1.introduction To Biochemistry

DEFINITION OF BIOCHEMISTRY
Biochemistry is the study of biomolecules. It seeks to identify in molecular

terms the structures, reaction mechanisms, and chemical processes shared by
all living things. It is also a scientific study concerned chiefly with the chemistry
of biological processes.
It attempts to utilize the tools and concepts of chemistry, particularly organic

and physical chemistry, for the elucidation of the living system. This science
has been variously referred to as physiological chemistry and biological
chemistry.
SCOPE OF BIOCHEMISTRY
Biochemists study such things as
1. structures and physical properties of biological molecules such as proteins,

carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids
2. mechanisms of enzyme action
3. chemical regulation of metabolism
4. the molecular basis of genetic expression
5. biological oxidation and energy utilization in the cell

CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates are biomolecules that consists polyhydroxy -aldehydes or

pohydroxy -ketones.
An example of a polyhydroxy aldehyde is glucose, while the example of

polyhydroxy ketone is fructose.
The smallest unit of carbohydrates is monosaccharide.
In forming more complex carbohydrates, monosaccharides are linked to each

other by ether linkages
PROTEINS
Proteins consist of a polymer of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds.

Amino acids are organic compounds that contain amino and carboxylic acid
groups in the same molecule.
The are thousands of different amino acids found in nature or synthesized in

the laboratory, however only 20 distinct amino acids are found in proteins
LIPIDS
Lipids are biomolecules that are defined by their solubility in organic solvents.
The two broad classifications of lipids are saponifiable and non-saponifiable
lipids.
Saponifiable lipids are those that contain fatty acids while non-saponifiable
lipids do not contain fatty acids.
In other textbooks, saponifiable lipids are referred to as complex lipids while

non-saponifiable lipids are called simple lipids
Fatty acids are long chain carboxylic acids. They are linked to other molecules
using ester linkages
NUCLEIC ACIDS
Nucleic acids consists of a polymer of nucleotides linked together by

phosphodiester bonds.
Nucleotides are nitrogenous bases bonded to a phosphate group and a sugar

usually ribose.
Nucleic acids can be deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or ribonucleic acid (RNA)
Nucleic acids are acidic because of the presence of the phosphoric acid group
that in neutral water is converted to phosphate
HISTORY OF BIOCHEMISTRY
1828 Friedrich Wöhler synthesized urea from inorganic starting materials proving that
organic compounds can be created artificially
1833 Anselme Payen made the discovery of the first enzyme, diastase [today called
amylase]
1878 Wilhelm Kuhne coined the word “enzyme”

1896 Eduard Buchner contributed the first demonstration of a complex biochemical
process outside of a cell such as alcoholic fermentation in cell extracts of yeast
1903 Carl Neuberg first proposed the use of the name “biochemistry”

1923 James Sumner showed that urease is a protein

1949 Fred Sanger sequenced the protein insulin

1953 James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the double helical structure of the
DNA molecule.
1953 Hans Adolf Krebs discovered the biochemical steps of the Krebs cycle in
carbohydrate metabolism.
1983 Kary Mullis discovered polymerase chain reaction

1995 The Food and Drug Administration approves the first protease inhibitor, a major
weapon against the progression of AIDS.
1997 The first complete nucleotide sequence of all of the chromosomes of a eukaryote
is reported

2009 Ada Yonath elucidated the structure of ribosomes using x-ray crystallography


CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING THINGS
Living organisms are composed of lifeless compounds. Yet, living organisms have
characteristics that are not found in inanimate objects such as:
1. They are structurally more complicated and highly organized. They possess
intricate internal structures.
2. They extract, transform, and use energy from the environment either in the
form of chemical nutrients or radiant energy.
3. They have the capacity for precise self-replication and self assembly.
PRINCIPLES OF MOLECULAR LOGIC
1. A living cell is a self-contained, self-adjusting, and self-perpetuating

isothermal system of molecules that extracts free energy and raw materials
from its environment
2. The cell carries out many consecutive reactions promoted by

specific catalysts called enzymes, which it produces itself
3. The cell maintains itself in a dynamic steady state, far from

equilibrium from its surroundings. There is a great economy of parts
and processes, achieved by regulation of the catalytic activity of key
enzymes
PRINCIPLES OF MOLECULAR LOGIC
4. Self-replication through many generations is ensured by the self-pairing,

linear information-coding system. Genetic information encoded as
sequences of nucleotide subunits in DNA and RNA specifies the sequence
of amino acids in each distinct protein, which ultimately determines the 3D
structure and function of proteins
5. Many weak interactions, acting cooperatively, stabilize the 3D structure of

biomolecules and supramolecular complexes

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DEFINITION OF BIOCHEMISTRY

Biochemistry is the study of biomolecules. It seeks to identify in molecular

It attempts to utilize the tools and concepts of chemistry, particularly organic

Biochemists study such things as

1. structures and physical properties of biological molecules such as proteins,

2. mechanisms of enzyme action

3. chemical regulation of metabolism

4. the molecular basis of genetic expression

5. biological oxidation and energy utilization in the cell

Carbohydrates are biomolecules that consists polyhydroxy -aldehydes or

An example of a polyhydroxy aldehyde is glucose, while the example of

The smallest unit of carbohydrates is monosaccharide.

In forming more complex carbohydrates, monosaccharides are linked to each

Proteins consist of a polymer of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds.

The are thousands of different amino acids found in nature or synthesized in

In other textbooks, saponifiable lipids are referred to as complex lipids while

Nucleic acids consists of a polymer of nucleotides linked together by

Nucleotides are nitrogenous bases bonded to a phosphate group and a sugar

Nucleic acids can be deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or ribonucleic acid (RNA)

1878 Wilhelm Kuhne coined the word “enzyme”

1983 Kary Mullis discovered polymerase chain reaction

CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING THINGS

1. A living cell is a self-contained, self-adjusting, and self-perpetuating

2. The cell carries out many consecutive reactions promoted by

3. The cell maintains itself in a dynamic steady state, far from

4. Self-replication through many generations is ensured by the self-pairing,

5. Many weak interactions, acting cooperatively, stabilize the 3D structure of

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