The Chemistry of Life

Biomolecules• Warm-up

• List the percentages of each:

• Total Fats ____

• Saturated Fats ____

• Carbohydrates _______

• Protein ____

• What Biomolecule would cholesterol be

classified as? _____________

20%

25%

10%

7%

Lipids (fats)

Food Label Worksheet

Starting from the bottom…

I. I. Atoms Just How Small Are Atoms?

• Incredibly small!!

• A row of 100 million atoms is 1 centimeter

*( or the width of your little finger!)

• A human hair has 1 million carbon atoms

• A single drop of water has 2 sextillion atoms of oxygen and 2X number of hydrogen atoms

• If an apple were magnified to the size of the earth, then the atoms in the apple would be the size of the original apple

I. Atoms

• Basic unit of matter

• Made up of the subatomic particles:

i. protons (+),

ii. neutrons (neutral)

iii. electrons (-)

II. Chemical CompoundsSubstance formed by the chemicalcombination of 2 or more elements

Ex: Water - H2O - most abundant compound in living things

Ex: Carbon Dioxide - CO2

HH

O

O

C

O

Atoms

Compound

I. Biomolecules A. Macromolecules

Formed by process called polymerization, in which large compounds are built by joining smaller compounds.

The small compounds are called monomers, which join together to form polymers.

Four groups of carbon compounds found in living things.

Monomer vs PolymerMonomer-single unitPolymer: many single units joined together

Dehydration Synthesis: removing water to form

polymers

Hydrolysis: adding water to break down into monomers

1.) CarbohydratesElements: Carbon, Hydrogen, & Oxygen

Function: Main source of (quick) energy for living things

Energy 4 cal/1gram

Monomer: monosaccharide

Mono= ‘1’ Saccharide= ‘Sugar’

Example: Glucose, Fructose, Lactose

Joining monosaccharides (monomer) together forms large macromolecules call polysaccharides(polymer)

----- STARCH is a complex carb----

Starch is a complex carbohydrate (polysaccharide) that is used by plants as a way to store glucose. Starch is the most abundant polysaccharide in plant cells. Animals and plants digest starch, convertingit to glucose to serve as a source of energy.

Carbohydrates 1 monomer glucose

Polymer = starch

Simple Sugar TestUsed Benedicts Solution to identify the presence of

glucose.

• If the solution is positive for the presence of simple sugars (glucose), it will turn white, yellow or orange.

* In real world settings, glucose in urine could mean you are diabetic.

Starch Test• Used Iodine to identify the presence of

starch.

• A blue-black color indicated the positive presence of starch.

2.) Lipids

Elements: Carbon, Hydrogen, & Oxygen

Function: Used to store long term energy, build cell membranes, insulate body, and waterproof coverings for plants.

Energy= 9 Cal/1g

Monomer: Glycerol & Fatty Acids

Polymer: triglyceride

Examples: fats, oils, and waxes

Lipids- look for LONG chains of carbons!

cHealthy – Unsaturated

Fats found in vegetables.

Examples = Plant oil, fish

and nuts.

Unhealthy - Trans Fat(Man- made fat

Examples –margerine and Shortening

Saturated Fats - Dairy

products and meat

Lipids Test

Lipids will test positive if it leaves a translucent (see through mark) on brown paper.

*Lipids are insoluble in water meaning they cannot combine so water will not be able to dissolve oils. You need soap to help dissolve lipids.

BrainpopVideos: Carbs & Lipids

3.) Proteins

Elements: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, & Nitrogen

Function: enzymes regulate chemical reactions & cell processes, form bones and muscles, transport molecules through cell membrane, and help immune system,

Energy: 4 Cal/1g…Emergency ONLY!

Monomer: Amino acids are joined together by peptide bonds to form proteins (polymers)

Example: meat, beans, tofu, ENZYMES, antibodies

Proteins are large macromolecules (you break them down into amino acids)and there are MANY different types. The folding of a protein is what will determine its function

FOLDED

UNFOLDED

Protein testUsed Biuret reagent to test solution for proteins.

• If the solution has protein in it, then it will turn

purple.

* In real-world settings, protein in urine discovered

on a test may often be the earliest sign of diabetic

kidney damage.

Nucleic Acids *biggest and most complex

Elements: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, & Phosphorus

Function: Used to store and transmit heredity or genetic information

Energy: 0 Cal/g *you do NOT eat for nucleic acids!

Monomer: Nucleotides are joined together to form nucleic acids (polymer).

Nucleotides consist of 3 parts: a 5 carbon sugar, phosphate group, and a nitrogen base.

Example: DNA & RNA

Universal Genetic Code• The genetic code is

based on DNA

(deoxyribonucleic acid)

and RNA (ribonucleic

acid) and contains all

the information needed

to build a new

organism.

• It is not only a program

for what proteins are

needed, but also when

and how to make them.

• The information is copied and passed from parent to

offspring and is almost identical in every organism on

Earth.

• For almost all organisms tested, including humans, flies,

yeast, and bacteria, the same sequences of DNA/RNA

are used to make the same proteins.

Ex. The genetic code AGA has been found to make the

same exact protein, arginine, in ALL organisms studied.

• The genetic code is said to be UNIVERSAL in animals (including

humans), plants, fungi, archaea, bacteria, and EVEN viruses.

Fill in Biomolecules Chart

& Concept Map

1

Macromolecules

Proteins Lipids

Nucleic Acids

Monomers (M) (Building Blocks)

(Building

Blocks

4 Classes of Organic

Compounds

All

Contain

Carbon

starch

es

cellulose

glycogen

CHO

steroids

oils

fats

waxes

CHO

CHONS

CHONP

muscle fibers

cytoskeleton

enzymes

M=

Amino Acids

M=

Nucleotides

M=

Fatty Acids and

Glycerol

M=Sugars

RNA

DNA

Carbohydrates

Enzymes: • Are proteins - suffix “ase”• Enzymes accelerate, or catalyze, chemical

reactions • Enzymes reduce the amount of activation energy

required which will speed up the chemical reaction process

- Synthesizing molecules (to build)- Digesting molecules (to break)

• Living organism cannot function WITHOUTenzymes because chemical reactions would be tooslow

Graphing enzymesOptimal = enzymes are working best and many reactions taking place

Activation energy= amount if energy needed for reaction to occur

Parts of the Enzyme Model

Lock and Key TheoryEach enzyme needs to be the right shape for the job. *remember protein folding?What can affect the enzyme action?1. Temperature: too hot or too cold2. pH: acid level Changes in temp or pH level can slow down an enzymes ability to function. Extreme changes can cause denaturing of the enzyme. Denature: permanently change the active site shape of the enzyme. Will NO longer work

Enzymes are exact• Each enzyme is the specific helper to a specific reaction

• Enzymes are named for the reaction they help

• sucrase breaks down sucrose

• proteases breakdown proteins

• lipases breakdown lipids

• DNA polymerase builds DNA Oh, I get it!They end in -ase

Video