Chemistry of Life

Biomolecules
Organic Compounds carbon-containing
compounds
(e.g., Carbohydrates, Proteins, Lipids, Nucleic Acids)

Inorganic Compounds compounds that doesnt

contain carbon
(e.g., Water, Mineral solids)
Organic Compounds
 Organic Compounds
1. CARBOHYDRATES
- carbo meaning coal; hydro meaning water
- CHO (Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen)
- Most abundant organic compound on earth
- Major sources are plants produced through photosynthesis
- 75% of dry plant material is carbohydrates
- CARBOHYDRATES A.K.A SACCHARIDES from the Latin word
saccharum which means sweet

General formula: CnH2nOn or Cn(H2O)n / Cx(H2O)y

Classification of Carbohydrates

a. Monosaccharide
b. Disaccharide
c. Polysaccharide
 Monosaccharide
- simplest form of carbohydrates
- CHO with 1 sugar unit
- Building block of more complex CHO
- Chemical formula : C6H12O6
 Fructose
- fruit sugar, levulose, dietary sugar
- predominating sugar in fruits
- sweetest sugar

Monosaccharide
 Glucose

Blood sugar, grape sugar, dextrose

Sugar present in the blood
Main source of energy that can enter the cell
Grapes contains 20-30% glucose

Monosaccharide
 Galactose

Brain sugar
Sugar that can be found in the gray matter of the
brain
One of the sugar that is found in milk

Monosaccharide
 Disaccharide

- CHO containing 2-10 sugar units

- Latin: oligos few
- Chemical formula: C12H22O11
 Maltose
- Malt sugar
- Sugar in baby foods
- Glucose + Glucose

Disaccharide
 Lactose

Milk sugar
Least sweet sugar
Galactose + glucose

Disaccharide
 Sucrose

- Table sugar, cane sugar

- Fructose + glucose

Disaccharide
 Polysaccharide
- CHO with more than 10 sugar units (complex CHO)
- Tasteless CHO
- Chemical Formula: Cn(H2nOn)-nH2O
 Cellulose
- Major component of the cell wall of plants
- Most abundant CHO on earth
- Cotton 95%, wood 50%

Polysaccharide
 Starch
- Stored CHO in plants/ stored energy in plants
- Iodine used to determine the presence of starch in
solution
- Starch + iodine = deep blue black color

Polysaccharide
 Glycogen
- Animal starch
- Stored in the muscle cells
- May consist of about 1,000,000 glucose units
- Glycogen + iodine = reddish brown color

Polysaccharide
 Chitin
- Polysaccharide that give rigidity to the
exoskeleton of crabs, lobsters, insects, and
other arthropods

Polysaccharide
 Importance of CHO
Main source of energy and provide the ideal
fuel (glucose) for your body to function
optimally
Gives flavor and serves as sweeteners to foods
and drinks
Serves as an immediate energy source in the
form of glycogen
Important component of nucleic acids as
pentose sugars (ribose and deoxyribose)
 Organic Compounds
2. LIPIDS

- Greek: lipos, fats

- Insoluble in water
- Also called as hydrophobic molecules
- Comprises the 80% composition of humans and
animals
- Excess energy and carbons in the body are stored as
lipids
Important Lipids

a. Fatty acids
b. Phospholipids
c. Steroids
d. Waxes
 Fatty acids
- Simple lipids
- Glycerol + three fatty acids =
triacylglycerides/triacylglycerol (TAG)
storage form of fats found abundant in fat
cells or adipose cells of humans and animals

Lipids
 Classification of Fatty acids

1. Saturated fatty acids has single carbon

bonds

2. Unsaturated fatty acids has numerous

double carbon bonds
 Fats vs. Oils
Fats
saturated fatty acids
Usually solid at room temperature
Obtain from animal source

Oils
unsaturated fatty acids
Usually liquid at room temperature
Obtain from plant sources
 Phospholipids
- Component of the cellular membrane
- Amphipathic - having the property of both
hydrophobic and hydrophilic

Lipids
 Steroids
- Lipids characterized by a carbon skeleton made up of
four interconnected rings
(steroid nucleus)
- Complex lipids

