BIO Notes On Organic Chemistry Essay, Research Paper

The chemistry of life

(Living things made mostly of carbohydrates, fat and protein)

CARBOHYDRATES energy producer

 Contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen

 Glucose is the simplest (dissolves easily in water) monosaccharide

 Starch is also common (solid, lots of glucose molecules in a chain (condensation)) disaccharide

 Starch is broken down into glucose as well (add waterhydrolysis)

FAT energy producer insulation and energy store

 Contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen

 Contains more carbon + hydrogen

 Fat molecule is made up of glycerol and fatty acids.

 Condensation and hydrolysis play parts here?

PROTEIN

 Contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen (and sulphur)

 Made of blocks (amino acids) and links (peptide links)

 22 amino acids in nature

 Hydrolysis  chain of proteins split (polypeptides) then broken to small amino acids

 Reverse in condensation

 Soluble proteins make up enzymes.

 Denaturalisation occurs when molecule shape changes when heated.

CHEMICAL REACTIONS

 Occur mainly in gut and cells

 Reactions in cells is metabolism

 Breaking down or joining options

 All reactions are catalysed by enzymes.

Enzymes

IMPORTANCE

 To speed up reactions

 They are biological catalysts

 TYPES

Extracellular enzymes are produced and leave cell to work outside

 Intracellular enzymes work inside cell

ENZYME CONTROLLED REACTION

 Maltose (substrate) maltase (enzyme)  glucose (product)

PROPERTIES

 Always proteins

 Specific

 Reusable

 Destroyed by heat over 45 Celsius

 Sensitive to pH

HOW DO THEY WORK?

 Enzyme molecule has active site

 Substrate fits into active site

 Reaction takes place

 Products leave site.

HELPING HINDERING

 Anything which helps substrate reach enzyme speeds up reaction

 Poisons stop temporarily/ permanently the active site

ENZYME USE

 Biological washing powders

 Tenderising meats, skinning fish, removing hairs

 Softening vegetables, removing seed coats

 Syrups, fruit-juices, chocolates

Food and Diet

OUR DIET

 Carbohydrates

 Fats

 Proteins

 Water

 Minerals

 Vitamins

CARBOHYDRATES

 Sugar gives energy

 Starch are normally found in small grains called starch granules they also give us energy

 Cellulose for plants make a cell wall for humans it makes a dietary fibre keeping the food moving along the gut

FATS

 Mainly give us energy

 Saturated means that there is no more room for atoms to add on to the existing molecule.

 Unsaturated is the opposite.

PROTEINS

 Needed for growth repair and slight amounts of energy

 Kwashiorkor  disease with the lack of protein

 Proteins are made of amino acids

 Essential amino acids are ones we cannot make but instead take in digestively

WATER

 Absolutely essential

 Needed in all life forms and contained in mostly all substances

MINERALS

 Sodium. Is a salt. It helps messages to be sent and muscle contraction. Lack of causes cramps in muscles

 Calcium used for hardening our bones and teeth. Hardening can only take place when they take up calcium phosphate and carbonate (calcification). Lack of causes rickets (soft, weak, deformed bones).

 Phosphorus. We need it to be absorbed into the calcium. It occurs in membranes.

 Iron. Present in haemoglobin (transports O2). Lack of cause anaemia: less O2 transported, less energy.

 Iodine. Trace element: needed in tiniest quantities. We get from sea food and drinking water. Needed to make thyroxine. Lack of causes goitre or ?Derbyshire neck?: swelling of thyroid gland next to Adam?s apple.

 Fluorine. Trace element. Prevents tooth decay.

VITAMINS

 Collection of organic substances which control reactions in the body.

