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This chapter discusses the importance of chemical elements in life and the structure of atoms in biology, including isotopes and reactive electrons. It also covers the key role of carbon in organic molecules and the building and breaking of polymers. Additionally, it explores the different types of carbohydrates and their functions in fueling and building materials in biology.
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4.1 Life Requires About 25 Chemical Elements • Matter • anything that occupies space and mass – “stuff” of the universe (ex: desk, pencil, you…) • Element • pure substance - can’t be broken down by chemical reactions. Ex: Gold, mercury, oxygen. • C, H, O, N – make 96% of living matter • Trace Elements • < .01% of body mass • critical for life • Compound • 2+ elements chemically combined in a fixed ratio • Ex: water- H2O, sodium chloride - NaCl
Figure 4-1This chart compares percentages of various elements in your body. All of the elements represented are essential to life.
4.2 Chemical Properties are based on the structure of atoms Atom vs. Element Atom: -no observable traits (like Element) -no melting or boiling points, density, color An atom has an atomic number.
Atoms • “atomos” – “indivisible” • Smallest possible particle of an element • Ex: oxygen atom, gold atom • Made of subatomic particles • Proton: positive electrical charge (+) • Electron: negative electrical charge (-). e-, least mass • Neutron: electrically neutral – no charge
Figure 4-4This model of a helium atom indicates the number of each kind of subatomic particle it contains. Though no visual model can accurately show an atom's structure, models can help you in understanding certain aspects of an element's chemical behavior.
An element’s physical and chemical properties depend on the number and arrangement of subatomic particles. • Nucleus: core of an atom • protons and neutrons • e- found in cloud around nucleus • travel at great speeds • attracted to (+) • Number of protons = atomic number
Isotopes • Same # of protons, different # of neutrons • 12C has 6 neutrons, 13C has 7 neutrons • 6 + 6 6 + 7 • Radioactive isotopes – nucleus decays, gives off radiation • Useful as “biological spies” in organisms
Figure 4-5Atoms of three isotopes of carbon differ only in their numbers of neutrons. The isotopes are named for the total number of particles in their nuclei (protons plus neutrons). Carbon-13, for example, has 6 protons and 7 neutrons, for a total of 13.
Electrons and Reactivity • e- belong to different energy levels • e- fill the 1st levels 1st • 1st level = 2 e- • 2nd level = 8 e- • Partially filled levels make atoms more reactive; they want to fill their highest occupied energy levels
Figure 4-7An atom's lowest (first) energy level can hold up to 2 electrons. The second level can hold up to 8. Notice that the second energy levels of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms are unfilled with 4, 5, and 6 electrons, respectively. (Remember that atomic models are limited in what they can represent. Energy levels are not actual physical locations.)
5.1 Carbon is KEY! • Carbon can connect to 4 other atoms. • It has 4e- in its outer cloud, but wants 8e- • Organic : carbon • Inorganic : no carbon • Hydrocarbons – consist of C and H, fuels • Ex: methane CH4
Figure 5-1The carbon backbones of organic molecules can take many shapes. These molecules may include single, double, and rarely, triple bonds. The only rule is that each carbon forms a total of four bonds.
Figure 5-2These four common functional groups give specific properties to the organic molecules that contain them. Functional Groups • Group of atoms - acts in predictable ways
Hydroxyl groups - hydrophilic • Hydrophilic =“water-loving” • Hydrophobic = “water-fearing” • Monomers • Single molecular units • Polymers • Long chains of monomers
Four groups of large Biomolecules • Carbohydrates • Lipids • Proteins • Nucleic Acids
Building and Breaking Polymers • Dehydration reaction: BUILDING • Water released • Monomer added • Hydrolysis reaction: BREAKING • Water added • Polymer broken down
Figure 5-4In the dehydration reaction, two monomers bond to each other, making a polymer chain longer. The hydroxyl group of one monomer reacts with a hydrogen atom from the other monomer. The reactions involved ultimately release a water molecule. Dehydration
Figure 5-5In the hydrolysis reaction, the addition of a water molecule breaks the polymer chain. Hydrolysis
5.2 Carbohydrates - fuel , building material • Carbohydrate • Organic compound - sugar molecules • Any sugar is a multiple of CH2O • Monosaccharide • Simple sugar, 1 sugar unit • Ex: glucose, fructose, galactose • All end in -ose
Figure 5-6The complete structural diagram of the monosaccharide glucose (left) shows all its atoms. The simplified representation (right) shows just the core ring formed by some of the carbon and oxygen atoms. Ring shapes are common in sugar molecules found in nature.
Complex Sugars • Disaccharide • “double sugar” – 2 monosaccharides • Ex: sucrose, plant sap, table sugar • Polysaccharide • Many simple sugars together • All glucose monomers – store sugar • Plants – starch • Animals – glycogen • Cellulose: in plants, protects/stiffens plant • Fiber –can’t be digested by humans
Figure 5-7Sucrose is a disaccharide (double sugar) consisting of two monosaccharides linked together.
Figure 5-8Glycogen, cellulose, and starch are three types of polysaccharides found in food. Though all three polymers are composed of the same monomer, glucose, the way the glucose monomers link together is different for each.
5.3 Lipids - fats and steroids • Lipid: Hydrophobic • boundary for cells • Fat: • 3 carbon backbone = glycerol + 3 fatty acids (long hydrocarbon chains)
Figure 5-9Certain vegetable oils contain unsaturated fat molecules, which have at least one double bond in at least one of the fatty acid chains. In this case, the double bond is located about halfway along the bottom chain.
Saturated Fat vs. Unsaturated Fat • Saturated fat: • max possible # of H atoms in chain • all single bonds • animal fats - lard , butter • Unsaturated fat: • < max # of H atoms in one or more or its fatty acid chains • some double bonds • fruits, vegetables, and fish • corn oil, olive oil
Steroids and Cholesterol • Steroids • Lipids - four fused rings of carbon for base • All steroids - core set of four rings • Functional groups on rings differ • Cholesterol • Essential in cell membranes • Where other steroids are produced
Figure 5-10The only difference in these two steroid hormones is the location of their functional groups. Yet, these two molecules contribute to major differences in the appearance and behavior of male and female mammals.
5.4 Proteins – cellular functions • Protein: polymer of amino acids • 20 kinds of amino acids • Amino acid: central carbon atom bonded to four partners • Polypeptide: chain of amino acids • Denaturation: protein loses its normal shape • change in temperature, pH
Figure 5-12All amino acids consist of a central carbon bonded to an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a hydrogen atom. The fourth bond is with a unique side group. The differences in side groups convey different properties to each amino acid.
Figure 5-13The order of amino acids makes each polypeptide unique. There are 129 amino acids in this protein, called lysozyme. The three-letter symbols are abbreviations for the amino acid names.
5.5 Enzymes = proteins that speed up specific reactions in cells • Activation energy: • “start up” energy - triggers a chemical reaction • Catalyst: speed up chemical reactions • Enzyme: special protein – catalyst in organisms • Ex: sucrase, amylase • -ase = enzyme • Substrate: binds to the enzyme; must fit into active site • Ex: sucrose • Active site: place (on enzyme) where the substrate fits • Lock and key
Figure 5-15The activation energy barrier is like a wall between two parts of a pond. If an enzyme lowers the wall, more frogs have enough energy to reach the other side.
Figure 5-16A substrate binds to an enzyme at an active site. The enzyme-substrate interaction lowers the activation energy required for the reaction to proceed. In this example, water is added to the weakened bond in sucrose, breaking sucrose into glucose and fructose.