Chemistry of Life

Chemistry of Life

Chemistry of Life • Matter -- anything that has MASS and takes up SPACE • EVERYTHING is made of matter

Chemistry of Life • Atoms – the SMALLEST particle that can exist and still be considered matter • All LIVING and NONLIVING things are made of atoms

Atoms -- have three components • ELECTRONS -- negatively charged • PROTONS -- positively charged; found in nucleus • NEUTRONS -- neutral; found in nucleus

Electrons Nucleus Protons & Neutrons Energy Levels

Chemical Reactions • Chemical reactions occur when bonds are FORMED or BROKEN. • This causes them to recombine into different substances.

Chemical Reactions • Metabolism • All reactions that occur in an organisms. • These reactions break down and build molecules important to life.

Chemical Reactions • Mixture: • A combination of a substance in which the individual components contain their own property.

Chemistry of the Cell • Solution: • A mixture in which one or more substances are distributed evenly in another substance. • Solvent: • A substance that can dissolve other substances • Solute: • The substance that is dissolved

pH • Chemical reactions also depend on the pH of the environment within the organism. • pH- • A measure of how acidic or basic a solution is.

pH • The scale goes from 0-14 • 0 being the most acidic • 14 being the most basic

Chemistry of Life • Elements -- a substance that is made of only ONE kind of ATOM

Reading Periodic Table Element Hydrogen Atomic Number 1 H Symbol

The Human Body Oxygen - 65% Carbon - 18.5 Nitrogen - 3% Other - 1.5% Phosphorus - 1% Calcium - 1.5%

Major Elements of Life • C = Carbon • H = Hydrogen • O = Oxygen • P = Phosphorus • K = Potassium

Major Elements of Life • I = Iodine • N = Nitrogen • S = Sulfur • Ca = Calcium

Major Elements of Life • Fe = Iron • Mg = Magnesium • Na = Sodium • Cl = Chlorine

Chemistry of Life • Compounds – matter that is made of more than one kind of ATOM • Compounds are made by atoms sharing or taking ELECTRONS from other atom

Inorganic Compounds • Water ( H2O ) • Each molecule is made of two HYDROGEN atoms and one OXYGEN atom

Water –H20

Why is water so important to agriculture? • At least 75% of animal body mass is water • Plants contain 70-80% water • Transports nutrients and wastes

Why is water so important to agriculture? • Dissolves compounds -- “Universal Solvent” • Regulates body temperature in animals • Provides structure for plants

Organic Compounds • Organic Compounds contain carbon. • Carbon forms the structural backbone of all living things.

Carbohydrates Organic Compounds that contain: Carbon Hydrogen Oxygen They provide energy

Carbohydrates Three Types Monosaccharides Disaccharides Polysaccharides

Carbohydrates Monosaccharides simple SUGAR contain C6H12O6 GLUCOSE, FRUCTOSE, AND GALACTOSE

Carbohydrates Disaccharides double SUGAR contain two RINGS SUCROSE and LACTOSE

Carbohydrates Polysaccharides complex CARBOHYDRATES made of RINGSof SUGAR STARCH, CELLULOSE, and GLYCOGEN

Proteins Basic building material for all living things. Used forSTRUCTURE andFUNCTION Made of H, O, C, N

Structure of Proteins Amino Acids – building BLOCKS 20 different kinds – all have the same elements but in different amounts Polypeptides – chains of AMINO ACIDS Joined by peptide bonds Proteins – chains of POLYPEPTIDES Used to make SKIN, HAIR, MUSCLE, ORGANS, etc.

Lipids FATTY molecules used to store ENERGY Made of long chains of H & C followed by COOH Do not DISSOLVE in WATER Lipids have less OXYGEN than carbohydrates Examples of Lipids are: FATS, OILS, AND WAXES

Nucleic Acids Store INFORMATIONthat controls CELL activities Made of a PHOSPHATE a SUGAR, and a BASE.

Examples of Nucleic Acids are: • DNA : • Deoxyribonucleic Acid • The master copy of an organisms information code. • Instructions to form all of an organisms structural proteins

Examples of Nucleic Acids are: • RNA : • Ribonucleic Acid • This forms a copy of the DNA for use in making protein.

Atoms are the building block of life!

Chemistry of Life