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The Chemistry of Life

Discover the fundamental elements and molecules that make up living organisms and learn why we need to eat. Explore the synthesis and digestion processes that allow us to build large organic molecules and obtain energy for growth and everyday functions.

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The Chemistry of Life

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  1. The Chemistry of Life What are living creatures made of?Why do we have to eat?

  2. Elements of Life • 96% of living organisms is made of: • carbon (C) • oxygen (O) • hydrogen (H) • nitrogen (N)

  3. Molecules of Life • Put C, H, O, N together in different ways to build living organisms • What are bodies made of? • carbohydrates • sugars & starches • proteins • fats (lipids) • nucleic acids • DNA, RNA

  4. Why do we eat? • We eat to take in more of these chemicals • Food for building materials • to make more of us (cells) • for growth • for repair • Food to make energy • calories • to make ATP ATP

  5. What do we need to eat? • Foods to give you more building blocks & more energy • for building & running bodies • carbohydrates • proteins • fats • nucleic acids • vitamins • minerals, salts • water

  6. Don’t forget water • Water • 65% of your body is H2O • water is inorganic • doesn’t contain carbon • Rest of you is made of carbon molecules • organic molecules • carbohydrates • proteins • fats • nucleic acids

  7. How do we make these molecules? We build them!

  8. Building large molecules of life • Chain together smaller molecules • building block molecules = monomers • Big molecules built from little molecules • polymers

  9. Building large organic molecules • Small molecules = building blocks • Bond them together =polymers

  10. amino acid amino acid amino acid amino acid amino acid amino acid – – – – – Building important polymers Carbohydrates = built from sugars sugar – sugar – sugar – sugar – sugar – sugar Proteins = built from amino acids Nucleic acids (DNA) = built from nucleotides nucleotide – nucleotide – nucleotide – nucleotide

  11. How to build large molecules • Synthesis • building bigger molecules from smaller molecules • building cells & bodies • repair • growth • reproduction + ATP

  12. How to take large molecules apart • Digestion • taking big molecules apart • getting raw materials • for synthesis & growth • making energy (ATP) • for synthesis, growth & everyday functions + ATP

  13. Example of digestion ATP • Starch is digested to glucose ATP ATP ATP ATP ATP starch glucose ATP

  14. Example of synthesis amino acids = building block protein = polymer amino acids protein • Proteins are synthesized by bonding amino acids

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