MOLECULES OF LIFE

Living organisms
There are 92 naturally occurring elements
Organisms have 11 of these in more than a
small amount
99% of an organisms weight is made of C,
H, N and O.

Atoms, Elements,
Molecules and
Compounds
Atoms the basic units of matter
Elements made of only one type of atom,
Eg. Hydrogen (H
2
)
Molecules made of two or more atoms
bonded together (can be the same or
different). Eg. Hydrogen (H
2
) and CO
2
Compound has more than one type of
atom. Eg. CO
2
Bonding
Covalent bonds when electrons are shared
between the atoms.
Polar covalent bond one atom attracts the
electron more strongly than the other. Polar
molecules have positive region and a
negative region. Eg. Water

Bonding
Hydrogen bonds weak bonds between
Hydrogen and the negative region of
another polar molecule. These hold
individual water molecules together.
Ionic bonds occur between ions which are
atoms (or group of atoms) which have
gained or lost an electron.
Macro & Micro-
molecules

Compounds found in cells are:
1.Organic compounds
2. Inorganic compounds


Organic Compounds
These are complex molecules containing
carbon
Usually contain hydrogen and oxygen
May contain phosphorous, nitrogen and
sulphur
Sometimes metals are associated and assist
with biological activity
Range in size from very small to very large
Many require special mode of entry/exit if
they are to cross the cell membrane
(facilitated diffusion and active transport)
Types of organic molecules: Carbohydrates,
Proteins, Lipids & Nucleic acids. These are
the basic structural units of the larger
macromolecules (together with inorganic
molecules).
Carbohydrates chemicals that contain Carbon,
Hydrogen and Oxygen and are important in
supplying energy.
Proteins contain C, H, O and N and are made of
amino acids
Nucleic acids contain C, H, O, N and P and
make up DNA and RNA
Lipids contain C, H and O (but less O than
carbohydrates) and may have P and N. They are
usually insoluble in water
Common
Macromolecules

Monosaccharide (glucose)
Amino Acids
Triglyceride
Nucleotide
Inorganic
Compounds
Usually do not contain carbon although
some do (eg Carbon dioxide)
Usually smaller than organic
Often able to cross membranes easily
Eg Water, Oxygen, Carbon dioxide,
Nitrogen and Mineral ions
Water
70% - 90% of organisms is water
Water molecules are polar
Water has Hydrogen bonds which give it
certain properties.
Has a high heat capacity.
Is cohesive and has surface tension.
Has a high heat of vaporisation (needs a
large amount of heat to evaporate).
Water is a good solvent as it can dissolve many
compounds which are ionic. Eg. NaCl
Water tends to form as many H bonds as possible
so it doesnt dissolve non-polar molecules which
are also known as hydrophobic molecules
Water ionises splits into H
+
and OH
-
ions and
pH is measured by the number of H
+
ions. It has a
neutral pH of 7 (deionised water)
Buffers can be used as a reservoir of H
+
ions, and
can add or remove them from solutions to keep a
stable pH. The main buffers in the body are
Bicarbonate, phosphate and protein buffers
Oxygen and Carbon
dioxide
The atmosphere is 21% Oxygen so it is
easily extracted from air
O
2
is not very soluble in water so it is more
difficult to extract
The atmosphere has about 0.035% CO
2
This is the main source of carbon for
producing organic molecules
Nitrogen
The atmosphere is 78% N
2
Nitrogen is needed for proteins and is
required in large amounts
Most organisms cannot use nitrogen in this
form
Some bacteria and cyanobacteria can fix
nitrogen (turn it into nitrates) so it can be
used by plants

Minerals
These are inorganic and occur naturally due to the
weathering of rocks
They are usually water soluble and are absorbed
into plants as ions Eg. P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Na, I and
S
They are used in the cytosol of cells, in structural
components, and in enzymes and vitamins
P is in phospholipids and ATP
Mg is in chlorophyll
Fe is in haemoglobin