The Chemistry Of Life

Submitted By fxckmehes
Words: 371
Pages: 2

The Chemistry of Life
What are living creatures made of?
Why do we have to eat?

Regents Biology

2006-2007

ELEMENTS OF LIFE

▪96% of living organisms is made of: ■carbon

(C)
■oxygen (O)
■hydrogen (H)
■nitrogen (N)

Regents Biology

MOLECULES OF LIFE
▪Put C, H, O, N together in different ways to build living organisms

▪What are bodies made of? carbohydrates ◆

▪sugars & starches

proteins
◆fats (lipids)
◆nucleic acids


▪DNA, RNA
Regents Biology

WHY DO WE EAT?
▪We eat to take in more of these chemicals
Food for building materials



▪to make more of us (cells)
▪for growth
▪for repair

Food to make energy



▪calories
▪to make ATP

Regents Biology

ATP

WHAT DO WE NEED TO EAT?
▪Foods to give you more building blocks
& more energy
▪for building & running bodies

carbohydrates
◆proteins
◆fats
◆nucleic acids
◆vitamins
◆minerals, salts
◆water


Regents Biology

DON’T FORGET WATER
▪Water
65% of your body is H2O
◆water is inorganic


▪doesn’t contain carbon

▪Rest of you is made of carbon molecules organic molecules



▪carbohydrates
▪proteins
▪fats
▪nucleic acids
Regents Biology

How do we make these molecules?

We build them!

Regents Biology

2006-2007

BUILDING LARGE MOLECULES OF LIFE
▪Chain together smaller molecules building block molecules = monomers



▪Big molecules built from little molecules polymers ◆

Regents Biology

BUILDING LARGE ORGANIC MOLECULES
▪Small molecules = building blocks

▪Bond them together = polymers

Regents Biology

BUILDING IMPORTANT POLYMERS
Carbohydrates = built from sugars sugar – sugar – sugar – sugar – sugar – sugar

Proteins = built from amino acids amino – amino – amino – amino – amino – amino acid acid acid acid
acid