BIOC 2300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Thermodynamics, Endergonic Reaction, Cell Nucleus

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Introduction to Biochemistry
January 4th, 2016
Biochemistry the scientific discipline that seeks to explain life at the molecular level
Includes the structures, function and metabolism of the four major classes of
biomolecules
Macromolecules (proteins, nucleic acids and polysaccharides) are polymers of amino acids,
nucleotides and monosaccharides
Proteins
o Carry out metabolic reactions
o Store energy
o Support cellular structures
Nucleic acids
o Encode information
o Carry out metabolic reactions
o Support cellular structures
Polysaccharides
o Encode information
o Store energy
o Support cellular structures
Lipids
o Store energy
o Support cellular structures
Biochemistry connects the genotype to phenotype through the various “omes”
~21,000 protein coding human genes of which 25-50% are expressed in most cells at a
given time
this results in several thousand types of proteins each with a distinct function
that often involves metabolism (the breakdown/synthesis of biomolecules, storage and
the utilization of energy)
Anabolism biosynthesis of larger, more electron-rich biomolecules (ex. Photosynthesis)
Catabolism degradation (oxidation) of molecules to capture and utilize energy
Living organisms obey the laws of thermodynamics:
any reversible process can proceed spontaneously in the direction that lowers the systems
Gibbs Free Energy (G) according to G = GB GA
G<0 spontaneous exergonic
G>0 not spontenous endergonic
G = H - T S
H enthalpy (energy) *reaction favoured if negative
S entropy (disorder) *reaction favoured if positive
S is proportional to the number of possible ways a state could exist
Thermodynamics predicts whether the reaction can occur; kinetics determines if it will
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