Chemistry of Life
Chemistry of Life
 Matter
-- anything that has
MASS and takes up SPACE
 EVERYTHING
matter
is made of
Chemistry of Life
– the SMALLEST
particle that can exist and
still be considered matter
 Atoms
 All
LIVING and NONLIVING
things are made of atoms
Atoms -- have three components
 ELECTRONS
-- negatively
charged
 PROTONS -- positively
charged; found in nucleus
 NEUTRONS -- neutral; found in
nucleus
Electrons
Nucleus
Protons & Neutrons
Energy Levels
Chemical Reactions

Chemical reactions occur when
bonds are FORMED or BROKEN.

This causes them to recombine into
different substances.
Chemical Reactions

Metabolism
– All reactions that occur in an
organisms.

These reactions break down and build
molecules important to life.
Chemical Reactions

Mixture:
– A combination of a substance in
which the individual components
contain their own property.
Chemistry of the Cell

Solution:
– A mixture in which one or more
substances are distributed evenly in
another substance.
Solvent:
Solute:
•A substance that
•The substance
can dissolve other that is dissolved
substances
pH

Chemical reactions also depend on the
pH of the environment within the
organism.

pH– A measure of how acidic or basic a
solution is.
pH

The scale goes from 0-14
– 0 being the most acidic
– 14 being the most basic
Chemistry of Life
 Elements
-- a substance
that is made of only ONE
kind of ATOM
Reading Periodic Table
Element
Atomic
Number
Symbol
The Human Body
Major Elements of Life
C
= Carbon
 H = Hydrogen
 O = Oxygen
 P = Phosphorus
 K = Potassium
Major Elements of Life
I
= Iodine
 N = Nitrogen
 S = Sulfur
 Ca = Calcium
Major Elements of Life
 Fe
= Iron
 Mg = Magnesium
 Na = Sodium
 Cl = Chlorine
Chemistry of Life
– matter that is
made of more than one kind of
ATOM
 Compounds are made by atoms
sharing or taking ELECTRONS
from other atom
 Compounds
Inorganic Compounds
 Water
( H2O )
 Each molecule is made of
two HYDROGEN atoms
and one OXYGEN atom
Water –H20
Why is water so important to
agriculture?
 At
least 75% of animal body
mass is water
 Plants contain 70-80% water
 Transports nutrients and
wastes
Why is water so important to
agriculture?
 Dissolves
compounds -“Universal Solvent”
 Regulates body temperature
in animals
 Provides structure for plants
Organic Compounds

Organic Compounds contain
carbon.

Carbon forms the structural
backbone of all living things.
Carbohydrates

Organic Compounds that contain:
– Carbon
– Hydrogen
– Oxygen

They provide energy
Carbohydrates

Three Types
– Monosaccharides
– Disaccharides
– Polysaccharides
Carbohydrates

Monosaccharides
– simple SUGAR
– contain C6H12O6
– GLUCOSE, FRUCTOSE, AND
GALACTOSE
Carbohydrates

Disaccharides
– double SUGAR
– contain two RINGS
– SUCROSE and LACTOSE
Carbohydrates

Polysaccharides
– complex CARBOHYDRATES
– made of RINGS of SUGAR
– STARCH, CELLULOSE, and
GLYCOGEN
Proteins

Basic building material for all living
things.

Used for STRUCTURE and FUNCTION

Made of H, O, C, N
Structure of Proteins

Amino Acids – building BLOCKS
– 20 different kinds – all have the same
elements but in different amounts



Polypeptides – chains of AMINO ACIDS
Joined by peptide bonds
Proteins – chains of POLYPEPTIDES
Used to make SKIN, HAIR, MUSCLE,
ORGANS, etc.
Lipids






FATTY molecules
used to store ENERGY
Made of long chains of H & C
followed by COOH
Do not DISSOLVE in WATER
Lipids have less OXYGEN than
carbohydrates
Examples of Lipids are: FATS, OILS,
AND WAXES
Nucleic Acids

Store INFORMATION that controls
CELL activities

Made of a PHOSPHATE a SUGAR,
and a BASE.
Examples of Nucleic Acids are:

DNA :
– Deoxyribonucleic Acid


The master copy of an organisms
information code.
Instructions to form all of an organisms
structural proteins
Examples of Nucleic Acids are:

RNA :
– Ribonucleic Acid

This forms a copy of the DNA for use in
making protein.
Atoms are the building block
of life!