Biochemistry is a branch of science

concerned with chemical and

physio-chemical processes and
substances which occur within living
organisms

About 60-90 percent of an

organism is water

Water is used in most

reactions in the body

Water is called the

universal solvent

Polarity
Cohesiveness
Adhesiveness
Surface

Tension

Although a cell is
mostly water, the rest
of the cell consists
mostly of carbonbased molecules

Organic chemistry is
the study of carbon
compounds

Each type of organic

molecule has a unique
three-dimensional
shape

The shape determines

its function in an
organism

Large molecules are

called polymers

Polymers are built

from smaller
molecules called
monomers

Biologists call them

macromolecules

Proteins

Lipids

Carbohydrates
Nucleic Acids

There are four categories of large molecules in

cells:
Carbohydrates
Lipids
Proteins
Nucleic Acids

Carbohydrates include:
Small sugar molecules in
soft drinks
Long starch molecules in
pasta and potatoes

Lipids are hydrophobic water fearing

Includes fats,
waxes, steroids,
& oils

FAT MOLECULE

Fats store energy, which helps to insulate the

body, and cushion and protect organs

Proteins are polymers made of monomers

called amino acids
All proteins are made of 20 different amino acids
linked in different orders
Proteins are used to build cells, act as hormones
& enzymes, and do much of the work in a cell

Stores hereditary information

Contain information for making all the bodys
proteins
There are two types of nucleic acids

DNA

RNA

Nitrogenous base
(A,G,C, or T)

Nucleic acids
are polymers
of nucleotides

Thymine (T)

Phosphate
group

Phosphate

Sugar
(deoxyribose)

Base

Sugar
Nucleotide

Copyright Cmassengale

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