Unit Topic: Chemistry of Life
Broad Concept: All life is built out of four essential molecules: proteins, carbohydrates,
lipids, and nucleic acids.
Carbon compounds:
1. Organic means made from carbon
- CHONPS (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur)
2. Protein, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids
3. Draw how monomers bond together through dehydration synthesis reaction to
form polymer
4. Draw how polymers break down to form monomers through hydrolysis reaction
5. protein, carbohydrate, lipid, nucleic acid are the Big 4
- organic molecules because they are all carbon based
Carbohydrates:
1. carbohydrates are the main energy source for plants and animals
2. Monosacharrides are the monomers of complex carbohydrates
- glucose is most common monomer or monosaccharide
3. disaccharide is two monosaccharides chemically combined through dehydration
synthesis reaction (they lose water and bond at oxygen)
- sucrose is glucose bonded with fructose and it’s common name is table
sugar
4. Identify the structure of the simple sugar glucose and use this structure to build
any of the three major complex carbohydrates: glycogen, starch, and cellulose
5. List the function of the three major polysaccharides and describe whether they are
found in plants or animals
- Cellulose: found in plants and provides support in cell walls
- Starch: found in plants and plants use starch to store energy
- Glycogen: found in animals and is used to store energy
Lipids:
1. List the various roles lipids have in the human body
- secondary energy source, insulate the body, build cell membranes, protective
coating (wax), and steroids/hormones in the body
2. Label the fatty acids and glycerol on a triglyceride and a phospholipids
Triglyceride
phospholipid
3. Know the difference in structure of saturated fats and unsaturated fats and the
impact it has on their chemical properties
- unsaturated fats have double bonds (fewer bonds to hydrogen atoms) and
tend to be liquids at room temp
- saturated fats have no double bonds and tend to be solid at room
temperature
4. Describe how the difference in structure between a triglyceride and a
phospholipids leads to a difference in function
- phospholipids are glycerol and 2 fatty acids - they have a hydrophilic
head and hydrophobic tail so a cell membrane that has a bilayer of
phospholipids forms a barrier between inside and outside of cell
- triglycerides are glycerol and 3 fatty acids and can be saturated (animal
fats and shortening) or unsaturated (seeds and plants oils)
5. Know that steroids include male hormones and cholesterol and waxes are types of
lipids
- male hormones like testosterone
- cholesterol is used by cells to make hormones and help in digestion
- waxes for protective coating, candles, lipstick
Nucleic Acids:
1. Know that DNA and RNA are the two types of nucleic acids
2. Explain the function of nucleic acids in human body
- carry genetic information
- tell cell what proteins to make
3. Label the three different parts to a nucleotide: phosphate, sugar, and base
4. Describe the function of DNA and contrast this to the function of RNA
- DNA carries the genetic code and is essential for all cell activities
- RNA stores and transfers info needed to make proteins
Proteins:
1. List and describe the various roles proteins play in the human body
- builds strong muscles
-
hemoglobin transports oxygen in the blood
antibodies help fight disease in your immune system
keratin strengthens structure of hair, skin, nails
collagen strengthens bone and connective tissue
enzymes speed up many reactions in the body
2. Label the different parts to an amino acid, including the R group
3. Identify that there are 20 different amino acids and the arrangement of the 20
impacts the shape of the protein made and impacts the function of the protein
- 20 different amino acids that have different R groups
- different combinations of amino acids gives protein unique shapes
- shape of protein determines how it functions
4. Draw and describe how an enzyme works on a substrate using the Lock and Key
hypothesis
-
enzyme attaches to substrate
bonds in substrate weaken
products made
enzyme releases product
5. Explain trends in graphs showing relationship between temperature and enzymes
and pH and enzymes
- enzymes work best at a certain temperature and pH
- if temperature is too high or too low then enzyme no longer works
- if pH is too high or too low then enzyme no longer works