Chemical level of organization Flashcards
Chemical elements of the human body
Major elements: (96.1%) (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen) + phosphorus and calcium = 99%
Lesser elements: (3.9%) : phosphorus, calcium
Trace elements: (less than 0.2 %) : zinc, cobalt
Metabolism
sum of all chemical reactions in the body
Catabolism
-Start with large, then break bonds to get smaller molecules
-also called decomposition (hydrolysis)
-when you break bonds you free up energy
-catabolism drives anabolism
Anabolism
-start with small, then form bond to make bigger molecules
-synthesis (dehydration synthesis)
-this reaction requires energy that you can obtain from catabolic reactions
Inorganic
not living
-typically lacks carbon hydrogen bonds
Water and its functions in the body
Amount in humans: varies depending on location
Functions 1. Act as a lubricant
2. Serve as a transportation medium
3. Help maintain constant temperature
4. Participates in chemical reactions
Water and temperature in the body
-Water has a stable temperature, so it takes a lot of energy to change the temperature making it useful in the body
Water as a transporting medium
- water carries things in solution
-pure distilled water is never found in the body, always mixed with something
-can act as a solvent or a suspension
Ex: blood, water based hormones, and lymph are watery based fluids that act as transporting mediums
Solution
mixture that is evenly distributed, you cannot differentiate the two
Solute
all things dissolved in their
solvent
water (thing doing the dissolving)
Water as a suspending medium
Ex: RBCs too large to be dissolved in blood, but moved by the force of blood moving
Suspension
acts as a transporting medium, what is in a suspension does not dissolve
Hydrolysis
-chemical reaction where you break bonds using water
-allows catabolic reactions to occur
-releases energy
Dehydration Synthesis
- Take away water from a chemical reaction to form a bond
-allows anabolism to happen
-this reaction is dependent upon synthesis (catabolism)
Acid
-when you put it in water it dissociates into hydrogen ions (H+)
-More stronger acid = more H+
- less H+ = still acid but not as strong
Where is acid found in the body or a product of?
-Acid is found in the stomach as HCl
-mucus protects the stomach from being affected
-cannot digest proteins without acid in the stomach
-a product of acid is heartburn. When you take anti-acids you make the environment in your stomach more basic. Long term this can cause problems with digestion
Base
-when dissolved in water is dissociates into hydroxyl ions (OH-)
-Blood is somewhat basic with a PH of 7.4, you will die if it becomes acidic
Name one part of the body or product that is basic
-pancreas uses OH-
-small intestine is basic
pH; the pH scale
measure of how many hydrogen ions in solution
above 7 = basic
7 = neutral
below 7 = acidic
Buffers
-they maintain pH in the body by altering H+ or OH- ions
- Ex: kidneys flush out hydrogen ions and you urinate them out
Organic molecules
-living things
-contains carbon and hydrogen bonds or carbon-carbon
-fundamental building blocks
Carbohydrates
- carbon attached to water
Function: body fuel
Ratio: 1:2:1 (1 carbon : 2x hydrogen : 1 oxygen)
-group of molecules that contain sugar and starches
Three things to identify carbohydrates
-you need to see hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon
Monosaccharides
-simplest form of a carbohydrate
-are the building blocks, ready to be digested in this form
-logs for the fire there to be burned
-larger carbohydrate less soluble in water
ex: glucose, galactose, and fructose
Monosaccharides
-simplest form of a carbohydrate
-are the building blocks, ready to be digested in this form
-logs for the fire there to be burned
-larger carbohydrate less soluble in water
ex: glucose, galactose, and fructose
Disaccharides
-double sugar
-2 monosaccharides joined together, has to be broken down by the body before it can be used
Formed: dehydration synthesis
Broken: Hydrolysis
Ex: maltose, lactose, sucrose
Which carbohydrates (sugar) come together to from what?
Glucose + Glucose = maltose
Glucose + Galactose = lactose
Glucose + fructose = sucrose
Polysaccharides
-hundreds of monosaccharides
-starch is one of the forms that come from plants
-glycogen is one of the forms that come from animals and stored in liver cells and skeletal muscles
-we only take what we need, and that depends on our lifestyle the rest can get stored as fat and the leftover is stored as another polysaccharide
Cellulose
-type of polysaccharide that cannot be broken down by the body and used as fiber
Lipids
Neutral fat
Functions: used for insulation and fuel . Protection of organs and cell membranes, Makes sex hormones
- not easy to break down it goes into a fatty acid and glycerol
-babies need full fat milk to develop the myelin sheath (basis of MS disease)
-diabetics cannot use glucose, so they break down fat, but the breakdown produces acid which can affect pH of blood
-the fatty acid group may vary but it will always contain 1 glycerol