 (A). Retinol: important for our eyes. Lack of causes night-blindness or xerophthalmia. Fat soluble

 (B). Niacin (nicotinic acid). Lack of: Pellagra. Thiamine: lack of is Beri-beri. Riboflavin: causes sores in skin around mouth. Water soluble

 (C). Ascorbic acid. Keep epithelia healthy. Lack of cause scurvy: bleeding in various parts of the body. Water soluble

 (D). Calciferol. Helps child?s bones become strong. Lack of cause rickets. Can be obtained from fish liver oil or the body through sunlight. Fat soluble

 (E). Found in milk and egg yolk. Lack of cause sterility. Fat soluble

 (K). Helps blood clot. Lack of causes internal, external bleeding. Fat-soluble.

 Composition of different foods helps us identify useful substances.

 Vegetarian: eats no animal meat but does eat products. Vegans do not eat animal products.

 Food additives: substances that are added to food. Some give change to colour, taste, preservation or consistency.

How substances are stored

WHY DO ORGANISMS STORE SUBSTANCES?

 So that they can survive when food is unavailable or scarce

 Man can survive several weeks

WHERE ARE SUBSTANCES STORED?

 The main storage place is the liver for humans.

 For plants they swell up and make the swelling the storage place. The plant storage organ can survive harsh conditions then a new plant spouts and the food is moved there.

PLANTS STORAGE SYSTEM

 Green plants produce glucose that is either used straight away or turned into starch and converted back to glucose when needed.

 Other substances can be made from glucose in plants (oil, sugar)

REQUIREMENTS FOR TURNING STARCH INTO GLUCOSE

 Enzyme

 Can be tested with starch

HOW STARCH IS TURNED INTO GLUCOSE

 Glucose molecules join together and coil up forming a starch grain (condensation)

 The starch grain can de-coil and split up forming Glucose (hydrolysis)

ANIMALS STORAGE SYSTEM

 Get glucose from food

 They turn glucose into glycogen

 Glycogen is a bondage of glucose molecules linked together

 Stored in the liver

 It is also stored as fat

MOBILISATION

 This is when a solid form of food has to be transported and it is broken down into a solution.

 Starch and glycogen are broken down into glucose.

 Fat is broken down into fatty acids and glycerol

IMPORTANCE OF FOOD STORES

 Storage of food in organisms usually mean they are going to be packed together closely, this means anything like this can be a rich source for humans

Obtaining energy from food

FOOD CONTAINING ENERGY

 We can check this by burning food and estimating the amount of heat given out. (kJ)

 kJ per Gram carbohydrates-17, fat-39, protein-18

ENERGY CONTAINED IN FOOD

 determines how it should be cooked

 Depends on substances inside the food.

ENERGY PER DAY

 Basal metabolic rate: rate at which body processes take place

 Roughly 7000kj per day if lying down doing nothing

 At least 9200 kJ per day for doing nothing but essential tasks

EXCESS EATING

 Most excess not used is turned into fat. Body weight increases

 Obesity is when we take in more energy (through food) than we give out.

 More exercise, consumption of less energy-containing foods stop or decrease obesity

MINIMAL EATING (STARVATION)

 First energy stores from fat will be used up.

 Takes energy from muscles

 Becomes thin and weak

 Anorexia nervosa: psychological loss of appetite

 Marasmus wasting away due to starvation

Energy release-respiration

FOOD BURNING

 Oxygen is needed

 Carbon dioxide, water and heat are produced

ENERGY PRODUCTION IN HUMANS

 C6H12O6 + 6O2 6CO2 + 6H2O + ENERGY

 We can check the relationship between O2+CO2 and breaking down of food by using radioactive tracers and mice.

ENERGY USES

 Animal-movement, messages, transportation, warmth, growth, cell division, osmosis, and life!

 Plants taking up mineral salts, opening/closing stomata, transporting food substances, growth, cell division, osmosis, and life!

CHEMISTRY OF RESPIRATION

 Respirometer measures amount of oxygen taken in

 Energy produced from glucose is linked to adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

 Breakdown of glucose is used to make ATP

 ATP not Glucose gives energy towards muscle contractions