BIOCHEMISTRY

Primary chemical building blocks mof LIVING • There are 20 common amino acids
CREATURES: water, calcium phosphate and sulfate,
fats and lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, and nucleic
CH3
acids H
CARBOHYDRATES H2N COOH + H2N COOH
• Polyhydroxy aldehydes and ketones; soluble H
H
in water
• Roles :structural, regulation, energy Alanine
production, recognition
Glycine
cell-cell communication and adhesion
• Examples: glucose, lactose, cellulose,
sucrose, glycogen, starch, chitin, peptide bond
mucopolysaccharides, vit. C
H O CH3
MONOSACCHARIDES H 2N C NH COOH
H H

A dipeptide

PRIMARY STRUCTURE – peptide bond

DISACCHARIDES – sucrose, lactose, mannose,

cellobiose

POLYSACCHARIDES – starch, glycogen, cellulose

SECONDARY STRUCTURE – folding due to hydrogen

bonding

LIPIDS
• Soluble in organic solvents
• Roles: as varied as carbohydrates and
proteins
• Types : fatty acids (saturated and
unsaturated), triacylglycerols, isoprenoids
( fat soluble vitamins), eicosanoids
(prostaglandins), phospholipids, lipoproteins,
sterols (cholesterol) and steroids

FATS

O
CH2OH CH2OC(CH2)10CH3
O
CHOH + 3 CH3(CH2)10COOH CHOC(CH2)10CH3
O Fibrous proteins
CH2OH CH2OC(CH2)10CH3 • Elongated proteins; play structural roles
• Keratin, collagen, silk fibroin
Glycerol Lauric Acid Fat Globular proteins
PROTEINS • possess a hydrophobic core; play more
• Linear chains of amino acids complex roles
 • catalysts – enzymes
• storage- myoglobin (for O2); ferritin ( for
Fe)
• transport-hemoglobin(for O2/CO2);
transferrin ( for Fe)
• binding with heavy metals –
metallothionein; albumin
• immune response – antibodies
• regulation – insulin
• neurotransmission-endorphins
SICKLE-CELL ANEMIA - substitution in its amino acid
sequence (valine, where glutamic acid should be)
causes the four-chained hemoglobin molecule to
form incorrectly when oxygen is low.
The helical DNA molecule unwinds, leaving the
sense strand (the sequence from which the RNA is
assembled) accessible. The enzyme that controls
the reaction recognizes a “start” region, called the
promoter, in the DNA sequence. Nucleotides are
added one by one in complementary order: C in DNA
to G in RNA, G to C, T to A, and A to U.
TRANSLATION: RNA to proteins
HUMAN GENOME PROJECT:
Trillions of cells, each cell: 46 human chromosomes,
2 meters of DNA, 3 billion DNA bases, ~ 30,000
genes code for proteins
RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS

1. The HGP will make possible the analysis of the

mutations that cause GENETIC DISEASES. It will
provide information needed to develop medicines
and procedures for treating these diseases.

2. FORENSIC SCIENCE uses techniques developed in

DNA research to identify individuals who have
committed crimes. DNA from semen, skin, or blood
taken from the crime scene can be compared with
the DNA of a suspect, and the results can be used in
court as evidence.

NUCLEIC ACIDS 3. Techniques of DNA manipulation are used in

• Polynucleotides farming, in the form of GENETIC ENGINEERING and
• Stores and process genetic information BIOTECHNOLOGY. Strains of crop plants to which
• A nucleotide is made up of a sugar, genes have been transferred may produce higher
phosphate and a base yields and may be more resistant to insects. Cattle
• types of nucleic acids have been similarly treated to increase milk and
• RNA and DNA beef production, as have hogs, to yield more meat
• Sugar : ribose for RNA; deoxyribose for DNA and less fat.
• Base : A, G, C, T for DNA; A, G, C, U for RNA
• The DNA is a right handed double helix Down Syndrome - Trisomy 21
• Chargaff’s rule: A:T, G:C (hydrogen bonded) Normally a fertilized egg possesses only two copies
of each chromosome. Down syndrome is a
DNA – Deoxy Ribonucleic Acid chromosomal disorder in which, in some cases,
there are three copies of the 21st chromosome, a
NH2 defect known as Trisomy 21. Down syndrome causes
- certain learning disabilities and physical symptoms.
O N N
Adenine Enzymes and Genetic Engineering
O P O CH2 N In genetic engineering, scientists use restriction
O N enzymes to isolate a segment of DNA that contains
-
O H H a gene of interest, for example, the gene regulating
Phosphate insulin production. 2. A plasmid extracted from its
H H bacteria and treated with the same restriction
OH H enzyme can hybridize with this fragment’s “sticky”
ends of complementary DNA. 3. The hybrid plasmid
Deoxyribose is reincorporated into the bacterial cell, where it
replicates as part of the cell’s DNA. 4. A large
BASE PAIRS: Adenine (A) and Thymine (T) number of daughter cells can be cultured and their
Cytosine (C) and Guanine (G) gene products extracted for human use.

