Week 1
2A – The Chemistry of Life: Life
LO 1. appreciate common origins & makeup of the molecules of life
2. explore the properties of living organisms
3. appreciate that life is made up of a small number of elements of
which carbon is particularly imp
4. define the terms polar/hydrophilic & non-polar/hydrophobic
Context - genetic material is shared through generations
- ‘’ encodes the molecules of life
- all species share common genes and cellular functionalities
Life - cell based
- can reproduce
- are complex & organized
- uses energy for growth & reproduction
o e.g., a plant growing out using the stored E inside the
seed and it will keep on growing to use E from the sun,
CO2 from the air to pd substances that will provide E. WE
use/eat those substances to pd growth & reproduction.
- tends towards homeostasis
o a steady internal env; homeo = same, stasis = steady
- change over time
o e.g., a fetus development
- adapt to env
either through
o physiological processes/adaptations (penguins on ice,
plants responding to dry env)
OR
, o behavioral adaptations (human wearing clothes to adapt
to climate; desert bird/owl hiding away in cool caves and
only comes out at night when it’s cooler)
- respond to stimuli
o e.g., bacteria coming to a food source; plants tracking
sun; plants responding to touch
Classification of 3 domains & 6 kingdoms
living things - 6 kingdoms arising from 3 domains
Prokaryotes: things that don’t have nuclei; single-celled; they can come
together to form communities
Eukaryotes: defined nucleus (plants, fungi, animals)
Scales of things
Life is Carbon - carbon can bond with itself AND other elements in lots of dif
based ways
- all major biopolymers have a substantially carbon backbone
- “Sweet spot” of stability (stable but not too stable) for forming
covalent bond
o stable but can be broken and turn into other things
, Essential elements - common: Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen
for life - smaller amounts: Phosphorous, Sulfur
- trace elements: F, Si, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Mo, I
Hydrophobicity & - C: neutral, so uncharged/non-polar/hydrophobic (water-hating);
Polarity molecule appears to be grey/white/black (colors of non-polar
molecules)
- O, N, P (sometimes S) tend to make compounds
polar/hydrophilic (water-liking), partly dipole, or fully charged
(i.e., molecules with those atoms/colors will be polar)
- H is heavily influenced by what it’s near (C/H neutral, O/N polar)
Polar things like to hang out with polar things
Non-polar things like to hang out with non-polar things
2B – The Chemistry of Life: Molecules
, LO 1. building blocks of life: water, carbohydrates (sugars), lipids,
amino acids and nucleic acids
2. chemical properties of amino acids (solubility
hydrophobic/hydrophilic, polarity, charge), given their chemical
structures
Main molecule - water
types in Biology - carbohydrates/sugars/saccharides
- lipids (fats & others)
- amino acids
- nucleotides
Water - we are ~62% water
- polar compound with extensive hydrogen bonding
o oxygens provide polarity; hydrogens attached to the
oxygen are attached to other oxygens (or nitrogen)
o responsible for special physical & chemical properties
that support life
o extensive hydrogen network
- helps to maintain heat
o good evaporative cooling
o when water freezes, it releases energy; when water
melts, it absorbs energy (buffers temperature change; it
keeps that melting water slightly warmer than it would
be)
- ice float
o layer of ice can insulate water underneath (i.e.,
creatures underneath ice are being maintained a lil bit of
higher temperature (e.g., in oceans, rivers))
o ice being floating platforms because ice is less dense
than water; can support life & penguins in an Arctic
region
- Water tension/capillary action/ wetting vs. waterproofing
o water tension coming from hydrogen bonding potential
2A – The Chemistry of Life: Life
LO 1. appreciate common origins & makeup of the molecules of life
2. explore the properties of living organisms
3. appreciate that life is made up of a small number of elements of
which carbon is particularly imp
4. define the terms polar/hydrophilic & non-polar/hydrophobic
Context - genetic material is shared through generations
- ‘’ encodes the molecules of life
- all species share common genes and cellular functionalities
Life - cell based
- can reproduce
- are complex & organized
- uses energy for growth & reproduction
o e.g., a plant growing out using the stored E inside the
seed and it will keep on growing to use E from the sun,
CO2 from the air to pd substances that will provide E. WE
use/eat those substances to pd growth & reproduction.
- tends towards homeostasis
o a steady internal env; homeo = same, stasis = steady
- change over time
o e.g., a fetus development
- adapt to env
either through
o physiological processes/adaptations (penguins on ice,
plants responding to dry env)
OR
, o behavioral adaptations (human wearing clothes to adapt
to climate; desert bird/owl hiding away in cool caves and
only comes out at night when it’s cooler)
- respond to stimuli
o e.g., bacteria coming to a food source; plants tracking
sun; plants responding to touch
Classification of 3 domains & 6 kingdoms
living things - 6 kingdoms arising from 3 domains
Prokaryotes: things that don’t have nuclei; single-celled; they can come
together to form communities
Eukaryotes: defined nucleus (plants, fungi, animals)
Scales of things
Life is Carbon - carbon can bond with itself AND other elements in lots of dif
based ways
- all major biopolymers have a substantially carbon backbone
- “Sweet spot” of stability (stable but not too stable) for forming
covalent bond
o stable but can be broken and turn into other things
, Essential elements - common: Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen
for life - smaller amounts: Phosphorous, Sulfur
- trace elements: F, Si, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Se, Mo, I
Hydrophobicity & - C: neutral, so uncharged/non-polar/hydrophobic (water-hating);
Polarity molecule appears to be grey/white/black (colors of non-polar
molecules)
- O, N, P (sometimes S) tend to make compounds
polar/hydrophilic (water-liking), partly dipole, or fully charged
(i.e., molecules with those atoms/colors will be polar)
- H is heavily influenced by what it’s near (C/H neutral, O/N polar)
Polar things like to hang out with polar things
Non-polar things like to hang out with non-polar things
2B – The Chemistry of Life: Molecules
, LO 1. building blocks of life: water, carbohydrates (sugars), lipids,
amino acids and nucleic acids
2. chemical properties of amino acids (solubility
hydrophobic/hydrophilic, polarity, charge), given their chemical
structures
Main molecule - water
types in Biology - carbohydrates/sugars/saccharides
- lipids (fats & others)
- amino acids
- nucleotides
Water - we are ~62% water
- polar compound with extensive hydrogen bonding
o oxygens provide polarity; hydrogens attached to the
oxygen are attached to other oxygens (or nitrogen)
o responsible for special physical & chemical properties
that support life
o extensive hydrogen network
- helps to maintain heat
o good evaporative cooling
o when water freezes, it releases energy; when water
melts, it absorbs energy (buffers temperature change; it
keeps that melting water slightly warmer than it would
be)
- ice float
o layer of ice can insulate water underneath (i.e.,
creatures underneath ice are being maintained a lil bit of
higher temperature (e.g., in oceans, rivers))
o ice being floating platforms because ice is less dense
than water; can support life & penguins in an Arctic
region
- Water tension/capillary action/ wetting vs. waterproofing
o water tension coming from hydrogen bonding potential