Lipids
Types of Steroid Compounds

a. Cholesterol
b. Bile salt
c. Steroid hormones
 Cholesterol
Major component of the cellular membrane
(25%), nerve tissues and brain (10% by mass)
Serve as starting material in the formation of
other steroid compounds
Most abundant steroid compound
Normally produced by the liver by 1g/day
which is sufficient for the bodys biosynthetic
needs
 Cholesterol from diet could turn into:
LDL
- Low density lipoprotein (Bad Cholesterol)
- have sticky properties
- stick on the blood vessel walls

HDL

- High density lipoprotein (good cholesterol)

- Helps in eliminating bad cholesterol from
the body
 Bile Salt

Emulsifying agents that make dietary fats

soluble in aqueous environment of the
digestive tract
Made by the liver and stored in the gall
bladder
 Steroid Hormones
Types:
Sex hormones controls the characteristics
and reproduction
1. Estrogen
2. Androgen
3. Progestins
 Classification of Sex Hormones
a. Estrogen (Female Sex Hormones)
- Produced by the ovaries and adrenal cortex
- Responsible for the female secondary sex
characteristics at the onset of puberty
- Regulates menstrual cycle
- Develops mammary glands during pregnancy
- Induce estrus (heat) in animals
 Classification of Sex Hormones
b. Androgens (Male Sex Hormones)
- Produced by the testis and adrenal cortex
- Responsible for the male secondary sex
characteristics on the onset of puberty
- Testosterone (principal androgen)

Has two major effects:

Androgenic effect muscularizing effect
(deepening of voice, growth of body and facial
hairs, etc.)
Anabolic effects muscle building effect
 Classification of Sex Hormones
c. Progestins (pregnancy hormones)
- Produced by the ovaries and placenta
- Prepares the lining of the uterus for
implantation of the fertilized ovum
- Suppress menstruation
- Progesterone (principal progestins)
 Importance of Lipids
Major composition of cellular membrane
Helps maintain normal temperature (37oC)
Stored energy source
Serves as protective coatings that insulates
and protects vital body organs
Serves as covering that protects and insulates
nerves
 Organic Compounds

3. Proteins
- Gerard Johann Mulder proteios first place
- CHON
- Ex. Hemoglobin oxygen carrying protein contains
iron; Thyroid hormones contains iodine
- Consists of amino acids 20 standard amino acids
20 Essential Amino Acids
 Enzymes
- Special proteins that speed up chemical
reactions
- Biological catalysts
 Importance of Proteins
Needed for the synthesis of hormones, blood
components, and enzymes
Needed for maintenance and repair of existing
body tissues
Needed for the synthesis of new tissues
 Organic Compounds
4. Nucleic Acids
- Discovered by Friedrich Miescher in 1869
- Were first discovered in the nucleus of the cell and
were acidic in nature hence called Nucleic Acids
- Nucleotides nucleic acid building blocks
- Occurs all throughout the cell
 Sub-units of Nucleic Acids
a. Pentose Sugar (Ribose and Deoxyribose)
b. Phosphoric Group derived from phosphoric acids
c. Nitrogen Base
 Types of Nucleic Acids
DNA Deoxyribonucleic Acids
Store and transfer generic information
Found in the nucleus only

RNA Ribonucleic Acids

Responsible for protein synthesis
Found in the nucleus and cytoplasm
Comparison of DNA and RNA Structures

STRUCTURE DNA RNA

Sugar Deoxyribose Ribose

Nitrogenous Bases A, G, C, T A,G, C, U

Strands Double stranded Single stranded

Helix Yes No
Inorganic Compounds
 Inorganic Compounds

1. Water
- Most abundant compound
in the living organism
(70%)
- Universal solvent
 Water
- Regulates the body
temperature of humans through
perspiration
- Allows evaporative cooling
- Acts as absorber of heat in the
body
 Properties of Water
Boiling point 100oC
Melting point 0oC
H2O (88.88% O and 11.11% H)
Solid water (ice) is 9% less denser than liquids;
water floats on top
 Inorganic Compounds
2. Oxygen
- Most vital to life
- Constitutes about 21% of the air
- Necessary for the breakdown of food or
energy released during respiration
- Sources: green plants
 Inorganic Compounds
3. Minerals
- Also called inorganic molecules
- Vital for the normal functioning and
maintenance of homeostasis in plants,
animals, and other organisms
- E.g., Calcium, Phosphorus, Iodine, Iron
 Inorganic Compounds
4. Vitamins
- Derived from the phrase vital amino
- Promotes growth, proper metabolism,
development of tissues, and prevention of
diseases
Classification:
- water-soluble vitamins (B complex and C)
- fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K)