Chemistry of Life

Chemistry of Life

Matter -- anything that has MASS and takes up SPACE

EVERYTHING is made of matter

Chemistry of Life

Atoms – the SMALLEST particle that can exist and still be considered matter

All LIVING and NONLIVING things are made of atoms

Atoms -- have three components

ELECTRONS -- negatively charged

PROTONS -- positively charged; found in nucleus

NEUTRONS -- neutral; found in nucleus

Electrons

NucleusProtons & Neutrons

Energy Levels

Chemical Reactions

Chemical reactions occur when bonds are FORMED or BROKEN.

This causes them to recombine into different substances.

Chemical Reactions

Metabolism– All reactions that occur in an

organisms.

These reactions break down and build molecules important to life.

Chemical Reactions

Mixture:– A combination of a substance in

which the individual components contain their own property.

Chemistry of the Cell

Solution:– A mixture in which one or more

substances are distributed evenly in another substance.

Solvent:•A substance that can dissolve other substances

Solute:•The substance that is dissolved

pH

Chemical reactions also depend on the pH of the environment within the organism.

pH-– A measure of how acidic or basic a

solution is.

pH The scale goes from 0-14

– 0 being the most acidic– 14 being the most basic

Chemistry of Life

Elements -- a substance that is made of only ONE kind of ATOM

Reading Periodic Table

Element

AtomicNumber

Symbol

The Human Body

Major Elements of Life

C = Carbon H = Hydrogen O = Oxygen P = Phosphorus K = Potassium

Major Elements of Life

I = IodineN = NitrogenS = SulfurCa = Calcium

Major Elements of Life

Fe = IronMg = MagnesiumNa = SodiumCl = Chlorine

Chemistry of Life

Compounds – matter that is made of more than one kind of ATOM

Compounds are made by atoms sharing or taking ELECTRONS from other atom

Inorganic Compounds

Water ( H2O )Each molecule is made of

two HYDROGEN atoms and one OXYGEN atom

Water –H20

Why is water so important to agriculture?

At least 75% of animal body mass is water

Plants contain 70-80% water Transports nutrients and

wastes

Why is water so important to agriculture?

Dissolves compounds -- “Universal Solvent”

Regulates body temperature in animals

Provides structure for plants

Organic Compounds

Organic Compounds contain carbon.

Carbon forms the structural backbone of all living things.

Carbohydrates

Organic Compounds that contain: – Carbon

– Hydrogen

– Oxygen

They provide energy

Carbohydrates

Three Types– Monosaccharides

– Disaccharides

– Polysaccharides

Carbohydrates

Monosaccharides– simple SUGAR

– contain C6H12O6

– GLUCOSE, FRUCTOSE, AND GALACTOSE

Carbohydrates

Disaccharides– double SUGAR

– contain two RINGS

– SUCROSE and LACTOSE

Carbohydrates

Polysaccharides– complex CARBOHYDRATES

– made of RINGS of SUGAR

– STARCH, CELLULOSE, and GLYCOGEN

Proteins

Basic building material for all living things.

Used for STRUCTURE and FUNCTION

Made of H, O, C, N

Structure of Proteins

Amino Acids – building BLOCKS– 20 different kinds – all have the same

elements but in different amounts Polypeptides – chains of AMINO

ACIDS Joined by peptide bonds Proteins – chains of POLYPEPTIDES Used to make SKIN, HAIR, MUSCLE,

ORGANS, etc.

Lipids FATTY molecules used to store ENERGY Made of long chains of H & C followed by

COOH Do not DISSOLVE in WATER Lipids have less OXYGEN than carbohydrates Examples of Lipids are: FATS, OILS, AND

WAXES

Nucleic Acids

Store INFORMATION that controls CELL activities

Made of a PHOSPHATE a SUGAR, and a BASE.

Examples of Nucleic Acids are:

DNA : – Deoxyribonucleic Acid

The master copy of an organisms information code.

Instructions to form all of an organisms structural proteins

Examples of Nucleic Acids are:

RNA : – Ribonucleic Acid

This forms a copy of the DNA for use in making protein.

Atoms are the building block of life!