Author of Lecture: Oakes, Diana (Dr

Unit of Study: BIOS1167 Foundations of Biomedical Science

Title of Lecture: Topic 2: Building blocks of the Human Body – Important biological molecules
(Water and Carbon Chemistry, Lecture 1, 2019)

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‘SOLUBILITY’ video screening during the

FRIDAY lecture session (in WEEK 1)
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
The ‘SOLUBILITY’ VIDEO to be screened during the 2nd hour the lecture time.
Bring your ‘BIOS1167 Student manual’ to lecture
The ‘Solubility’ worksheet (pp 14-19) to be completed whilst viewing video

The University of Sydney Page 2

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TOPIC 2

The building blocks of the human

body – Important biological molecules

Presented by
Dr Diana Oakes
Discipline of Biomedical Science, Sydney Medical School

BIOS1167 Foundations of Biomedical Science

The University of Sydney Page 3

Topic 2 – Building blocks of the human body -

Important Biological Molecules

1. Water and Carbon Chemistry

Screening of the ‘Solubility’ video

2. Lipids (fats)

3. Carbohydrates (sugars)

4. Proteins

5. Nucleic acids (DNA, RNA)

2
Learning objectives

Water
Describe the distribution of water in our body, the water content of
different body organs
Describe our body water balance and factors that regulate body
water.
Describe the structure of water and the force of attraction between
water molecules.
Explain the unusual thermal properties of water and implications
these have for body function.

General Properties of Water

1. 3/4 of the earth's surface is covered with

water

2. Water makes up about 55-65% of the

mass of the human body

3. Life as we know it cannot exist without

water

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 Water

• Most biochemical reactions take place in

water
• Blood, the transport system in the body, is
a solution of substances in water
• The environment inside and surrounding
our cells is a watery environment

Water Water
60-65% 55-60%

Fat Fat
15-20% 20-30%
Minerals Minerals
~5-6% ~5-6%
Protein Protein
16-18% 14-16%

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 Body water
In a person with normal BMI, total body water represents:

55-60 % body weight in women

60-65% body weight in men

Question: Assume a man has a normal BMI weighs 70kg.

How much volume is water? [1kg ~ 1litre]

Fluid compartments of the body

Intracellular fluid (ICF) = fluid inside the cell
Extracellular fluid (ECF) = Interstitial fluid and Plasma

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 Distribution of body fluids

BODY Water

2/3 Intracellular (ICF) 1/3 Extracellular (ECF)

75% interstitial fluid 23% blood plasma

~2% Other
(Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), joint fluid)

Water content in different tissues/organs

lungs ~85%

brain ~75%

Skin ~65%

Bone ~30%

Adipose (fat) ~10%

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The transfer of water in and out of
cells
• Cell membranes are selectively permeable

• Large quantities of water are constantly moving in

and out of our cells

• Net movement of water is a significant cellular

process known as OSMOSIS

• Process of OSMOSIS will be the part of Week 3

lectures (ie Topic 3: Cell membrane transport ) and
Week 3 prac – Red blood cell permeability -

Body water balance

We gain water from:

drinking (60%)
eating (30%)
metabolism (10%)

We lose water in:

Insensible loss (skin, breathing ~800mls)
Minimal sweat (variable ~ 100mls)
Faeces (~200 mls per day)
Urine (adaptable: minimum 500mls up to ~1500mls)

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 Regulation (control) of Body water
Thirst determines intake:
1. associated with changes in blood volume and blood pressure

2. behavioural responses are also important

Urine production regulates water loss

1. Kidneys produce our urine

2. Hormones control body water by regulating kidney’s urine output

Antiduiretic hormone (ADH, vasopressin) secreted by pituitary gland.

Aldosterone - secreted by adrenal gland.

Chemical Properties of Water

1. Water is a POLAR molecule

2. The polar water molecules form

intermolecular bonds known as
HYDROGEN bonds.

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 Periodic Table of Elements (incomplete)

Formula of water (H2O) showing

its shape and polarity

Polar
covalent
O
bond

H H

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 Linus Pauling

• Chemist
• Teacher
• Peace Activist

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Electronegativity

Table source: http://socratic.org

Diff. in electronegativity between atoms Type of bond

Less than or equal to 0.4 Non-polar covalent

0.5 to 1.9 Polar covalent

> 2.0 Ionic
24

10
 Formula of water (H2O) showing
its shape and polarity

Polar
covalent
O
bond

H H

Water is a Polar covalent

compound or molecule
δ-

δ+ δ+

–Molecule has positively charged end and a

negatively charged end

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 Hydrogen Bond

h y d ro ge n
bond
+
- +
-

+
+
Must be Hydrogen

1. Oxygen is more ‘electronegative’ than hydrogen

2. The oxygen atom in molecule is a little bit negative ( - )

3. The hydrogen atoms in molecule are a little bit positive ( +)

Hydrogen Bonds

1. Water is a polar molecule

2. Water molecules form hydrogen bonds with each

other

3. Water molecules can from hydrogen bonds with

other polar molecules

4. Water can interact with charged ions (electrostatic

attraction)

Image source: Cooper GM. Sunderland (MA): The Cell: A Molecular Approach. 2nd edition. Sinauer
Associates; 2000.

