BIO CHEM CH 1

What are the distinctive properties of living systems

• organisms are complication and highly organized into organelles that differentiated

• biological structures serve functional purposes

• living systems are actively engaged in energy transformations

• living systems have a remarkable capacity for self replication via DNA replication

living systems depend on…

energy transformation

ultimate source of energy

light (solar light flows to photosynthetic organisms and then herbivores and carnivores)

ATP

most energized molecule; broken down to produce energy for different pathways; nitrogenous base, ribose sugar, and 3 phosphate group

NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) / NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide)

electron carriers used for oxidation reactions for different pathways; energy rich molecules; one used for synthesis and the other for breaking down

what kinds of molecules are biomolecule

macromolecules (protein, nucleotides, fatty acids, carbohydrates)

double stranded DNA

nucleic acids; is unwound for replication

four main elements involved in formation of macromolecules / in living systems; why?

H, C, N, and O; can form strong covalent bonds by e- pair sharing

what 2 elements most makeup the human body

H and O

what property unites H, O, C, and N and renders these atoms so appropriate to the chemistry of life?

their ability to form covalent bonds by sharing electron pairs

C-C bonds are the main building block to form..

complex structures of fatty acids and cholestorol molecules

long hydrocarbon chains cause the molecule to be..

very non-polar / very hydrophobic (fatty acids / oils can not be dissolved in oil due to their long hydrocarbon chains)

what is the structural organization of complex biomolecules

inorganic precursor → metabolites → building blocks → macromolecules → supramolecular complexes → organelles

four classes of macromolecules

carbohydrates, nucleic acid, proteins, lipids (review monomer and polymers in the image)

how do the properties of biomolecules reflect their fitness to the living condition

amino acids are the building block of…

proteins

when two amino acids bind and loose a water a —- is formed

peptide bond

polysaccharides are formed when — are joined together. what type of bond is formed

sugar; glycosidic bond

nucleic acids form what type of molecule? what bond is made?

DNA and RNA; diester bonds

example of covalent bonds

diester bonds, peptide bonds, glycosidic bonds

weak forces

van der waals forces, hydrogen bonds, ionic interaction, hydrophobic interaction

rank the weak forces from the weakest to strongest

van der waal < hydrogen bonds < ionic interaction < hydrophobic interaction

van der waals

occurs due to closeness and angles of bonds (0.4 radius (nm)) (the smaller radius = stronger); easily broken down / weakest of all the weak bonds

hydrogen bonding

occurs between H, N, O, S; will have an acceptor and a donor

ionic interaction

between negative and positive molecules; contribute to the stability of proteins

hydrophobic interaction

between hydrophobic and hydrophilic molecule (i.e. fatty acids)

biomolecular recognition is mediated by…

weak chemical forces; i.e. when an antibody is connecting to an antigen to kill a virus due to the weak forces between them; i.e. the connection of a substrate to an enzyme’s active site

weak forces restrict organisms to a…

narrow range of environmental condition;

what is meant by the idea that weak forces restrict organisms to a narrow range of environmental conditions

• weak forces are unable to withstand change; i.e. when a protein is denatured ( due to temp change, PH change, etc) the weak forces are broken down and only covalent, peptide bonds remain

• Glycolysis occurs when there is no O2 in cytosol (anaerobic) → will provide enough energy for other pathways by breaking glucose into pyruvate; for glycolysis to occur, the enzyme used in each step use weak forces to connect

what is the organization and structure of cells

prokaryotic (single membrane, no nucleus / organelle) and eukaryotic cells (larger / organelles / complicated / nucleus)

prokaryotic cell

• cell wall give support, shape, and protection

• cell membrane acts as barrier that controls the entry of most substances into and exiting the cell

• nuclear area has the genetic information

• ribosomes are the site of protein synthesis

• storage granules are used for metabolic fuel

• cytosol is the site of intermediate metabolism

eukaryotic cell

• ECM is for cell recognition and communication

• cell membrane is selectively permeable

• nucleus holds DNA

• chloroplasts (plant) are the site of photosynthesis

• mitochondria is where ATP production occurs

• vacuoles transport and store nutrients

• ER - protein synthesis (rough/ribosome), lipid synthesis (smooth)

• golgi - modifies, sorts, and packages lipids

• lysosomes / peroxisomes - break down waste

• cytoskeleton -structural support

what are viruses

enter host cell for survival; have outer protein-coating

viral protein coat / spike protein

recognizes same protein structure in the host cell to enter the host; spike protein binds to receptor of host cell surface that allows the virus to enter the host cell and replicate

peptidase enzyme / protease enzyme

responsible for breaking down protein coats of virus to release the DNA molecule of the virus into the host cell (inhibition of protease / peptidase can prevent infection of the virus)