Prelims 2

• Biochemistry


  The study of the chemical substances found in living organisms and the chemical interactions of these substances with each other
• Biochemistry


  • It is a combination of biology and chemistry
  • Biology is the study of life
  • Chemistry deals with matter
• Anything around us is matter
• Matter


  Anything that occupies space and has mass
• Biochemistry


  • It provides understanding of cell biology, microbiology, nutrition, pharmacology, and physiology at the molecular level
• Disciplines biochemistry provides understanding for

  • Cell biology
  • Microbiology
  • Nutrition
  • Pharmacology
  • Physiology
• Cell biology


  The study of cell, studying its structure and function to understand its behavior
• Microbiology


  The science of microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, and viruses, that requires microscopy
• Nutrition


  The science of nutrients, applied to both health and disease
• Pharmacology


  The science of drugs, its origin, composition, mechanism of action, therapeutic use and side effects
• Physiology


  The science how the body functions under normal condition
• Biochemical substances


  • Bio-inorganic (water and inorganic salts)
  • Bio-organic substances (CHO, CHONs, Lipids, Nucleic acids)
• In biochemistry, you apply the principles of chemistry to understand life and its processes
• The basic unit of life is cell, and cell is made from different biomolecules whether inorganic and organic substances, interacting with one another, governing and explaining the behavior of the cell at molecular level
• Biochemistry is a basic science for us to really understand the concepts and theories underlying the different medical sciences
• Organic chemistry


  A branch of chemistry that deals with carbon-containing compounds (organic compounds)
• Not all compounds with carbon are organic substances, there are exceptions like oxides of carbon, cyanides, carbonates and bicarbonates
• Organic substances


  Substances derived from living organisms
• Inorganic substances


  Substances not derived from living organisms
• Friedrich Wohler was able to synthesize urea, an organic substance, from the inorganic material ammonium cyanate in 1828
• Wohler's discovery disproved the Vital force theory/vitalism that organic substances can only be produced by living entities
• Wohler is considered the Father of Modern Organic chemistry due to his discovery
• There are close to 20 million organic substances discovered and counting
• Organic substances are produced naturally and synthetically, and are the basis for drug manufacturing, oil industries, textiles, plastic polymers and so on
• Carbon


  It neither gives up nor accepts electrons, it is tetravalent and can form 4 covalent bonds
• Carbon catenation


  The ability of carbon to form links or connections between carbons
• The location of carbon in the periodic table, between elements that readily give up or accept electrons, explains its versatility
• Isomerism


  The phenomenon in which more than one compounds have the same chemical formula but different chemical structures
• Isomers


  • n-butane and isobutane
  • D and L type galactose sugar
• As the number of carbon atoms increases, the number of possible isomers also increases
• Functional groups


  Groups of atoms in organic molecules that are responsible for the characteristics, and chemical reactions of those molecules
• Alkanes


  Composed of only carbon and hydrogen atoms and containing only single bonds, saturated hydrocarbons
• Alkanes


  • Straight chain alkanes vs branched-chain alkanes
  • General formula CnH2n+2
• The physical state of alkanes changes from gas to liquid to solid as the number of carbon atoms increases
• Alkanes are soluble in non-polar solvents but not in water, and have lower density than water
• The boiling point of alkanes increases as the number of carbon atoms increases, but decreases with increased branching
• Alkanes are the main components of petroleum products, from natural gas to petrolatum
• Prefixes for organic compounds

  Meth for 1C, Eth for 2C, Prop for 3C, etc.
• State of matter


  Changes as temperature increases or changes
• Alkane state based on carbon number

  • C1-C4 - gas
  • C5-C17 - liquids
  • C18 and up - solid