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Essay Unit 24 - Biochemistry for Health
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Unit 24An atom is the smallest unit of matter with the characteristics of a chemical
element. An atom consists of a nucleus surrounded by an electron cloud (Trefil,
2019). A proton has a weight of 1.67x10-27 kg, a neutron has a weight of
1.674x10-27 kg and an electron has a weight of 9.1x10-31 kg. Electrons have a
significantly lower weight compared to protons and neutrons. (LibreTexts,
2019) An atoms outer shell is made up of the same number of electron shells
as the number of period where it is found in the periodic table. Each shell has a
maximum number of electrons it can hold per shell, the structure is said to be
2,8,8 and 18.
Atoms are constantly trying to fill their outer shells to gain halogen like
structures, like neon, argon, and krypton. This is done by the sharing of
electrons (covalent bonding) which occurs when an atom loses or receives
electrons. An anion is when an atom gains an electron, and a cation is when an
atom loses and electron.
Organic compounds mainly contain carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen. An
example of an organic compound is lactic acid. Lactic acid changes the
chemiosmotic gradient in the body. Hydrogen ions also change the
chemiosmotic pressure as they are charged, this affects the metabolism
process. The more H+ ions there are the lower the pH meaning it is more acidic
and the more OH- ions there are the higher the pH is meaning it is more alkali.
H+ ions are very important because they search around in water for another
electron, stripping it from another atom so it can get its full outer shell,
wherever it has taken its electron off becomes an anion and changes its
structure.
Electrolytes are minerals that have an electric charge when they are dissolved
in water or body fluids, including blood. When they are dissolved, they break
down into positively and negatively charged ions. (medlineplus, 2023)
Electrolytes are essential for bodily functions such as nerve impulses, muscle
contractions and pH balance. (West, 2018) All the ions in plasma help
contribute to the osmotic gradient that controls the movement of water
between cells. Bicarbonate is an ion that the kidneys retain for use for the
body's buffering system. (lumenlearning, 2023)
, Unit 24
Figure 1
The relative atomic mass of an atom is the total number of protons and
neutrons in the nucleus of an atom. The atomic number just represents the
number of protons. (Helmenstine, 2019) Figure 1 shows oxygen has an atomic
mass of sixteen, and an atomic number of eight, in its nucleus it has eight
protons and eight neutrons. Hydrogen has an atomic mass of one and an
atomic number of one, it contains one proton and zero neutrons. Carbon has
an atomic mass of twelve and an atomic number of six, it contains six protons
and six neutrons. Nitrogen has an atomic mass of 14 and an atomic number of
7, it has 7 protons and 7 neutrons in its nucleus. (Wichers and Peiser, 2022)
These are the four essential chemical elements that are vital to all living things
and are found in all living matter. They make up roughly 96% of the human
body.
Organic compounds are formed when carbon-hydrogen and carbon-carbon
atoms are covalently bonded. This includes fats, proteins, and carbohydrates
(Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023). Inorganic molecules are typically bonded
without carbon bonds, an example of this water as it is formed with hydrogen
and oxygen bonds (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023) Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen,
nitrogen, phosphorus, and iron are important as they form organic molecules
such as DNA, Cholesterol, Proteins, glucose, haemoglobin, and amylase. In
haemoglobin there is a porphyrin ring that contains iron in it, the iron binds
with the oxygen (oxyhaemoglobin) this causes it to change shape so it can be
transported around the body. (Libretexts, 2022)
Isotopes are a type of atom that have the same number of protons, but
different number of neutrons, this makes them lighter or heavier. (Daya, 2022)
Isotopes can be used to study digestion as they are used in metabolic studies to
trace the path of elements through the body. (Gowda, Narasimhamurthy
Shanaiah and Raftery, 2012) Isomers are molecules with the same chemical
formula but different structures. (Soult, 2016) An example of this is α-glucose
and β-glucose which are two isomers of glucose. They are the same chemical
formula, but the structure is different as on the first carbon the hydroxyl group
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