Biochemistry

BiochemistryMincer/ScullyChemistryLife functions because of chemical reactions.A chemical reaction is where atoms form with other atoms to make molecules.A molecule is an arrangement of at least two atoms, although some have hundreds of atoms.

MoleculesThe reason why life depends on chemical reactions is because of chemical bonds.Chemical bonds are how atoms hold on to other atoms.There are different kinds of chemical bonds, but all chemical bonds store energy.That energy is what organisms use to carry out life functions.Elements for LifeCarbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), Nitrogen (N)

Types of Organic MoleculesSo, how many ways can C H O N combine for form a molecule?Millions!!!!But, scientists classify all organic molecules into four basic categories(More on that later)Organic MoleculesOrganic molecules are molecules that have CHO and sometimes N.Living organisms are made from them and produce them.Most organic molecules are polymers, meaning they are long chains made of repeating units.The repeating units are called monomers.Types of Organic MoleculesCarbohydrates- Most organisms use these for their energy content, so they are the fuel for most organisms.Nucleic Acids- Organisms use these molecules for storing genetic information.Lipids- Organisms use these molecules for cellular components and energy storage.Proteins- Organisms use these molecules for structure and chemical reactions. (Very important molecules!!)CarbohydratesCarbohydrates are the main type of molecule that organisms use for energy.The monomer for carbohydrates is glucose: C6H12O6All carbohydrates are just chains of different numbers of glucose.Starch (amylose) is hundreds of glucose, while cellulose is a molecule with thousands of glucose molecules chemically connected.GlucoseGlucose is the monomer for carbohydrates. It has a distinctive shape:

Lipids-C-H-and a few OLipids are molecules that organisms use for cellular components and to store energy.Lipids have a LOT of bonds.Lipids are made of two kinds of monomers:1 Glycerol 3 Fatty AcidsLipids

Nucleic AcidsNucleic acids are used by organisms to store and transfer genetic information.DNA and RNA

ProteinsProteins are very important molecules.They are used by organisms for structure and to regulate chemical reactions. They are VERY complexThey are made of C, H, O, and N

Amino AcidsA protein is a long chain of different amino acids.There are 22 different kinds of amino acids.Each protein is a chain of amino acids put together in a specific order.The order of the amino acids determines the complex shape of the protein.The shape of the protein determines the function of the protein.Amino AcidsAmino acids are simple, but vary in one place, called the R-group

EnzymesEnzymes are proteins that regulate chemical reactions. They are also called catalysts.All enzymes are proteins.The shape of the enzyme determines what kind of molecules it can interact with. The molecules are called substrates.Chemical ReactionsDuring a chemical reaction, the enzyme just moves the substrates closer together to make the chemical reaction easier to happen.The enzyme ISNT changed during the chemical reaction.

Enzymes

Reaction RatesSo, what affects how fast enzymes do their job?Shape affect function, so anything that affects shape will affect how fast an enzyme worksWhen an enzymes shape changes, its called denatured

Denaturing an EnzymeA change in temperature will cause an enzyme to change its shape and stop workingA change in pH will cause an enzyme to change its shape.

pHpH is a measure of how acidic or how basic a solution is.It goes from 0 to 14.7 is considered a neutral solution, and is neither acidic nor basic.0---Acid---7---Base---14The farther away from 7 a solution is, the stronger it is.