Chemistry of the cell

Cell Biology
Lecture #2
Sameh AbdelGhani
 Objectives
By the end of this lecture you should be familiar with:

Organization of living things.

What is the chemical composition of the cell.

Important chemical bonds in biological molecules.

Cellular macromolecules
Organization of living things
Atom: the building blocks of all matter, (the
smallest unit of an element.)

Element: the simplest form of matter. They

cannot be broken down chemically.

Molecule: two or more atoms combined

chemically (the smallest unit of a compound)

Organelles: structures within cells that

perform specific functions.
Organization of living things

Cell: the smallest unit of a living thing.

Tissue: a group of similar cells that perform

a similar function. (muscle tissue, bone
tissue, skin tissue)

Organ: a group of tissues that work

together to perform a specific task. (brain,
stomach, heart, etc.)
Organization of living things
System: a group of organs that work
together to perform a specific task.
(skeletal system, digestive system, etc.)

Organism: complete, entire living things

may exist as single cells, as simple
organisms with tissues but no organs, or
they may have organs that are not
organized into organ systems. However,
most organisms are made up of several
organ systems.
 Chemical bonds

A chemical bond is an attraction between the

electron structure of two (or more) atoms.

These bonds occur, when the outermost electron

shell of the combining atoms are filled

Atoms with unfilled orbitals in their outermost

shell tend to be reactive with other atoms to fulfill
the octet rule (maximum of eight electrons in outer
shell).
 Important bonds in biological molecules
A. Ionic Bonding:

B. Covalent Bonding:

C. Hydrogen Bonding
 Elemental composition of cells
Only 30 of 92 elements commonly occur in living
and ~99% of living matter is made of..

Carbon
Hydrogen

Oxygen
Nitrogen CHOPSN
Phosphorus
Sulfur
Molecular composition of cells
The most abundant molecule of the living
cell is water.

It accounts for about 70% of a cell's weight.

Most intracellular reactions occur in an

aqueous environment.
 Cellular macromolecules
A. Carbohydrates :

Atoms of C, H, O

They are monomers or polymers of sugar where

sugar has a composition of (CH2O)n.

They serve as an energy source or have structural

roles
 Forms of carbohydrates
Monosaccharides:
They are the simplest carbohydrates.
Five-carbon backbones (Ribose and deoxyribose).
Six-carbon backbones (glucose)
 Forms of carbohydrates
Disaccharides:
Results from the covalent bonding of two
monosaccharides
 Forms of carbohydrates
Polysaccharides:
Consist of more than two sugar units
(same or different) covalently linked.
Starch (energy storage in plants) and
cellulose (structure of plant cell walls)
are made of glucose units but in
different bonding arrangements.
Glycogen is a storage form of glucose
found in animal tissues.
 Cellular macromolecules
B. Lipids :

They are largely hydrocarbon and hydrophobic

They form the basic structures of membranes and

have roles in energy metabolism

The sterols are important in the formation of

hormones
 Cellular macromolecules
C. Proteins
Proteins are polymers of
amino acids: small organic
molecules with an amino
group, an acid group, a
hydrogen atom and one of
twenty varying R groups

They function as enzymes, in cell movements,

as storage and transport agents, as hormones,
and as structural material throughout the body
 Proteins structures
Primary structure is defined
as the chain of amino acids
each linked together by
peptide bonds in a definite
sequence.

Secondary structure is the

helical coil or sheet like array
that will result from
hydrogen bonding of side
groups on the amino acid
chains.
 Proteins structures
Tertiary structure is caused
by interactions among R
groups and results in a
complex three-dimensional
shape.

Quaternary structure
describes the complexing of
two or more polypeptide
chains to form globular or
fibrous proteins.
 Protein Denaturation
High temperatures (>60C) or chemicals can cause
the three-dimensional shape to be disrupted.

This is what happens when you cook an egg white.

The properties of the protein change and the egg
white goes from clear to white.

Normal functioning is lost upon denaturation, which

is often irreversible.
 Cellular macromolecules
D. Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids

Each nucleotide has a

five-carbon sugar
(ribose or deoxyribose),
a nitrogen-containing
base, and a phosphate
group.
 Nucleotide-based molecules
Adenosine phosphates are chemical messengers
(cAMP) or energy carriers (ATP).

Nucleotide coenzymes transport hydrogen atoms

and electrons (examples: NAD+ and FAD).

Nucleic acids are polymers of nucleotides.

 Nucleotide-based molecules
Nucleic Acids
In nucleic acids four different kinds of nucleotides are
bonded together to form large single or double
stranded molecules

RNA is single stranded: it functions in the assembly

of proteins

DNA is double stranded: genetic messages are

encoded in its base sequences.