Ma. Theresa O. Tenchavez

Water- acts as a solvent; dissolves almost all of the

chemical substances present in the protoplasm

- helps in removal of metabolic wastes- has a great capacity for absorbing heat with

minimal change in its temperature- enables the body to release excess heat- high heat of conductivity makes it possible

for heat to be distributed evenly throughout

body tissues

- dissociates to yield a cation, H and anion, OH, which are involved in regulating pH

(the degree of acidity and alkalinity of a substance) through the neutralization process and formation of buffers

http://www.google.com.ph/imgres?imgurl=http://www.science-projects-resources.com/images/watermolecule.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.science-projects-resources.com/water-science-fair-projects.html&h=364&w=324&sz=12&tbnid=9Y1MvxhsWub6uM:&tbnh=121&tbnw=108&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddiagram%2Bof%2Bwater%2Bmolecule&hl=en&usg=__0zmyyFMFay2jgK5DVqVUGu6SExk=&ei=Kt1dSr-4HMbemQeuwLx9&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=3&ct=image

Oxygen- involved in plant and animal cellular

respiration, particularly the aerobic kind, where more energy is yielded in the form of ATP

- an important component of organic molecules

Carbon dioxide- involved in the light-independent reaction

of photosynthesis in plants- involved in the formation of bicarbonate

buffers which are especially important in digestion in the small intestine

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Electrolytes- B, a cofactor in chlorophyll synthesis and

may be involved in carbohydrate transport and nucleic acid synthesis

- Ca, needed in cell wall stability and membrane structure; an enzyme activator; regulates responses to stimuli; important in bone and teeth formation; involved in blood clotting; essential in nerve and muscle function

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Human_arm_bones_diagram.svg/684px-Human_arm_bones_diagram.svg.png

- Cl, needed for the light-dependent reaction of photosynthesis; important in maintaining water and acid-base balance; component of gastric juice; essential for nerve function

- Co, a component of vitamin B12

- Cu, a component of redox and lignin biosynthetic enzymes; an enzyme cofactor in iron metabolism; important in melanin synthesis; involved in the electron transport chain

- Cr, involved in glucose and energy metabolism

- F, needed for the maintenance of teeth and

bones

- Fe, a component of hemoglobin, electron carriers in energy metabolism or cytochromes; an enzyme cofactor

- I, needed for thyroid hormones

- Mg, component of chlorophyll; activates many enzymes; a cofactor and involved in ATP bioenergetics

- Mn, a component in some amino acids; activates some enzymes; required in

water- splitting in photosynthesis

- Mo, involved in nitrogen fixation and a cofactor in nitrate reduction

http://www.hbci.com/~wenonah/min-def/potato.htm

- Na, involved in acid-base and water balance; essential in nerve function

- K, involved in acid-base and water balance; a cofactor in protein synthesis; needed for stomatal activity; essential in nerve

function

- P, component of nucleic acids, phospholipids, ATP, and coenzymes; important in bone and teeth formation; involved in acid-base balance

- S, a component of proteins, coenzymes and amino acids

- Se, an enzyme cofactor and involved in anti-oxidation in association with vitamin E

- Zn, active in chlorophyll formation; activates some enzymes; a component of certain digestive enzymes and other proteins

- C, H, O and N, major components of biomolecules

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cysteine

Carbohydrates- contains C, H & O in a ratio of 1:2:1- generally supplies heat and energy for

many cellular processes- some combine with proteins and lipids to

form protoplasmic structures to serve as building materials for cells or organisms

- categorized as monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides

- monosaccharides are the simplest forms of carbohydrates. Examples include glucose, fructose, galactose, ribose, deoxyribose.

- disaccharides are referred to as double sugars, formed in a dehydration synthesis.

Examples include lactose, sucrose and maltose.

- polysaccharides are large and complex forms of carbohydrates. Examples include starch, cellulose, glycogen and chitin.

Lipids- composed of C, H & O but contain much

less O in proportion to C and H than the carbohydrates

- generally have a greasy and oily consistency- categorized as fatty acids, fats, oils,

phospholipids, waxes, and steroids- provides more than twice as much energy

per gram as carbohydrates - forms part of an important structural component of the plasma membrane, nuclear membrane, and the inner membrane of the nerve fiber

- provides for a longer term storage of fuel and a more economical form for storage of food reserves

- serve as insulators against loss of body heat

- fatty acids are composed of long chains of carbon atoms with a carboxyl group at one end

- fats are composed of a glycerol molecule and fatty acids. They are solid at room temperature, thus the term saturated fats.

- oils are liquid at room temperature and are called unsaturated fats

- phospholipids are structurally similar to fats but contain the element phosphorus and two molecules of fatty acids instead of

three- waxes are composed of one fatty acid

linked to a long chain of alcohol molecules. They don’t mix with water and are more hydrophobic than fats.

- steroids are naturally occurring lipid- soluble molecules. They have a rigid backbone of four fused-together carbon rings.

http://healthylifestyleja.com/images/flyers-healthy-lifestyle-project/fats-oils-food-group

Proteins- from the Greek “proteis” meaning “first

place”- most diverse in structure and function

among the organic compounds- diversity is due to the different arrangement

of amino acids (which contain an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a side chain called the R group)

- according to structure, classified as fibrous or globular

- according to function, may be :structuralcontractilestoragedefensivetransporthormonalreceptorcatalytic

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Nucleic Acids- serve as blueprints for proteins that

ultimately control the chemical processes in a cell

- may be single-stranded (RNA) or double- stranded (DNA) made of nucleotide units. A nucleotide consists of a five-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base pair (adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine in DNA; adenine, uracil, cytosine and guanine in RNA)

http://www.geocities.com/jsonnentag/iguana/pictures/dna_mol.gif

http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/VL/GG/protein_synthesis.php