chapter 2 chemistry of life overview. combine through chemical bonds atoms such as ionic and...

Chapter 2 Chemistry of Life Overview

combine throughCHEMICAL BONDS

ATOMSATOMS

such asIONIC

andCOVALENT

formingCOMPOUNDS

withoutCARBON

areINORGANIC

withCARBON

areORGANICsuch as:

carbohydratescarbohydrates

lipidslipids

proteinsproteins

nucleic acidsnucleic acids

Classes of macromolecules:


found in cell walls of plants, external skeletons of insects

provide quick energy.

contain the elements C, H and O; they dissolve in water and are thus polar.


include simple single sugars calledmonosaccharides, like glucose;

disaccharides like fructose and long chains of many sub-units (monomers) that are called polysaccharides.


made of the elements C, H and O: they do not readily dissolve in water and are thus non-polar.

found as fats, waxes and oils


make up most of cell membranes, provide

long-term energy storage and are useful ‘chemical messengers’ (hormones) such as cholesterol and testosterone.


often made of monomers called fatty acids,

which in turn are often bonded in groups of three to a glycerol molecule to form a

triglyceride.

glycerol 3 fatty acids


If the carbons in the chain are only surrounded by single bonds, we say they are saturated, since they are bound to as many hydrogens as possible!


If, on the other hand, more than one carbon has a double bond, we say that they are unsaturated.

Saturated fats (like butter) tend to pack more efficiently and are thus solid at room temperature, whereas unsaturated fats (like vegetable oils) tend to be liquid.


are based on the elements C, H, O and N.

are formed from sub-units (monomers)

called amino acids.

are often very large and come in an almost unlimited number of different shapes, which allow proteins to have many different functions.


There are at least twenty used by all living things

consist of an amine (NH2) group, acarboxylic acid (COOH) group, and

avariable ‘R’ group

amine groupamine group carboxylic acid groupcarboxylic acid group

variable ‘R’ groupvariable ‘R’ group


amine groupamine group carboxylic acid groupcarboxylic acid group

variable ‘R’ groupvariable ‘R’ group


are put together in a sequence, and it is the

order of these amino acids that determines the shape of the folded chain.


composed of the elements C, H, O and N

store information in the nucleus

made of sub-units (monomers) callednucleotides

include DNA and RNA


• are divided into two groups: catabolism and anabolism

• catabolic reactions break down macromolecules into their smaller component parts, releasing energy and maintaining a pool of ‘building blocks’ ( monomers ), for . . .


• . . .anabolic reactions, which use the energy and the monomers to construct new macromolecules

• the sum total of all anabolic and catabolic reactions is an organism’s METABOLISM.


the sum total of all anabolic and catabolic reactions is an organism’s METABOLISM.


catabolismcatabolism anabolismanabolism


The sum total of allanabolic and catabolic reactions

is an organism’s METABOLISM.

The sum total of allanabolic and catabolic reactions

is an organism’s METABOLISM.


Energy is STORED in a chemical bondformed by the

removal of water


Energy is RELEASED when the addition of

water breaks achemical bond

Chapter 2 Chemistry of Life Overviewv

chapter 2 chemistry of life overview. combine through chemical bonds atoms such as ionic and...

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