SURVIVAL NEEDS AND

CHEMISTRY OF LIFE
 II. Survival Needs
1-nutrients
Nutrients, taken in via the diet, contain the chemical
substances used for energy and cell building.

-Carbohydrates are the major energy fuel for body cells.

-Proteins, and to a lesser extent fats, are essential for
building cell structures.

- Fats also provide a reserve of energy-rich fuel.

- Selected minerals and vitamins are required for the

chemical reactions that go on in cells and for oxygen
transport in the blood. The mineral calcium helps to make
bones hard and is required for blood clotting.
2- Oxygen : All the nutrients in the world are useless
unless oxygen is also available. Because the chemical
reactions that release energy from foods are oxidative
reactions that require oxygen, human cells can survive
for only a few minutes without oxygen. Approximately
20% of the air we breathe is oxygen. It is made available
to the blood and body cells by the cooperative efforts
of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems.
3- Water accounts for 60–80% of body weight and is the
single most abundant chemical substance in the body.
It provides the watery environment necessary for
chemical reactions and the fluid base for body
secretions and excretions. Water is obtained chiefly
from ingested foods or liquids and is lost from the body
by evaporation from the lungs and skin and in body
excretions.
4- If chemical reactions are to continue at life-
sustaining rates, normal body temperature must be
maintained. As body temperature drops below 37°C
(98.6°F), metabolic reactions become slower and
slower, and finally stop. When body temperature is
too high, body proteins lose their characteristic
shape and stop functioning. At either extreme,
death occurs.

Most body heat is generated by the activity of the

muscular system.
5- Atmospheric pressure is the force that air exerts on the
surface of the body. Breathing and gas exchange in the lungs
depend on appropriate atmospheric pressure. At high altitudes,
where atmospheric pressure is lower and the air is thin, gas
exchange may be inadequate to support cellular metabolism.

Notice :The mere presence of these survival factors is not

sufficient to sustain life. They must be present in appropriate
amounts; excesses and deficits may be equally harmful. For
example, the food we eat must be of high quality and in proper
amounts; otherwise, nutritional disease, obesity, or starvation is
likely.
CHEMISTRY OF LIFE
 REVIEW: BASIC CHEMISTRY
• Compounds
• Substances made from elements are compounds.
A chemical formula shows the kinds and
proportions of atoms in a compound. Ex: NaCl
stands for sodium chloride (salt) from sodium (Na)
and chlorine (Cl)

• Molecules
• Are the smallest units of a compound that still have
the properties of that compound. (in H2O, the ratio
of H and O is 2:1, so the formula is H2O)

• Ions
• Electrically charged (+/-) molecules are called
IONS
• Acids and Bases
• Two common groups of compounds that react in water
are ACIDS and BASES

• Acid is a substance that releases hydrogen ions

(protons) when mixed with water (proton donor)
• Example: CH3COOH --–H20– H+ + CH3COO–

• Base is a substance that separates in water, forming

ions that react with hydrogen ions (proton acceptor)
• Example: NaOH + CH3COOH --– H20 + CH3COONa
 ACIDS AND BASES
• An acid is a substance that
increases the hydrogen ion
concentration in a solution.
• Any substance that reduces
the hydrogen ion
concentration in a solution is
a base.
• Some bases reduce H+ directly
by accepting hydrogen ions.

• Strong acids and bases

complete dissociate in water.
• Weak acids and bases
dissociate only partially and
reversibly.
• pH
• The strength of an acid or base is measured by
the pH scale (0-14, 7 being neutral: water)

• pH of acid solution: 0-7; of basic solution 7-14

• The pH scale is based on powers of 10. Thus Cola

with a pH of 3 is 10 times more acidic than
Tomato juice with a pH of 4

• Living cells are very sensitive to pH of their

environment. Our cells are in a pH of 7.2. If the pH
changes by only 2/10th of a point, cells die
 INTRODUCTION
• 2/3 of the globe is covered in
water.
• 2/3 of all cells contain water.
• Water is the only substance in
world to be found naturally in all
3 states. (Solid: Ice, Liquid: Water,
Gas: Water Vapor.
• Water freezes at 0C and boils at
100C.

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 WATER IN ORGANISMS
20%
Water
• Organisms usually contain 60% to
90% water.
• Lowest- Plant Seed (20%)
• Highest- Jellyfish (99%)
• Water Water
helps
99%
all organisms with
metabolism, and specifically
helps plants with photosynthesis
and support.

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 WATER AS A SOLVENT
• Water contains 1 oxygen atom and 2
hydrogen atoms.
• The atoms are covalently bonded.
• The water molecule is said to be polar,
because electrons are not equally
shared.
• Because the water molecule is polar, it
can ionize substances easily, making it
a good solvent.
• Water is know as ‘The Universal Solvent’.

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 WATER AS A WAY OF TRANSPORT
Tree Sap

• Many different substances, such

as blood and sap, are
transported by water.
• Sap and blood contain high
amounts of water making them
good solvents. Human
• Being good solvents allowsBlood
themCells

to dissolve the substances they

are transporting.

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 WATER AS A REACTANT
• Water, being a good solvent,
allows many reactions to
occur.
• Water is used in
photosynthesis to make
NADPH2, and ultimately
sugar.
• These reactions release
oxygen gas, which is vital to
human life.
• Without water in
photosynthesis, organisms
would not be able to obtain
energy, and life as we know
it would be impossible.

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 WATER AS A WAY OF SUPPORT
• When water enters the cell by osmosis,
the water fills up the cell so much that
the cell prevents other water intake.
• This makes the cell turgid, or stiff.
• The cell must be turgid to support the
plant’s leaves.
• Also, organisms that live in the water
have weaker skeletons than organisms
that live on land because of the water’s
buoyancy effect.

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 WATER AS A LUBRICANT
• When bones meet at a joint, they need
a fluid between the bones to prevent Synovial
scraping against each other. Fluid
• That fluid is called a synovial fluid, which
is made mainly of water.
• Many internal organs have fluid around
them to keep them protected.
Examples:
Brain: Cerebro-spinal fluid
Lungs: Pleural Fluid
Eyes: Mix of fluids.

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 WATER IN SEXUAL REPRODUCTION
• During fertilization, the male sex cell, the
sperm, must get to the female sex cell,
the ovum in order to make the zygote,
which makes a new individual.
• In organisms adapted for internal
fertilization, the sperm is transported in
semen which contains mostly water.
• In organisms using external sperm can
be transported in the water
Sperm Cellshabitat.

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 WATER FOR CONSTANT TEMPERATURE
• Water has a very high specific heat.
(4200J/kg0C)
• That means much energy is required to
change the temperature of water by a single
degree.
• That provides a perfect habitat for marine
mammals, because of the non-changing
temperature.
• Another way water helps mammals maintain
their body temperature is by sweating.
• Mammals sweat when their body temperature
is too high.
• Sweat is made of mostly water.
• When the water evaporates from the organism
it creates a cooling effect, therefore lowering
the organisms body temperature.

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