BIOLOGICAL MOLECULES-water

BIOLOGICAL MOLECULES
Introduction
Chemical compounds1 which make up the cells, tissues and organs of living organisms
are divided into two groups:
1. Organic compounds
2. Inorganic compounds
Organic Compounds
All living things are composed of organic compounds. Generally, organic compounds are
distinguished from inorganic compounds by the presence of both carbon and hydrogen.
We are referred to as carbon-based life forms, as is all life on earth. This means that
carbon is a component of most of the chemical molecules that make up living organisms
on earth. The main organic compounds found in living organisms are carbohydrates,
lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, (which are macromolecules) and vitamins.
Inorganic Compounds
An inorganic compound is a chemical compound that is not an organic compound. Of all
the the inorganic compounds, minerals and water are the most important.
We will now examine the chemical structure of water.
Water
We often perceive liquid water (H2O) (water is liquid between 0 and 1000C) to be
ordinary as it is transparent, odorless and tasteless. It is the simplest compound of the two
most common reactive elements in the Universe, consisting of just two hydrogen atoms
attached to an oxygen atom. Actually, very few molecules are smaller or lighter.
1. A chemical compound is a chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemically bonded chemical elements, with a
fixed ratio determining the composition. The ratio of each element is usually expressed by chemical formula. For example, water
(H2O) is a compound consisting of two hydrogen atoms bonded to every oxygen atom.
However, liquid water is the most extraordinary substance. Although we drink it, wash,
fish and swim in it, and cook with it, we nearly always overlook the special relationship it
has with our lives. Approximately 80% of most human cells are water and 60% of the
whole body is made up of it. Water provides the medium for almost all chemical reaction
of life to take place, as many of the chemical reaction in cells take place in aqueous
solution.
Water molecules are polar molecules 2 with a negatively charged oxygen atom (-) and
positively charge hydrogen atoms (+). These opposite charges attract each other, forming
hydrogen bonds.
The polarity of water is caused by its shape. Instead of being in a straight line (180 0), the
angle between the two hydrogen atoms is only 1050.
O δ-
H 1050C H
δ+ δ+
Water has a number of important properties essential for life. Many of the properties
below are due to the hydrogen bonds in water:
 Solvent. Because it is charged, (the positively charged hydrogen atoms and a

negatively charged oxygen atom) water is a very good solvent. Charged or polar
molecules such as salts, sugars, amino acids dissolve readily in water and so are
called hydrophilic ("water loving"). Uncharged or non-polar molecules such as
lipids do not dissolve so well in water and are called hydrophobic ("water
hating").
2. A polar molecule is one which has an unevenly distributed electrical charge, so there is a positive region and a negative region.
 Specific heat capacity or thermal properties. A substance’s specific heat
capacity is the amount of energy in joules required to raise the temperature of 1
gram of that substance by 10C. Water has a specific heat capacity of 4.2 J g -1 °C-1,
which means that it takes 4.2 joules of energy to heat 1 g of water by 1°C. This is
unusually high and it means that water does not change temperature very easily.
This minimizes fluctuations in temperature inside cells, and it also means that sea
temperature is remarkably constant.
 Latent heat of vaporization. Water requires a lot of energy to change state from
a liquid into a gas, and this is made use of as a cooling mechanism in animals
(sweating and panting) and plants (transpiration- the loss of water by evaporation
from the surface of leaves). As water evaporates it extracts heat from around it,
cooling the organism.
 Latent heat of fusion. Water also requires a lot of heat to change state from a
solid to a liquid, and must loose a lot of heat to change state from a liquid to a
solid. This means it is difficult to freeze water, so ice crystals are less likely to
form inside cells.
 Density or Water freezing properties. Water is unique in that the solid state
(ice) is less dense that the liquid state, so ice floats on water. As the air
temperature cools, bodies of water freeze from the surface, forming a layer of ice
with liquid water underneath. This allows aquatic ecosystems to exist even in sub-
zero temperatures.
 Cohesion or Surface tension of water. Surface tension is the force that causes
the surface of a liquid to contract so that it occupies the least possible area. Water
molecules "stick together" due to their hydrogen bonds, so water has high
cohesion. This explains why long columns of water can be sucked up tall trees by
transpiration without breaking. It also explains surface tension, which allows
small animals to walk on water.
 Transparency. This feature is very important biologically. The presence of
light facilitates photosynthesis in oceans and other aquatic environment thus
providing for a community of living organism. It is also of great importance to
animals living in water, for it allows them to see.
References
1. Mark Rothery’s Biology Website http://www.mrothery.co.uk/cells/cellnotes.htm
2. Roberts, M., R. Michael and G. Monger. 2000. Advanced Biology. Nelson

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BIOLOGICAL MOLECULES

We will now examine the chemical structure of water.

 Solvent. Because it is charged, (the positively charged hydrogen atoms and a

1. Mark Rothery’s Biology Website http://www.mrothery.co.uk/cells/cellnotes.htm

2. Roberts, M., R. Michael and G. Monger. 2000. Advanced Biology. Nelson

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