Introduction to biochemistry

Introduction to biochemistry. Reference: Biochemistry by Campbell and Farrell.

Chapter One Biochemistry and the Organization of Cells.

. Some Basic Themes. All living things make use of the same types of biomolecules, and all use energy. A s a result, all living things can be studied using the methods of chemistry and physics The fundamental similarity of cells of all types makes it interesting to speculate on the origins of life both cells and the biomolecules of which they are made must have arisen ultimately from very simple molecules, such as H 2 O, CH 4 , CO 2 , NH 3 , N 2 , and H 2 • Field of Biochemistry draws many disciplines • allows us to answer questions related to molecular nature of life.

Biomolecules. Organic chemistry: the study of the compounds of carbon the cellular apparatus of living organisms is made up of carbon compounds biomolecules are part of the subject matter of organic chemistry the reactions of biomolecules can be described by the methods of organic chemistry The experiment of Friedrich Wöhler in 1828.

Levels of Structural Organization in the Human Body.

Biomolecules (Cont’d). Functional group: an atom or group of atoms that show characteristic physical and chemical properties.

. ATP and the Reactions for its Formation. 0102.

Origins of Life. The “big bang” theory all matter was originally confined in a very small space as the result of an explosion, it started to expand with great force; temperature approx. 15 x 10 9 K the average temperature of the universe has been decreasing ever since in the earliest stages of the universe, the only elements present were H, He, and Li other elements formed by thermonuclear reactions in stars explosions of stars the action of cosmic rays outside the stars.

Relative Abundance of Important Elements. 01T2.

Biomolecules (Cont’d). Gases present in the atmosphere of the early earth included NH 3 , H 2 S, CO, CO 2 , CH 4 , N 2 , H 2 , and H 2 O but not O 2 Experiments have demonstrated that important biomolecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids, could have arisen under abiotic (nonliving) conditions from reactions of these simple compounds in the earth’s oceans on the surface of clay particles.

Biomolecules (Cont’d). Living cells include very large molecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, polysaccharides, and lipids these biomolecules are polymers (Greek: poly + meros , many + parts) they are derived from monomers (Greek: mono + meros , single + part) --amino acids → proteins --nucleotides → nucleic acids --monosaccharides → polysaccharides --glycerol and 3 fatty acids → lipids.

Informational Macromolecules. 0105.

Biomolecules (Cont’d). Enzymes: a class of proteins that are biocatalysts the catalytic effectiveness of a given enzyme depends on its amino acid sequence Genetic code: the relationship between the nucleotide sequence in nucleic acids and the amino acid sequence in proteins theories of the origin of life consider how such a coding system might have arisen.

End of part 1…there’s more!!. Reference: Biochemistry by Campbell and Farrell.