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Unit 10: Biological Molecules and Metabolic PathwaysAssignment 1: Biological Molecules and Biochemical Processes
Biomolecules are organic compounds made by living organisms.
Carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins are the four major categories.
Any substance created by cells and organisms is referred to as a biomolecule.
They come in a range of shapes and sizes. The genetic code of organisms is
included in RNA and DNA, which are the most important components of life.
They define the amino acid sequence within a protein, which are the protein's
building blocks. The structure and function of a protein are determined by the
order in which these amino acids appear inside it.
Water structure and bonding and importance:
Water is a tiny molecule with the chemical formula H2O, made up of two
hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom that are covalently bound together,
sharing electrons to create a strong electrostatic attraction.
The electrons are not distributed uniformly, the oxygen atom, as indicated in
the diagram, attracts negatively charged electrons away from the hydrogen
atoms. Because oxygen is more electronegative than hydrogen, electrons are
not shared evenly in each covalent bond, resulting in an irregular distribution
across the molecule.
,Because the water molecule possesses partial negative charge near the oxygen
and partial positive charge near the hydrogens, it is also referred to as a polar
molecule. Water is structured by hydrogen bonds, in which the delta +
(hydrogen molecule) bonds with the delta – (oxygen molecule). Hydrogen
bonds in water cause the molecule to have a high heat of vaporisation, which
means that a lot of heat is required to turn water into a vapour. Water’s
hydrogen bonding also allows it to stay a liquid throughout a larger
temperature range.
Importance of water
Water is vital and serves varies purposes. These function includes:
- Molecular transport
Water is an excellent molecule transport medium in living organisms
because it remains liquid across a wide temperature range.
- pH regulation
At a pH of 7, water has equal amounts of H+( positively charged
hydrogen ion) and OH – ions (negatively charged oxygen and hydrogen
atom liked together by a covalent bond). Water plays an important role
in maintaining the pH in living creatures because living organisms are
particularly sensitive to pH and function best when internal
circumstances are closest to the ideal pH. Buffer solutions are found in
blood and are a solution that resists changes in pH when modest amount
of acid or alkali are added to it. When hydrogen or hydroxide ions are
, introduced, they stop modifying pH. Water also can take and donate H+
as needed, which means it is critical for maintaining pH stability.
Without water, solutions would be unable to maintain the requisite pH.
- Acting as a medium for chemical reactions
Chemicals are required for all metabolic processes in organisms to be
able to react together in a solution. Water is an excellent solvent for
chemical processes because polar molecules dissolve in water, which is a
fluid with an unequal charge distribution across the molecule.
- Temperature regulation
Water can resist temperarture variations since changing the
temperature costs a lot of energy. This is due to the hydrogen bonds that
exist between water molecules, when the temperatre rises, water
molecules obtain more kinetic energy and vibrate more to break the
hydrogen bonds. Many beings are mostly made up of water, and the fact
that water does not change temperature quickly allows them to control
their internal body temperarture. When we go out in the snow, for
example, our body temperature does not abruptly change or decrease to
the same temperature as the outside weather. It is critical for your body
temperature to be steady in order for enzyme function to be optimum.
Carbonhydrates:
Carbohydrates are a type of biological molecule that occur naturally in living
organisms. Carbohydrates are an important part of the human diet because
they provide energy. Examples of high-carbohydrate foods include starchy and
sugary foods. Sport people, such as athletes, eat a variety of carbohydrates at
different stages of their training because they require more energy to perform
at their best. Carbohydrates are made up of three elements: hydrogen, oxygen,
and carbon, and come in three different structures: monosaccharides,
disaccharides, and polysaccharides. They have several applications in plants,
animals, and the human body. In the human body, they are utilised for things
like:
Energy storage
Structual support
ATP production
Lipid metabolism
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