1. Chemistry of Living Things
Biochemistry
Chemistry of Living Things

2. Organic = Living
The element Carbon is the major component of living things
Organic: living and made of Carbon

3. Macromolecules
Macromolecules: large molecules formed by joining smaller organic molecules together
Includes Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, and Nucleic Acids
Polymers: made from repeating units of compounds called monomers
Monomers: small units that are the building blocks of larger molecules

4. Polymer
Ex: DNA or complex carbohydrates

5. Protein Protein: A polymer made up of amino acids
Amino Acid: small monomer made up mostly of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen
There are 20 different amino acids that only vary slightly from each other

6. Amino Acid Structure Remember…carbon can bond four times
An amino acid is a carbon with 4 things attached to it
Hydrogen
An amino group
A carboxyl
And a group that can change

7. Amino Acid

8. Protein Functions
Proteins are essential to all living things, making up most of the structure of tissues and organs, help in cellular function
15% of your body mass
Ex: Muscles, skin, hair, enzymes to speed up chemical reactions

9. Proteins

10. Protein Structure
Proteins are made up of strings of amino acids that are connected by peptide bonds
These strings then fold up to create complex shapes that determine the function of a protein

11. Protein Structure

12. Biochemistry: Enzymes

13. Chemical Reactions Reactant + Reactant = Products
Reactants are the starting materials
Products result from the reaction
Energy can be stored or released in the chemical reactions that “power” life
ex: breaking down complex carbs or ATP

14. Activation Energy
Activation Energy: the energy needed to start a chemical reaction

15. Enzymes
To help a chemical reaction get past the activation energy “bump” an enzyme can be used
enzymes lower the activation energy so the reaction can take place quickly and easily
enzymes act as CATALYSTS to speed up a reaction

16. Enzymes

17. Enzymes enzymes help maintain life
without enzymes, reactions would not occur quick enough to sustain life

18. Enzymes are Specific
enzymes act on SUBSTRATES during a chemical reaction
enzymes only act of specific substrates
the enzyme knows which substrate to work on based on shape

19. Active sites
The substrate with the right shape binds to the enzyme’s active site
the reaction then takes place with the help of the enzyme

20. Enzyme Function enzymes must be the right shape to work
enzymes are proteins so they can be denatured or pulled apart
Temperature and change is pH can break down an enzyme

21. Denatured Protein/Enzyme

22. Enzyme Lab
We will be investigating what can influence the effectiveness of enzymes
We will be using an enzyme found in pineapple called Bromelain

23. What is Bromelain?
Bromelain is an enzyme that helps break down some protein muscle fibers
It is found in meat tenderizes and pineapple, similar enzymes are found in papaya fruit

24. What will we test?
We will test the whether or not the canning process “denatures” the bromelain enzyme
We will test fresh and canned pineapple as well as powdered meat tenderizer in plain gelatin
gelatin is a mixture of proteins, some of which is collagen (a skin and connective protein) derived from animal by- product...don’t ask...

25. Set up 4 cups with gelatin one with fresh pineapple added
one with canned pineapple added
one with meat tenderizer added
one with nothing but gelatin
The cups will be set in an ice bath to help the gelatin set

26. Pre-Lab Questions What is the IV? What is the DV? What is our control?
Write a hypothesis with your group about what you think will happen and why

27. Biochemistry: Carbohydrates

28. Carbohydrates Carbohydrates: a macromolecule made up glucose units
Carbs are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
Carbs are either sugars or starches

29. Carbohydrate Structure
There are three types of carbohydrates
Monosaccharides
Disaccharides
Polysaccharides

30. Monosaccharides Monosacchrides: single sugar unit molecules
act as instant energy in the body

31. Disaccharides Disaccharides: made of two sugar units
table sugar, sucrose
milk sugar, lactose

32. Polysaccharides Polysacchrides: made up of many sugar units
used for long term energy storage or structure in an organism
glycogen is an animal storage starch
cellulose is a structural starch in plants
chitin is a starch found in the shells of insects and crustaceans

33. Polysaccharides

34. Biochemistry: Lipids

35. What are Lipids? Lipids: fats, oils, and waxes
Contains a lot of carbon and hydrogen and some oxygen
does not mix with water because they are nonpolar (water is polar)

36. What are Lipids used for?
Lipids are used in the body for energy storage, insulation, and protective coatings like the waxy cuticle on a leaf
What are Lipids used for?

37. Lipid Structure Lipids are made of a glycerol and fatty acid chains.
They are not a polymer like the other macromolecule s

38. Saturated vs. Unsaturated
Saturated Fats – a lipid in which there are no double bonds on the fatty acid chains
Animal fats such as lard and butter.
Solid at room temperature

39. Saturated vs. Unsaturated
Unsaturated Fats - a lipid that contains double bonds in the fatty acid chains causing the chain to “bend”
liquid at room temperature such as oil

41. Phospholipids
a type of lipid that makes up the cell membrane

42. Steroids
include cholesterol and hormones like testosterone and estrogen

43. Biochemistry: Nucleic Acids

44. What are Nucleic Acids?
Nucleic Acids: macromolecules that store and transmit genetic information
genetic information determines your characteristics

45. Nucleotides
Nucleic Acids are made of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, hydrogen atoms
Nucleic Acids are made up of nucleotides

46. Nucleic Acids Include DNA and RNA
The Nucleotide unit is made of a phosphate, sugar, and a base