INTRODUCTION TO
BIOCHEMISTRY
Course Code: BCH-301
Credit Hours: 3 (3-0)
Submitted by:
Unique Property Of Carbon With Variety Of:
Group 6
 Functional group
ROLL# 107, 108, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114
 Law of mas action in body
Submitted to:
Mam kousar Sindhu
Unique properties of carbon
Unique properties of carbon are given below:
 Catenation: Mean property to form self linkage.
 Tetravalency : Mean it has 4 electrons and could form 4 stable covalent
bonds.
 Isomerism: There is a phenomenon occur specially in which there are similar
molecular formula of different compounds but should be different structural
formula.
 Polymerization: Simple molecules combine and form large one..
 Cracking: easily occur.
Tetravalency of Carbon
Isomerism of Carbon
Polymerization of Carbon
Cracking of Carbon
involves the break down of long
hydrocarbons
Property of Carbon with functional
groups:
Bonding of Carbon with different Elements
•
The unique properties of carbon make it a central part of biological
molecules.
•
Carbon binds to oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen covalently to form the
many molecules important for cellular function.
•
Carbon has four electrons in its outermost shell and can form four bonds.
•
Carbon and hydrogen can form hydrocarbon chains or rings.
•
Functional groups are groups of atoms that confer specific properties to
hydrocarbon (or substituted hydrocarbon) chains or rings that define their
overall chemical characteristics and function
Uniqueness of Carbon structure & Bonding
capabilities of Carbon
Organic chemistry is a very vast and complex subject. There are millions of known
organic compounds, which is far more than the number of inorganic compounds.
The reason lies within the uniqueness of carbon’s structure and bonding
capabilities.

Carbon has four valence electrons and therefore makes four separate covalent
bonds in compounds.

Carbon has the ability to bond to itself repeatedly, making long chains of
carbon atoms as well as ringed structures. These bonds can be single, double,
or triple covalent bonds.

Carbon readily makes covalent bonds with other elements, primarily hydrogen,
oxygen, nitrogen, halogens, and several other nonmetals.

The atoms of a functional group are linked together and to the rest of the
compound by covalent bonds.
Alpha, Beta & Gamma Carbon
1. The first carbon atom that attaches to the functional group is
referred to as the alpha carbon
2. The second, the beta carbon
3. The third, the gamma carbon, etc.
Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Carbon
 A functional group can be referred to as primary, secondary,
or tertiary, depending on if it is attached to one, two, or three
carbon atoms.
Carbon with functional groups
In organic chemistry, the most common functional groups are carbonyls
(C=O), alcohols (-OH), carboxylic acids (CO2H), esters (CO2R), and amines
(NH2). It is important to be able to recognize the functional groups and the
physical and chemical properties that they afford compounds.
 Alkane: Any of the saturated hydrocarbons—including methane, ethane,
and compounds with long carbon chain known as paraffins, etc.— that
have a chemical formula of the form CnH2n+2.
 Aldehyde: Any of a large class of reactive organic compounds (R·CHO)
having a carbonyl functional group attached to one hydrocarbon radical
and a hydrogen atom.
 Carboxylic acid: Any of a class of organic compounds containing a
carboxyl functional group—a carbon with a double bond to an oxygen
and a single bond to another oxygen, which is in turn bonded to a
hydrogen.
Law Of Mass Action In The Body
This law is proposed by Guldberg and Waage in 1869.
Statement:
“The rate of a chemical reaction is proportional to the product of the
concentrations of the reactants.”
Formula:
𝐴′ 𝐵′
𝐾𝑐 =
𝐴 [𝐵]
•
[A] =
concentration of reactant A
•
[B]
=
concentration of reactant B
•
[A’] =
concentration of product A
•
[B’] =
concentration of product B
Unit and Example:
 Unit
Generally an active mass is considered as the molar concentration in units of moldm3, expressed as square brackets [ ].
Moles per decimeter cube: moldm−3
For example:
Consider the reaction:
2NO2 ⇌ N2O4
Applying the Law of Mass Action formula, the expression for the equilibrium constant
for this reaction is:
Kc = [N2O4] / [NO2]2
Taking the values of [N2O4] = 0.0417 mol L-1
[NO2] = 0.0165 mol L-1
Kc = 0.0417 / 0.01652 = 153
Q. How to Derive the Law of Mass
Action?
Consider the following reversible reaction hypothetically:
aA + bB ⇌ cC + dD
Forward Reaction
According to the Law of Mass Action, the rate of forward reaction will be:
Rf ∝ Aa Bb
Therefore, Rf = Kf Aa Bb, where Kf is the forward reaction’s rate constant
Backward Reaction
The backward reaction rate will be:
Rb ∝ Cc Dd
Or, Rb= KbCc Dd, where Kb is the backward reaction’s rate constant
Reactions at Chemical Equilibrium
Now, for a reaction to be in chemical equilibrium,
Rf = Rb
Or, Kf Aa Bb = KbCc Dd
Therefore, Kf / Kb = Cc Dd / Aa Bb
 Equilibrium Constant (Kc) :
Or, Kc = Cc Dd / Aa Bb
The above equation is known as the Mass Law equation, and Kc is termed as
the equilibrium constant.
Concentration Quotient (Qc):
The Concentration Quotient (Qc)of a chemical reaction at a given
temperature is defined as the ratio of the product of the concentrations of the
products to that of the reactants. However, as the system reacts the value of
Qc will fluctuate, but the equilibrium concentrations will determine the
equilibrium constant Kc.
 If Qc> Kc, the reaction will be occurring in the backward direction
 If Qc< Kc, the reaction will be occurring in the forward direction
 If Qc= Kc, the reaction shall remain in equilibrium
Summary
 Carbon atoms are unique because they can bond together to form very
long, durable chains that can have branches or rings of various sizes and
often contain thousands of carbon atoms. Silicon and a few other elements
can form similar chains; but they are generally shorter, and much less
durable.
 Law of Mass Action states that the rate of a chemical reaction at a given
temperature and instant is directly proportional to the product of the
reactants’ active masses.