Biochemistry Basics and Reactions

Biochemistry

• Biochemistry is the study of how chemistry applies to living organisms.
• Biomolecules are molecules that are found in living organisms, and are necessary for maintaining life.
• Major biomolecule types include carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

Biochemical Reactions

• Oxidation involves the loss of electrons, the gain of oxygen, or an increase in oxidation number.
• Reduction involves the gain of electrons, the gain of hydrogen, or a decrease in oxidation number.
• Hydrolysis is the cleavage of a molecule into two parts through the addition of a water molecule.
• Phosphorolysis involves the splitting of a bond through the addition of phosphoric acid.
• Decarboxylation is the loss of carbon dioxide.
• Deamination is the removal of an amino group.
• Transamination is the transfer of an amino group from one molecule to another.

History of Biochemistry

• The 19th century saw crucial developments in biology, including the cell theory, Mendelian inheritance, and Darwin's theory of evolution.
• Friedrich Wöhler's synthesis of urea from inorganic compounds was a major breakthrough, demonstrating that organic compounds could be produced synthetically.
• Louis Pasteur highlighted the importance of enzymes in chemical reactions.
• Edward Buchner extracted enzymes from yeast cells, demonstrating that fermentation could occur outside of living cells.
• Emil Fischer demonstrated the specificity of enzymes and described the lock-and-key model of enzyme-substrate interactions.
• James Sumner established the protein nature of enzymes by isolating and crystallizing urease.
• The glycolytic pathway was elucidated in the first half of the 20th century by Embden and Meyerhof.
• Hans Krebs described the citric acid and urea cycles in the 1930s and 1940s.
• Fritz Albert Lipmann identified the role of ATP in biological systems.
• Beadle and Tatum discovered that mutations in genes affected enzymes in organisms, suggesting a one-gene-one-enzyme relationship.
• Watson and Crick described the structure of DNA in 1953, followed by the discovery of DNA polymerase by Kornberg in 1956. These were pivotal discoveries in the field of molecular biology.
• Frederick Sanger's work on protein and nucleic acid sequencing led to significant developments in these areas.
• Nirenberg, Khorana, and Ochoa identified the genetic code words for amino acids.
• Snell's work on recombinant DNA research led to the development of genetic engineering.

Organic Chemistry

• Organic chemistry is the study of carbon-containing compounds.
• Organic chemistry is distinct from inorganic chemistry, which typically focuses on compounds that do not include carbon-hydrogen bonds, like salts, metals, and minerals.

Hydrocarbons

• Hydrocarbons are the simplest organic compounds, containing only carbon and hydrogen atoms.
• All hydrocarbons contain only carbon and hydrogen atoms.
• Different types of hydrocarbons are distinguished by their structure:
  • Alkanes: Contain only single bonds, have a general formula of CnH2n+2, and are saturated.
  • Alkenes: Contain at least one double bond.
  • Alkynes: Contain at least one triple bond.
  • Aromatic hydrocarbons: Contain at least one benzene ring. They are more stable than expected due to resonance bonding.

Functional Groups

• Functional groups are specific parts of a molecule that give it distinct chemical properties and reactivity.
• Key functional groups include:
  • Alcohol: Contains a -OH group, often makes the molecule more polar and soluble in water.
  • Aldehyde: Contains a carbonyl group (C=O) with a hydrogen atom attached.
  • Ketone: Contains a carbonyl group with two other carbon atoms attached.
  • Carboxylic acid: Contains a carboxyl group (C=O-OH).
  • Ester: Contains a carbonyl group attached to an oxygen atom and then another carbon atom.
  • Ether: Contains an oxygen atom bonded to two other carbon atoms.
  • Amine: Contains a nitrogen atom bonded to one or more carbon atoms.
  • Alkyl halide: Contains a halogen atom (F, Cl, Br, or I) attached to a carbon atom.

Representation in Organic Chemistry

• Molecular formula: Shows the types and numbers of atoms in a molecule.
• Structural formula: Shows the arrangement of atoms and the bonds between them.
• Condensed structural formula: A simplified representation of the structural formula.

Dive into the fundamentals of biochemistry, exploring the vital biomolecules, the intricate biochemical reactions, and their historical developments. This quiz covers oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis, and key experts in the field. Test your knowledge of how chemistry underpins the life processes.