M - biological molecules

examples of inorganic molecules in real life

• Fe 2+ in haemoglobin

• OH - alkaline (enzymes)

• H + acidic (enzymes)

• Na + cotransport of glucose and amino acids

• PO4 3- (phosphate) DNA, RNA, ATP

What are the five properties of water

Water is a

• high latent heat of vaporisation - needs a lot of heat to evaporate - so organisms can use evaporation to cool down w/o losing too much water

• can buffer temperature changes - has a high specific heat capacity, so water doesn’t experience rapid temp. changes. So is a stable habitat and aquatic organisms can remain constant.

• exhibits cohesion and adhesion - attraction between H20 molecules, so helps water to flow and is good for transport . It also creates surface tension so so sweat can cool us and bugs can move across water.

• is a universal solvent - polar so the negative side of one will attract the positive side of another. So it can also be attracted to positive and negative ions.

• important metabolite - for hydrolysis or condensation releasing ATP and buildings proteins.

gg

dd