Name:________________________ Per:______________ Date:_____________
UNIT 1 Biochemistry Notes
Pre-AP Biology
 Carbon
 Can form large and complex structures
 ______________________ - study of carbon compounds
 Organic vs. Inorganic Compounds
 ______________________ – Compounds that contain carbons.
 Lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates
 ______________________ – Compounds that do NOT contain carbon.
 Salts, water, oxygen
 Macromolecules
 ______________________ – “Giant molecules” made from smaller
molecules
 Formed by a process known as ______________________, in which
large compounds are built by joining smaller ones together.
 The smaller units, or ______________, join together to form
________________.
 Organic Compounds
 Four groups found in living things are:
 Carbohydrates
 Lipids
 Nucleic Acids
 Proteins
 Carbohydrates (carbo =carbon hydrate = H20)
 Compounds made up of ______________, ______________, and ______________ atoms
 Ratio of 1 : 2 : 1.
 Uses of Carbohydrates
 Living things use carbohydrates as:
 Main source of ______________. (starches and sugars)
 Plants and some animals also use carbohydrates for
____________________.
 Uses of Carbohydrates
 Animals
 Store excess sugar in the form of ______________.
1. Located/made in liver and muscles
 Plants
 Store excess sugar in the form of ______________ for
energy
 Use tough, flexible ______________ fibers to give them
their
strength and rigidity
 Both
 ______________ is main energy source for cells
Name:________________________ Per:______________ Date:_____________
 Classification of Sugars
 ______________ – Single (simple) sugar molecules
 Examples: ______________, Galactose, Fructose
 ______________– Double sugar molecules
 Examples:
1. Glucose + Fructose = Sucrose
2. Glucose + Galactose = Lactose
3. Glucose + Glucose = Maltose
 ______________– More than two monosaccharide molecules
 Examples: Starch, Cellulose, Chitin, Glycogen
 Lipids
 Common categories of lipids are
 Fats
 Oils
 _________________
 Functions:
 Can be used to store _____________
 Some lipids are important parts of
biological membranes and waterproof
coverings
 Can serve as chemical messengers
(steroids only)
 Generally not soluble in water
 Structure of Lipids
 Made mostly from _____________, _____________,and
_____________atoms
 Usually has relatively small amounts of oxygen
 Glycerol molecule + 3 fatty acids (Triglycerides)
 Saturated and Unsaturated Lipids
 _____________________- If each carbon atom in a lipid's fatty acid chains is joined to
another carbon atom by a _____________bond.
 “Saturated” means it has the maximum possible number
of hydrogen atoms
 Solid at room temperature
 Examples – Cholesterol, butter, chocolate
 ____________________- If there is at least one carbon-carbon
_____________bond in a fatty acid.
 Liquid at room
temperature
 Examples - Corn oil,
sesame oil, canola oil,
and peanut oil
Name:________________________ Per:______________ Date:_____________
 Protein
 _____________- Macromolecules that contain
nitrogen as well as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
 Made up of chains of _____________folded into
complex structures.
 Amino Acids - Compounds with an
_____________ (−NH2) on one end and a
_____________ (−COOH) on the other end.
 Amino Acids
 There are more than _______ different amino acids.
 Any amino acid may be joined to any other amino acid by bonding an amino group to a
carboxyl group by dehydration synthesis.
 There are more than 20 different amino acids.
 What distinguishes one amino acid from another is the R-group (functional group) section of
the molecule.
 Functions of Proteins
 Each protein has a specific role.
 Some proteins control the rate
of reactions and regulate cell processes.
 _____________
 Some are used to form bones
and muscles and tissues.
 Structurally = collagen and keratin
 Others transport substances into or out of cells or help to fight disease.
 Antibodies
 Transport channels in the cell membrane
 Nucleic Acids
 ______________________ - Macromolecules containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen,
carbon, and phosphorus.
 Made up of repeating units called _____________
 Each nucleotide contains:
 5-Carbon Sugar
 Phosphate Group
 Nitrogenous Base
 Nucleic Acids
 Function:
 Store genetic information
 Transmit genetic information
 Two Kinds of Nucleic Acids:
 Ribonucleic acid (__________)
 Contains the sugar ribose
 Single stranded
 Deoxyribonucleic acid (___________)
 Contains the sugar deoxyribose
Name:________________________ Per:______________ Date:_____________

Double stranded
 Dehydration Synthesis
 _____________ _____________ – A chemical reaction that builds up molecules by losing
water molecules.
 Used to put together monomers to build polymers.
 The “dehydration” part is the removal of water
 The “synthesis” part is the joining of the two smaller compounds to create one
larger one
 TRICK: There will always be one less water produced than the number of monomers
joining together.
 Hydrolysis
 _____________ – The rupture of chemical bonds by
the addition of water.
 Used to break down polymers into their monomers.
 Chemical Reactions
 _____________ _____________ - A process that
changes one set of chemicals into another set of
chemicals.
 Always involve the breaking of bonds in
reactants and the formation of new bonds in
products.
 Chemical Reactions and Water
 Molecules cannot react chemically unless they are in solution, so virtually all chemical
reactions in the body depend upon water’s solvent properties.
 Most abundant inorganic compound in the body (accounts for 2/3 of body weight).
 Chemical Reactions
 _____________ - The elements or compounds that enter into a chemical reaction.
 _____________ - The elements or compounds produced by a chemical reaction.
Na + Cl  NaCl
 Energy in Reactions
 Because chemical reactions involve breaking and forming bonds, they involve changes in
_____________.
 Will the chemical reaction occur?
 Chemical reactions that release energy often occur spontaneously.
 Energy is released in the form of heat, light, and sound.
 Chemical reactions that absorb energy will not occur without a source of
energy.
 Every organism must have a source of energy to carry out necessary
chemical reactions.
 Organisms and Energy
Name:________________________ Per:______________ Date:_____________
 Plants
 Get their energy by trapping and storing the energy from sunlight in energy-rich
compounds.
 Animals
 Get their energy when they consume plants or other animals.
 Release the energy needed to grow tall, to breathe, or to think through the
chemical reactions that occur when humans metabolize, or break down,
digested food.
 Activation Energy
 _____________ _____________ - The energy that is needed to get a reaction started.
 The peak of each graph represents the energy needed for the reaction to go
forward.
 The difference between this required energy and the energy of the reactants is
the activation energy.
 Catalysts
 Some chemical reactions that make life possible are too slow or have activation energies
that are too high to make them practical for living
tissue and cells.
 _____________ - A substance that speeds up the rate
of a chemical reaction by lowering a reaction’s
activation energy.
 Enzymes
 Enzymes - Proteins that act as biological catalysts.
 Speed up chemical reactions that take place
in cells. (by lowering activation energy)
 Very specific, generally catalyzing only one
chemical reaction.
 Part of an enzyme's name is usually derived
from the reaction it catalyzes.
 How Do Enzymes Work?
 _____________ - The reactants of enzyme-catalyzed reactions.
 The Enzyme-Substrate Complex
 Enzymes provide a site where
reactants can be brought
together to react.
 This site reduces the energy
needed for reaction.
 Each protein has a specific,
complex shape.
 _____________ – The site on the enzyme where substrates bind.
 The active site and the substrates have complementary shapes, which is
often compared to __________________________
 Regulation of Enzyme Activity
 Enzymes can be affected by any variable that influences a chemical reaction such as:
 pH
 Temperature
 Cells contain proteins that help to turn key enzymes “on” or “off”