REPLICATION: DNA to DNA CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS

TRANSCRIPTION: DNA to RNA METALS

Iron Very long, very strong
-Most popular material for tools and machinery
-Easily corrodes : 2Fe + 3/2O2 Fe2O3 BIOMOLECULAR MATERIALS
Materials derived mostly from genetically modified
Coinage metals organisms
-Cu, Ag, Au Offer potential benefits to the medical industry
-Resistant to corrosion
Silk-like proteins
Alloys protective clothing, impact sensitive structures
-Brass= Zn + Cu
Elastin-like proteins
LIQUID CRYSTALS Biodegradable superabsorber
Ordered structure of solids with the freedom of Drug delivery
motion possessed by liquids
Collagen-like proteins
NEMATIC liquid crystalline phase: molecules aligned Reconstruction of skin, bone and cartilage
along their long axis with no ordering wrt ends of
molecules Phospholipid materials
Liquids crystals in electronics, antifouling agent
Liposomes for drug delivery

Biotechnology
SMECTIC liquid crystalline phase
• Use of biological systems which are often
enhanced genetically for commercial
purposes.

• Often makes use of genetic engineering or

recombinant technology.

LCD found in calculators, watches, clocks, etc. • The case of the GMPs: are these products
matter intermediate between liquid and solid
safe? They’re definitely safe !
Possess fluid and optical properties.
• Applications : agriculture, development of
more efficacious yet affordable drugs, gene
LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY (LCD)
therapy, etc.
Weak IMF that holds molecules are easily affected
by changes in temperature, pressure, and
electromagnetic fields
As temperature and pressure sensors
Displays of electrical devices such as digital
watches, calculators, and laptop computers

POLYMERS
Simple molecules joined together into extremely
large molecules

NYLON
ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY
Used on clothing, ropes and sails
Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene)
Pollution
Nonstick frying and cooking pans
Spread of undesirable wastes/materials to the
environment.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride)
Food wraps, hoses, pipes and floor tile
Pollutants :
CO2, CO, NOx, Sox, polyaromatic
PLASTIC
hydrocarbons(PAH), chlorofluorocarbons (CFC),
Thermoplastic: soften when heated; can be
heavy metals, suspended particulates, solid wastes
reshaped
Thermosetting plastic: harden when heated
Solutions to pollution:
• discipline
ELASTOMER
• systematic waste disposal
Exhibits rubbery or elastic behavior
• use of biodegradable materials
• reduce industrial and vehicular emissions
FIBERS
 • use of physical and/or chemical remediation
techniques
• bioremediation
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
Automobile exhaust adversely affects the health of
animals and plants and the chemical nature of the
atmosphere. Carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon
emissions, two of the major components of
automobile exhaust produced in the combustion of
petroleum-based fuels, contribute significantly to
GLOBAL WARMING. Elevated carbon dioxide and
hydrocarbon levels cause sunlight to be reflected
and trapped within the atmosphere, slowly raising
the atmospheric temperature.
SMOG
Smog occurs during a thermal inversion. Air
pollution increases dramatically as a mass of cold
air is trapped below a warmer mass of air. The
absence of wind circulation prevents pollution near
the earth’s surface from escaping.
gaseous pollutants; nongaseous products are fly ash
and unburned solid residue. Emissions of fly ash and
other particles are often controlled by wet
scrubbers, electrostatic precipitators, and bag
filters.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT
• Raw sewage - waterborne waste from sinks,
toilets, and industrial processes.
• Primary treatment – removal of suspended
solids and inorganic material
• Secondary treatment – removal of organic
material by natural biological processes.
• Tertiary treatment - various chemical
processes are used to ensure the water is as
free from impurity as possible.

BIOREMEDIATION – teaching old bugs new tricks

• Some microbes serve as factories—making
pharmaceuticals, pesticides, solvents, and
plastics.
• Some help make the snow at your ski resort.
• Some separate gold and copper from ores,
reducing the need for chemicals like cyanide.
• Some rejuvenate tired oil wells.
• Some make the enzymes for snipping DNA,
the first step in genetic engineering.
• Some are our fermenters, converting sugars
into bread, beer, sauerkraut, cheese, yogurt,
vinegar, wine.
• Only one microbe in a thousand is a
pathogen—what we think of as a germ

RECYCLING ♥ nicole s. san juan

Materials that can be recycled include metal, plastic, 09.30.08
paper, and glass. One commonly recycled item, 23.34
aluminum cans, are formed into a large block that
will be shipped to another facility for reprocessing.

SEGREGATION AND RECYCLING

Newspapers are shredded and bailed. The papers
will be used for making recycled paper products.
Mixed resource collection necessitates costly
separation of paper from metal and plastics, while
collection of paper alone reduces the recycling
costs.

INCINERATORS- CLEAN AIR ACT

In incinerators of conventional design, refuse is
burned on moving grates in refractory-lined
chambers; combustible gases and the solids they
carry are burned in secondary chambers.
Combustion is 85 to 90 percent complete for the
combustible materials. In addition to heat, the
products of incineration include the normal primary
products of combustion—carbon dioxide and water
—as well as oxides of sulfur and nitrogen and other