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Introduction Biochem

This document provides an introduction to biochemistry. It defines biochemistry as the science concerned with the chemical basis of life and the chemical constituents of living cells. It notes that biochemistry applies principles of chemistry to biology and physiology. The document outlines some of the key areas of biochemistry including structural chemistry, metabolism, and molecular genetics. It also discusses some important historical figures and discoveries that helped establish biochemistry as a field, and explains how knowledge of biochemistry is essential to many other life science disciplines and applications.

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Takunda Muzvidziwa
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51 views25 pages

Introduction Biochem

This document provides an introduction to biochemistry. It defines biochemistry as the science concerned with the chemical basis of life and the chemical constituents of living cells. It notes that biochemistry applies principles of chemistry to biology and physiology. The document outlines some of the key areas of biochemistry including structural chemistry, metabolism, and molecular genetics. It also discusses some important historical figures and discoveries that helped establish biochemistry as a field, and explains how knowledge of biochemistry is essential to many other life science disciplines and applications.

Uploaded by

Takunda Muzvidziwa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BIOCHEMISTRY-

INTRODUCTION
Mukabila-M
INTRODUCTION
 Biochemistry is the science concerned with the chemical
basis of life.

 It is also the science concerned with the chemical


constituents of living cells and with the reactions and
processes they undergo.

 It is the application of the principles and methods of


chemistry to the field of biology and physiology.
2
WHAT IS BIOCHEMISTRY?

฀ Biochemistry is a branch of medical science that seeks to


describe the structure, organization and functions of living
matter in molecular terms.
฀ It is the chemistry of life. It is divided into 3 principal areas :

฀ 1 . Structural chemistry

฀ 2 . Metabolism

฀ 3 . Chemistry of molecular genetics

3
ROOTS OF BIOCHEMISTRY

 Karl Scheele – Swedish founder of biochemistry. He studied


the chemical composition of matter in mid 1700.
 Schleiden & Schwann – formulated the cell theory in 1840.
 Walter Flemming – discovered chromosomes in 1875
 Carl Newberg – a German scientist who coined the word
biochemistry

4
ROOTS OF BIOCHEMISTRY
Edward & Hans Buchner – found that extracts from
yeasts could bring about fermentation of sugar into
ethanol in 1897
Hans Kreb – Proposed the Kreb cycle of the TCA in
1937.
Embden & Mayerhoff – described the glycolytic
pathway in 1925.
James Watson & Francis Crick – described the double
helical structure of DNA in 1953
5
ROOTS OF BIOCHEMISTRY

฀ Paul Boyer and J. Walker – discovered the “rotary engine” that


generated ATP in 1997.
฀ Danish J. Skou- studied the “pump” that drives sodium and
potassium across membranes
฀ Stanley Prusiner – discovered the organism that caused “mad
cow disease.”
฀ Ruska, et.al. – discovered the electron microscope and provided
a whole new level of insight into cellular structure.

6
A KNOWLEDGE OF BIOCHEMISTRY IS ESSENTIAL TO ALL LIFE
PROCESSES
 The biochemistry of nucleic acids lies at the heart of Genetics;
application of genetic engineering and cloning
 Physiology overlaps with biochemistry almost completely
 Immunology employs numerous biochemical
techniques/approaches
 Pharmacology and pharmacy rest on sound knowledge of
biochemistry in the creation of “designer drugs” or drug
architecture

7
A KNOWLEDGE OF BIOCHEMISTRY IS ESSENTIAL TO ALL LIFE
PROCESSES

 Agricultural engineering

 Used in Environmental Science


 Importance in Biology (zoology & botany) and in microbiology for
many scientists

 Biochemical approaches are employed in Pathology

8
IMPORTANCE OF BIOCHEMISTRY IN NURSING

฀ Thediagnosis and monitoring of any clinical condition is


easily possible by biochemical estimations such as:
 Liver function tests :- helps understand the type of
disease or damage to liver, the effect of any medication
on liver etc.
 Blood test: In diabetes, biochemical analytical test for
blood glucose level

9
IMPORTANCE OF BIOCHEMISTRY IN NURSING

 Kidney function test: used in monitoring kidney disorders, other


chemotherapy treatment and urine tests help in understanding
the extent of excretion of drugs or other metabolites, the change
in pH and the color of urine
 Another biochemical test that can be done measures ketone
bodies in urine and indicates the stage of diabetes

10
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF LIVING
MATTER
฀ Water – 70-90% (free and bound water)
฀ Solids – 10-30%

฀ Inorganic substances – 1% (Na, K, Ca, Mg,, Cl-, SO4, PO 4-3, CO3-2,


etc.
฀ Traces of Fe, I2, Cu, Mn, Co, Zn are also present in combination
with organic radicals
฀ Rest- organic substancesNH4

11
WHAT ARE BIOMOLECULES

฀ These are compounds of carbon with a variety of functional


groups
฀ Two broad types: micromolecules and
macromolecules(carbohydrates, proteins e.tc)

12
CHEMICAL REACTIONS OCCURRING IN LIVING MATTER (IN VIVO)

฀ Oxidation

฀ Reduction

฀ Hydrolysis

฀ Condensation

฀ Tautomerism

13
OXIDATION AND REDUCTION

14
DEFINITIONS: OXIDATION AND REDUCTION IN TERMS OF OXYGEN
TRANSFER

฀ Oxidationis gain of oxygen.


฀ Reduction is loss of oxygen.

฀ NOTE: Oxidising agents give oxygen to another substance.


฀ Reducing agents remove oxygen from another substance.

15
DEFINITION: OXIDATION AND REDUCTION IN TERMS OF
HYDROGEN TRANSFER
฀ Oxidation is loss of hydrogen.
฀ Reduction is gain of hydrogen.

THEREFORE:
฀ Oxidising agents give oxygen to another substance or remove
hydrogen from it.
฀ Reducing agents remove oxygen from another substance or give
hydrogen to it

16
DEFINITIONS: OXIDATION AND REDUCTION IN TERMS OF
ELECTRON TRANSFER

฀ Oxidation is loss of electrons.

฀ Reduction is gain of electrons.

฀ EASIER WAY TO REMEMBER

฀ OIL RIG
Oxidation Reduction
is loss is gain

17
REMEMBER

฀whenever oxidation occurs there is a simultaneous


and corresponding reduction.
฀All foods and organic substances have the property of
taking up oxygen, hence they are reducing agents.

18
HYDROLYSIS

฀Hydrolysis is the union of a substance with one or


more molecules of water, forming an unstable
“substance-water complex” which is subsequently
fragmented.
฀Through hydrolysis, large molecules are broken down
into smaller and simpler forms.

19
CONDENSATION

฀ Condensation is the reaction wherein simple fragments unite


with one another to form a more complex compound.
฀ The synthesis of complex substances like glycogen and tissue
protein is accomplished through this process

20
TAUTOMERISM

฀ Tautomerism or isomeric transformation is the intramolecular


rearrangement of atoms within a molecule leading to the
formation of a new substance having distinctive properties of its
own.
฀ Example: transformation of glucose into galactose; galactose
into mannose

21
Glucose-Mannose

22
WHAT IS HAPPENNING IN THESE REACTIONS?
฀ Nucleophilic Substitution
One atom or group substituted for another
฀ Elimination Reactions
Double bond is formed when atoms in a molecule is removeD
฀ Addition Reactions:
 wo molecules combine to form a single product.
 Hydration Reactions
 Water added to alkene > alcohol (common addition rxn)

23
NEXT MEETING

฀Physical and chemical properties of water

24
THANK YOU

25

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