LR1 Building Blocks 1

Key Building Blocks of the Human Body

• Major Elements: Oxygen (O), Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Nitrogen (N) are fundamental.

  • Oxygen: Essential for respiration and energy production.

  • Carbon: Key building component found in all organic molecules.

  • Hydrogen: Critical for water molecules and energy transfer.

  • Nitrogen: Excreted as waste via urine.

Fundamental Concepts of Matter

• Matter: Everything observable, made up of atoms.

  • Atoms are traditionally considered the smallest building blocks of matter.

  • Molecules: Formed from two or more atoms.

• Understanding chemistry facilitates grasping the human body's functions.

Atom Structure

• Components: Atoms consist of protons (positive), neutrons (neutral), and electrons (negative).

  • Nucleus: Contains protons and neutrons; electrons orbit around it in shells.

  • Overall neutral charge if protons and electrons are equal.

Elements and the Periodic Table

• Essential Elements: ~24 elements are vital, but only a few dominate (O, C, H, N).

  • Element Representation: Atomic number indicates the number of protons.

  • Example: Carbon (C) = atomic number 6.

• Body Weight Composition:

  • O: 65%

  • C: 18%

  • H: 10%

  • N: 3%

  • Ca: 1.5%, important for bones/muscles.

Chemical Interactions

• Chemical Bonds:

  • Ionic Bonds: Transfer of electrons, seen in bones and teeth.

  • Covalent Bonds: Sharing of electrons, prevalent in biological molecules.

  • Hydrogen Bonds: Weak attractions crucial for protein and DNA structure.

• Polar vs Nonpolar Molecules:

  • Nonpolar: Equal sharing (e.g., O2).

  • Polar: Unequal sharing (e.g., H2O).

    • Water is a polar molecule, drives solubility for glucose.

Importance of Chemistry in Health

• Nursing practice involves understanding chemical properties (e.g., blood tests, ECG).

• The interplay between soil nutrients, plants, and human nutrition highlights biochemical connections to health.