formed from joining

glucose and fructose

fructose

glucose

sucrose

DEHYDRATION SYNTHESIS

fructose

glucose

sucrose

HYDROLYSIS

CARBOHYDRATES polysaccharides• Starch- one of the primary substances that

plants store as food. Corn, potatoes, wheat, rice are major energy sources for humans• Glycogen- often called animal starch• Cellulose- these are much larger than

starch molecules. Indigestible to humansbulk or roughage-needed for movement

of material in the digestive system• Chitin-makes up the shells of crustaceans

and the tough outer covering of insects

ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

FUNCTIONS

Structural

Enzymatic

Storage

Energy Material

Information

Carbohydrates

Lipids

Proteins

Nucleic Acids

CARBOHYDRATES

CARBOHYDRATE STRUCTURE

LIPIDS Composed of C, H, O (other

elements also)H to O ratio is never 2:1

only slightly soluble in water because they are nonpolar, but very soluble in other organic solvents such as alcohol

occupy less space than starches Known as fats, oils and waxes

LIPIDS

fatty acids- most abundant lipids• found in animal tissue and dairy products• store energy• Can be broken down by enzymes into many 2-carbon molecule pieces which may eventually release usable cellular energy

LIPIDS

fatty acids• have hydrophilic and hydrophobic ends– “philic” = love– “phobic” = fear

LIPID STRUCTURE

Hydrophilic end

Hydrophobic end

LIPIDS

Triglycerides (fats)• most abundant type of lipid in the body• Formed by combining three fatty acid molecules with a molecule of glycerol

LIPIDS fatty acids• saturated

– single bonds between carbon atoms

– All the carbons are connected to each other by a single bond (highest # of H possible)

– solid at room temp.e.g., butter & lard

MISINFORMATION ABOUT SATURATED FATS BEING BAD

Cholesterol is produced but gets used as needed to repair damage to arteries• If there is no damage to arteries, cholesterol wont stick

When you don’t eat cholesterol, your body makes it to repair damage to arteries anyway

LIPIDS fatty acids• unsaturated– double bond between

one or more pairs of carbon atoms so it has less H

– liquid at room temp.e.g., corn oil, olive oil, peanut oil, coconut oil

LIPIDS Fatty acids• Polyunsaturated– Has many

double bonds.

– Has the least Hydrogens, so these are more oily.

LIPIDS phospholipids• two fatty acids with a

glycerol molecule• Has a phosphate-

containing group attached• also have hydrophilic

and hydrophobic ends• Essential in structure of cell

membrane

LIPIDS Waxes• Result when several

fatty acids join to alcohols made of long carbon chains• Honeybees produce the

waxes that make up a honeycomb• Plant leaves and stems

have a thin layer of wax to help deter pests and prevent water loss

LIPIDS Steroids• Classified as lipids because they are

hydrophobic, but differ from other lipids in function and structure• function as chemical

messengers – Sex hormones: estrogen and

testosterone are steroids• Cholesterol is a common but important

steroid found in membranes of human and animal cells

LIPIDS

steroids

TRANS-FAT

“Hydrogenated oils”• They were polyunsaturated oils, that they forced hydrogen into to make them more solid.• Very unnatural and BAD for you!

LIPIDS

Natural fats coupled with a natural diet are extremely healthy for you.• Aide in digestiion, vitamin absorption and prevents arthritis.• Increase brain function• Eat REAL butter and red meats!!!!

ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

FUNCTIONS

Structural

Enzymatic

Storage

Energy Material

Information

Carbohydrates

Lipids

Proteins

Nucleic Acids

LIPIDS

PROTEINS made up of long chains of

amino acids form polypeptide bonds

PROTEINS

made up of long chains of amino acids

form polypeptide bonds function as enzymes and

structural building blocks

ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

FUNCTIONS

Structural

Enzymatic

Storage

Energy Material

Information

Carbohydrates

Lipids

Proteins

Nucleic Acids

PROTEINS

NUCLEIC ACIDSmaterial for heredity

NUCLEIC ACIDS

found in the nucleus transmit information to the

next generation of cells contain information for

manufacturing proteins described by Watson and Cri

ck

DNA

deoxyribonucleic acid structure• double helix, or spiral

• twisted ladder of nucleotides

– 3 components

NUCLEOTIDEsugar, phosphate, and a

base

bases: adenine, thymine, cytosine, guanine

phosphate

sugar

base

REPLICATIONone DNA molecule becomes two DNA

molecules

enzymeenzymes

RNA

ribonucleic acid sugar = ribose single stranded bases: cytosine, guanine,

adenine, and uracil

TRANSCRIPTION

process by which DNA forms RNA

RNA polymerase

ORGANIC COMPOUNDS

FUNCTIONS

Structural

Enzymatic

Storage

Energy Material

Information

Carbohydrates

Lipids

Proteins

Nucleic AcidsNUCLEIC ACIDS