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Campbell
Shawn O. Farrell
http://academic.cengage.com/chemistry/campbell
Chapter One
Biochemistry and the Organization of Cells
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
Biomolecules (Contd)
Functional group: an atom or group of atoms that shows
characteristic physical and chemical properties
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 109 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
Biomolecules (Contd)
Gases present in the atmosphere of the early earth included
NH3, H2S, CO, CO2, CH4, N2, H2, and H2O but not O2
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 earths oceans
on the surface of clay particles
Biomolecules (Contd)
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
Biomolecules (Contd)
Enzymes: a class of proteins that are biocatalysts
the catalytic effectiveness of a given enzyme depends on its
amino acid sequence
Biomolecules (Contd)
Which came firstthe chicken or the egg?
catalytic activity associated with proteins
coding associated with nucleic acids
It has been discovered recently that certain types of RNA have
catalytic activity and are capable of catalyzing their own further
processing (See Figure 1.7 p.12)
RNA is now considered by many scientists to have been the
original coding material
it still serves this function in some viruses
Important organelles
listed in table 1.3