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 Hydrogen Bond

A hydrogen bond is an intermolecular

bond

Water is a ‘sticky’ molecule

Water striders (order Hemiptera, family Gerridae)

blogspot.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_molecule

Droplets of water on a spider web

Ice crystal formation

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Thermal (Heat) Properties of Water
• Important properties occur as a result of
the hydrogen bonding between water
molecules:

1. High melting and boiling points

2. High heat capacity

3. High heat of vaporisation

Melting Point (MP) and Boiling

Point (BP)

1. Both MP and BP of water are HIGH compared

to other molecules of similar mass

2. It takes a significant amount of heat energy to

separate polar molecules as they move from
solid to liquid to gas.

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 Water has an unusually high heat
capacity

Heat Capacity is defined:

– the amount of heat energy required to raise the
temperature of a defined amount of a substance by
one degree

A HIGH heat capacity means:

– water can absorb a relatively large amount of heat
without undergoing a large change in temperature.

Implications for the Human Body – control of

Body temperature

Water can absorb heat energy without a large

temperature change

human body protection against the large

temperature changes in our external environment.

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Water has an unusually high heat
of vaporisation

Heat of vaporisation is defined:

– the amount of heat energy necessary to vaporise a
given amount of liquid without changing its
temperature.

The energy required to overcome the molecular forces

of attraction between the molecules of a liquid and
bring them to the vapour state where such
attractions are minimal.

Implications for the Human Body – cooling our

bodies by perspiring

1. We use this high heat of vaporization of water to

cool off on a hot day.

2. When we perspire, the evaporating water absorbs

heat from the body to enable the water (ie sweat)
to evaporate.

3. This transfer (removal) of heat provides an

effective means of cooling our bodies.

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 A ‘sticky’ molecule

A hydrogen bond is an intermolecular bond

Topic 2 – Building blocks of the human body -

Important Biological Molecules

1. Water

2. Carbon Chemistry
Screening of the ‘Solubility’ video

3. Lipids (fats)

4. Carbohydrates (sugars)

5. Proteins

6. Nucleic acids (DNA, RNA)

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Learning objectives

Carbon Chemistry (‘solubility’ video)

1. Identify the important functional groups found in biological

molecules.
2. Knowing the structures, predict which molecules would dissolve in
polar solvents and which would dissolve in non-polar solvents.
3. Explain how the forces between different molecules allow them to
dissolve.
4. Describe the molecular interactions involved in determining
membrane lipid bilayer formation and protein structure.

Carbon Chemistry

– The chemistry of all living organisms (that we know of) is based on carbon

– “Organic chemistry” is the chemistry of compounds containing carbon

– Important biological molecules are made of only a few elements:

1. carbon
2. hydrogen
3. oxygen
4. nitrogen
5. phosphorous
6. Sulphur
– In biological compounds, carbon often bonds with hydrogen

– forms compounds called hydrocarbons

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 Periodic Table of Elements (part only)

Electronegativity

Table source: http://socratic.org

Diff. in electronegativity between Type of bond

atoms

Less than or equal to 0.4 Non-polar covalent

0.5 to 1.9 Polar covalent

> 2.0 Ionic

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Hydrocarbons

– small difference in electronegativity between carbon and

hydrogen (diff. < 0.4)

– means the pair of electrons in the carbon-hydrogen bond are

evenly shared

– therefore the C-H bond is non-polar

Solubility

– Hydrocarbons that are composed only of carbon & hydrogen are:

– non-polar

– soluble in non-polar solvents (eg kerosene, acetone)

– insoluble in a polar solvent such as water) (hydrophobic)

LIKE dissolves in LIKE

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Hydrocarbons in the body

– Hydrocarbon chains are very important in the body, for

example, they are a major components of our:

– our body lipids (fat) storage molecules

– cell membranes

Functional Groups

The important biological compounds also tend to contain other

atoms eg oxygen, nitrogen

When these are part of a hydrocarbon molecule there is a

tendency for the molecule more polar and therefore more water
soluble (hydrophilic) 51

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 Functional Groups

The four main functional groups found in body molecules are:

1. hydroxyl (or alcohol) group

2. carbonyl group
3. carboxyl group
4. amino group

Functional Groups and Polarity

– When oxygen or nitrogen are part of a hydrocarbon molecule

they make it

– more polar

– more water-soluble (or hydrophilic)

This will be focus of the……………

SOLUBILITY VIDEO to be screened during the lecture time.
Bring your ‘BIOS1167 Student manual’ to lecture
‘Solubility’ worksheet to be completed whilst viewing video

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