Chemistry 153A

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Chemistry 153A

• Winter 2008

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Overview

• Syllabus
• Introduction to biochemistry
• Intermolecular forces
• Major class of biomolecules
• Water

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• Instructor Dr. Sarah T. Villa Office Young
  Hall 3077B
• Email chem153a_at_gmail.com Phone [phone]
• In-Person Office Hours
• Mon. 730A to 800A, 100P to 150P
• Tues. 1000A to 1050A
• Wed. 730A to 800A
• Fri. 1000A to 1030A
• Virtual Office Hours
• 24/7
• Quick response time in general

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• This class is probably going to be one of the
  hardest classes youll take as an undergrad.
• Please read the whole syllabus (see VOH)
• Lecture
• Discussion (memorize your section and your TAs
  name)
• Exams
• Quizzes
• Grading
• Academic Integrity

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(No Transcript)
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Frequently asked questions

• Do I have to go to lecture/discussion/office
  hours?
• Do I have to buy the book?
• Lehninger (Nelson and Cox)
• Voet and Voet
• How do I get an A in the class?
• How do I study?

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Biochemistry

• The study of the chemistry behind life
• A union between chemistry and biology
• Biological functions can ultimately be broken
  down into chemical terms
• Things you will ponder in this class
• What is Jello? Why do egg whites turn from clear
  to white when cooked? How does a hair perm work?
  Why do some Olympic athletes train in the
  mountains? Why can dolphins dive underwater for
  long periods of time? Why did Oreo Cookies get
  sued? How do confectioners make gooey-centered
  chocolates? What is a hang-over? What was
  dangerous about Rocky Balboas diet? Why do
  biochemists study things like worms, yeast, and
  plants? And so much more

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Todays Material

• What Are the Distinctive Properties of Living
  Systems?
• What Is the Organization and Structure of Cells?
• What Kinds of Molecules Are Biomolecules?
• Structural Organization of Complex Biomolecules
• What Are the Properties of Water?

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Distinctive Properties of Living Systems

• Organisms are complicated and highly organized
• Biological structures serve functional purposes
• Living systems are actively engaged in energy
  transformations
• Living systems have the capacity for
  self-replication

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Organization and Structure of Cells

• Prokaryotic cells
• unicellular
• no nucleus or organelles
• Half of Earths biomass
• Eukaryotic cells
• Unicellular and multicellular
• 103-104 times larger!
• Nucleus plus many organelles (ER, Golgi,
  mitochondria, etc.)

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Bacterial Cell
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Plant Cell
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Animal Cell
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A Biomolecular Hierarchy

• Simple Molecules are the Units for Building
  Complex Structures
• Metabolites and Macromolecules
• Organelles and Membranes
• Cell

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1 D mass of one H
Inorganic precursors (18-64 D) Carbon dioxide,
water, ammonia (ammounium ion), nitrogen (N2),
nitrate (NO3-)
Metabolites (50-250 D) Pyruvate, citrate,
succinate, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, ATP
Building blocks (100-350 D) Amino acids,
nucleotides, monosaccharides, fatty acids,
glycerol
Macromolecules (103-109 D) Proteins, nucleic
acids, polysaccharides, lipids (not strictly)
Supramolecular complexes (106-109 D) Ribosomes,
cytoskeleton, multienzyme complexes
Organelles Ribosomes, cytoskeleton, multienzyme
complexes
Molecular organization in the cell.
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Example of the hierarchical organization of
biological structures.
10-10 m 1 angstrom
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On Life and Chemistry...

• Living things are composed of lifeless
  molecules (Albert Lehninger)

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Elemental Composition of the Human Body.
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Why are H, O, C and N so prevalent in biochem?

• Answer They can form covalent bonds by
  electron-pair sharing.

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C--C bonds are versatile
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Molecular Composition of E. Coli.
Approximate number of different molecular species
1 3,000 1 gt3000 5 20 500 20
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Major classes of biological molecules

• Proteins
• Nucleic acids
• Polysaccharides
• Lipids

Macromolecules
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Polymeric organization of proteins, nucleic
acids, and polysaccharides.
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A Biomolecular Hierarchy

• Simple Molecules are the Units for Building
  Complex Structures
• Metabolites
• Macromolecules
• Organelles
• Membranes
• Cell

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Intramolecular force and intermolecular force

• Atoms within a molecule are attracted to one
  another by the sharing of electrons, this is
  called an intramolecular force.
• The electrostatic forces that held molecules
  together are called intermolecular forces, and
  are in general much weaker than the
  intramolecular forces.

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What noncovalent intermolecular and
intramolecular interactions are involved in
biochemistry?

• Noncovalent interactions (a.k.a. weak chemical
  forces or electrostatic forces)
• Van der Waals
• Hydrogen bonds
• Ionic interactions
• Hydrophobic interactions
• Individually weak, but collectively strong