7: Biochemistry

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Biochemistry is the study of the chemicals and chemical processes found in living things. In this chapter you will learn about some classes of chemicals that you have heard of before: Carbohydrates, Lipids, Nucleic Acids, and Proteins. A lot of topics that you have studied in other chapters are relevant here. Many biochemicals can be identified by combinations of functional groups that you studied in the chapter on Organic Chemistry (for example, amino acids contain both amine and carboxylic acid groups). Lipids on the other hand, are defined by their solubility in nonpolar solvents. They are either mostly or entirely nonpolar molecules. The double helix of DNA is held together by hydrogen bonds. Finally, many of the biochemicals we will study are polymers (or the monomers that make them up). Polymer means "many parts", so expect to see some big molecules in this chapter!

7.1: Carbohydrates
You have probably heard the word carbohydrate affiliated with nutrition. Sugars in food are carbohydrates, but carbohydrates also have other functions such as energy storage within the body (glycogen) and providing structure to the cell walls of plants. In addition to using carbohydrates in plants as a source of nutrition, we also use cellulose to produce fibrous materials such as paper and cloth.
7.2: Lipids
Unlike other classes of compounds we are studying this semester, lipids are defined by a property rather than a certain structure. In fact, you will see a variety of structures for lipids below and even more in CHEM 30B. What lipids have in common is that they are large biomolecules that are soluble in nonpolar solutes. They are either nonpolar molecules or have a large nonpolar portion and a small polar portion. Therefore, you can expect a lot of C-C and C-H bonds, but they are not entirely com
7.3: Proteins
Proteins are biopolymers made from monomers called amino acids. Because there are 20 different amino acids that are used in human proteins, proteins can have a wide variety of structures and therefore a wide variety of functions. Some proteins provide structure (by forming hair, fingernails, etc.). Some proteins allow smaller substances to move through the body (e.g. by creating channels in cell membranes or carrying molecules through the blood.) We will particularly focus on proteins' ability t
7.4: Nucleic Acids
Nucleic acids are another type of naturally occurring polymer. You have probably already heard of the two types of nucleic acids: DNA and RNA. These molecules are responsible for storing and translating our genetic information.