Each level of biological organization has emergent properties

Biological organization is based on a hierarchy of structural

levels

BIOLOGY 22 LECTURE

I.B. Chemical
Basis of Life
Ms. Heidie L. Frisco
Department of Biology
November 2009

OUTLINE
I. The Chemical Context of Life
II. Water and the Fitness of the Environment
III. Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of
Life
IV. The Structure and Function of
Macromolecules
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic Acids
Vitamins and Minerals*

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lecture, the students should be
able to:

1. Torecognizethecontributionof
physicalmatterinthestructureof
livingthings
2. Toreviewhowanimals,orliving
thingsingeneral,areorganizedin
thesubcellularlevel
3. Toenumeratetheinorganic&
organicmoleculesthatmakeup
livingthings

THE CHEMISTRY OF
LIFE

Matter consists of chemical elements &

compounds
Matter anything that takes up space and has mass

Life requires about 25 chemical elements

117 elements (as of January 2007)
25 of 94 natural elements
CHON 96% of living matter

 P,S,Ca,K,trace elements 4% of an organisms weight

GROUP ASSIGNMENT: Indicate the importance of the above

minerals to human health.

Pica
A craving for
nonfood
substances
geophagia
pagophagia

ATOMS AND MOLECULES

Atoms unit of matter
- each element is
made up of atoms
Structure determines the
behavior of an element

Atoms combine by chemical

bonding to form molecules
Covalent Bonds
- sharing of a pair of valence electrons by two atoms
- Non-polar and Polar Covalent Bonds

Atoms combine by chemical bonding to form molecules

Ionic Bonds
- attraction between cations and anions
- SALTS

Weak chemical bonds play

important roles in the
chemistry of life
Brain

Odorant

Olfactory bulb
Nasal cavity
Bone
Epithelial cell

Odorant
receptors

Chemoreceptor

Plasma
membrane

Odorant

Cilia

Mucus

Weak chemical bonds play important roles in

the chemistry of life
Ionic Bonds
Hydrogen Bond
- occurs when H
covalently bonded to
one electronegative
atom is also attracted to
another electronegative
atom
Van der Waals
Interactions

A molecules biological function is related to its shape

A molecule has a characteristic size and shape
Molecular shape basis for how most molecules of life recognize
and respond to one another

Chemical reactions change the composition of matter

Chemical reactions the making and breaking of chemical bonds
- leading to changes in the composition of matter

WATER AND THE FITNESS

OF THE ENVIRONMENT

EFFECTS OF WATERS POLARITY

EFFECTS OF WATERS POLARITY

Properties of Water:
1. Waters cohesive property
2. Ability to stabilize temperature
3. Expansion upon freezing
4. Versatility as a solvent

Organisms depend on the cohesion of water molecules

Cohesion
Adhesion

 Surface Tension

Water contributes to Earths habitability by moderating

temperatures

Waters high specific heat

-

Specific Heat: amount of heat

that must be absorbed or lost
for 1g of that substance to
change its temperature by 10C
1 cal/g/0C

Waters high heat of

vaporization
-

-
-

Heat of Vaporization: quantity

of heat a liquid must absorb
for 1g of it to be converted
from the liquid to gaseous
state
1g:580cal
Evaporative cooling

Oceans and lakes dont freeze solid because ice floats

Water is a very versatile solvent

Organisms are sensitive to changes in pH

CARBON AND THE

MOLECULAR DIVERSITY OF
LIFE

Carbon atoms are the most versatile building blocks of

molecules

Electron distribution

Variation in carbon skeletons contributes to the

diversity of organic molecules

Functional groups also contribute to the

diversity of life