CHEMISTRY OF LIFE EQ: How does chemistry explain the most basic interactions in our bodies?

TYPES OF COMPOUNDS  Inorganic  Any compound that does not contain carbon  Example is water – H 2 O (hydrogen and oxygen)  The body contains some inorganic compounds  Therefore the association with life is not a good indicator about whether or not something is organic  Organic  Any compound that contains carbon  Contains strong covalent bonds which make a great backbone for life

MethaneAcetyleneButadieneBenzeneIsooctane Section 2-3 Figure 2-11 Carbon Compounds

POLYMERIZATION  The process of joining two smaller organic compounds to form one large organic compound  The small pieces of the compound are called monomer  Two monomers form one polymer  Large polymers are referred to as macromolecules

CARBOHYDRATES  More commonly known as sugars and starches  Made up of different arrangements of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen  There are two hydrogens for every oxygen in the chain  Carbohydrates are the main energy source for the body  Plants use carbohydrates for support of cell structures

CARBS. CONT.  Monosaccarides  These are the easiest for the body to digest in order to produce energy (energy is released for use when bonds are broken)  All have the same chemical structure with different arrangements  C 6 H 12 O 6 remember this formula it will haunt you later  Include glucose, fructose and galactose

CARBS. CONT.  Complex carbohydrates  Formed by the polymerization of two different simple sugars  Made through dehydration synthesis  Called this because water is released when the two simple sugars are bonded together  If two of the same simple sugars are joined it is called a disaccharide  Include lactose, sucrose and maltose

CARBS. CONT.  Polysaccharides  The combination of many monosaccharides  This is how extra sugars are stored  Starch is this type of compound and is produced by plants  The animal equivalent of starch is glycogen  Humans break down starch and glycogen through the process of respiration

Starch Glucose Section 2-3 Figure 2-13 A Starch

LIPIDS  Also known as fats and oils  Do three main things for the human body  Stores energy  Composes the cell membranes  Can act as a chemical messenger  The difference between a fat and an oil is that fats are solid at room temperature and oils are liquid  Most lipids are a combination of fatty acids and glycerol

LIPIDS CONT.  Saturated lipids  Every carbon atom is bonded to a hydrogen by a single bond  Found in meats and dairy products  Unsaturated lipids  There is at least one carbon to carbon double bond which limits the number of hydrogens present  Polyunsaturated lipids  Many double bonds are present between the carbons in the fatty acid chain

NUCLEIC ACIDS  The basis for genetics because it makes up your DNA and RNA  Composed of individual nucleotides  Each nucleotide is made up of  5 carbon sugar  A phosphate group  A nitrogenous base  Each nucleotide is joined to the next by a covalent bond

PROTEINS  Macromolecules made of nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen and oxygen  Formed as a polymer of amino acids  Made from DNA and RNA  More than 20 amino acids exist in the human body  Covalent bonds between amino acids are called peptide bonds  Perform 4 main functions in the human body  Carry out chemical reactions  Act as membrane pumps  Move cells  Join to contain genetic information

General structureAlanineSerine Section 2-3 Figure 2-16 Amino Acids Amino groupCarboxyl group

Amino acids Section 2-3 Figure 2-17 A Protein Protein Structure