Chemistry of Living Things

Chemistry of Living Things

• Living things rely on chemical processes to function.
• Chemical processes are essential for sustaining life.
• Studying chemistry can provide insights into how living organisms function and how to improve human life.

Chemical Processes of Life: Objectives

• Understand the difference between chemical and physical changes.
• Relate Brownian motion with diffusion and dissolution.
• Compare exothermic and endothermic reactions.
• Contrast catalysts and inhibitors.
• Understand how chemistry benefits humans.

Essential Question

• How do chemical processes sustain life?
• Chemical reactions provide living organisms with the essential nutrients, minerals, and energy required for survival.

Diffusion Examples and Questions

• Dye spreading in water is an example of diffusion.
• Factors like temperature affect the rate of diffusion.
• Diffusion is a physical change.
• Examples of diffusion in everyday life relate to spreading of odors and perfumes, movement of salts from concentrated solutions to dilute ones, and more.
• Key questions to consider regarding diffusion:
  • Is dye spreading a chemical or physical change?
  • What causes the dye to disperse throughout the water?
  • How and why does the dye diffuse quicker in hot water?
  • What other external factors affect diffusion?

Solutions

• A solution is a homogenous mixture of solute and solvent.
• Solutes dissolve in solvents.
• Water acts as the primary solvent in many biological processes.
• The weight of salt water differs from fresh water due to the solute (salt).
• Understanding solutions are important in living systems, in digestion, and more
• Factors affecting diffusion: Presence, concentration, and composition of solutes and temperature.
• The solute dissolves into the solvent through molecular interactions.

Acids and Bases

• Acids dissociate in water to form hydrogen ions.
• Bases dissociate in water to form hydroxide ions or other ions accepting hydrogen ions.

Diffusion

• Diffusion is the movement of particles from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.
• Brownian motion is the random movement of particles in a solution and one of the factors contributing to diffusion.

Chemical Equations: Exothermic and Endothermic Reactions

• Chemical equation example: Glucose + oxygen → water + carbon dioxide + energy (exothermic).
• An exothermic reaction releases energy, a common form of energy is heat.
• Chemical equation example: Water + carbon dioxide + energy → glucose + oxygen (endothermic).
• Endothermic reactions require an input of energy
• Energy diagrams illustrate the energy changes during reactions, showing difference in energy of reactants and products.

Catalysts and Inhibitors

• Catalysts speed up chemical reactions without being consumed themselves.
• Inhibitors slow down or stop chemical reactions.
• Enzymes are biological catalysts, facilitating specific chemical reactions in living organisms.
• Substrates and active sites are involved in the enzymatic reaction process.

Chemistry in Our World

• Chemistry is vital for daily life, and understanding its principles is a crucial step.
• Chemistry can be used to produce pharmaceuticals that support our well being
• Chemistry could be used to create medicines that help people (positive)
• Chemistry could be used for destructive purposes (negative)
• A responsible and thoughtful use of chemistry is essential.

Exit Ticket

• Key questions about the relevance of chemistry to daily life and its impact on society.
• How chemistry relates to values of living and morality.