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INTRODUCTION Biochemistry. An Introduction to the Chemistry of Life for Biology Students. What is Life Made of?. Everything is made up of atoms. Living things are made up of cells. Cells are made up of atoms. Atoms. Six different elements (atoms) make up 98% of all living things: Hydrogen
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INTRODUCTION Biochemistry An Introduction to the Chemistry of Life for Biology Students Dr Seemal Jelani
What is Life Made of? • Everything is made up of atoms. • Living things are made up of cells. • Cells are made up of atoms. Dr Seemal Jelani
Atoms • Six different elements (atoms) make up 98% of all living things: • Hydrogen • Oxygen • Carbon • Nitrogen • Phosphorous • Calcium Dr Seemal Jelani
Molecules • Definition: A molecule is two or more atoms combined. CO2 C6H12O6 C8H10N4O2 H2O Dr Seemal Jelani
Organic Chemistry • What makes Carbon Special? • Carbon atoms can bond together to form long chains and complex rings. Dr Seemal Jelani
Carbon can form immensely diverse compounds, from simple to complex. Complex Molecule Simple Molecule DNA with tens of Billions of Carbon atoms Methane with 1 Carbon atom Dr Seemal Jelani
Biomolecules • Carbohydrates • Lipids • Proteins • Nucleic Acids 4 main molecules involved in life Dr Seemal Jelani
Polymers and Monomers • Biomolecules are macromolecules. • Macromolecules are Polymers made up of Monomers. Dr Seemal Jelani
Monomers Macromolecule Carbohydrates Lipids Proteins Nucleic acids Monomer Monosaccharide (sugar) Hydrocarbon chains Amino acids Nucleotides Dr Seemal Jelani
Carbohydrates • Made of: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms • Job: provide living things with energy • Examples: sugars and starches (corn, rice, potato, bread) Dr Seemal Jelani
Lipids • Made of: long chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms (with some oxygen). • Job: store energy, repel water • Examples: fats and oils (butter, cheese, oil) Dr Seemal Jelani
Saturated vs. Unsaturated Fat Dr Seemal Jelani
Proteins • Made of: Nitrogen, Carbon, Hydrogen, and other atoms • Job: Many different jobs in our bodies • Examples: Enzymes, muscles, hair Dr Seemal Jelani
Nucleic Acids • Made of: Phosphorous, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Hydrogen atoms • Job: Store genetic information • Examples: DNA, RNA Dr Seemal Jelani