Chemistry of Life

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KaiserScience TpT resources

 

All biology is based on chemistry

Let’s start: Everything is built from atoms

We Are What We Eat (literally)

What are elements?

Elements necessary for life

Atoms versus ions (and why this matters)

Oxygen in atoms and molecules

Example of water and hydrogen peroxide (for now, see below)

Chemistry of carbon atoms (for now, see below)

What is metabolism? (anabolic and catabolic)

Organic molecules

Synthesizing organic molecules

Enzymes

Cellular respiration (intro)

Cellular respiration (honors)

Photosynthesis (intro)

Photosynthesis (honors)

Sources of energy for all life on Earth

How does fat get made? What happens to it when it is broken down?

And although some people consider this next idea an “honors” topic, in some ways it is the most basic: X-ray crystallography. How we know how atoms are really arranged in proteins, enzymes, DNA, etc.?

Inorganic chemistry

Chlorine and bleach terminology

Sample MCAS questions

Biology and Particle Physics: The Particle Physics of You

The chemistry of water

Water is the basis of all life on Earth.

H₂O    dihydrogen monoxide , or just dihydrogen oxide

H₂O₂   hydrogen peroxide

Pure H₂O₂ is rocket fuel. It would burn through your skin.

H₂O₂ that you buy in the store is weak – It’s only 3% . The rest is water.

H₂O₂ is not stable – it eventually breaks down into regular water and oxygen gas bubbles.

You see those oxygen bubbles fizzing when you put H₂O₂ on a wound.

Chemistry of carbon atoms

Atoms of the same element will have totally different properties, depending on how they are arranged. Consider how the same carbons act in

(a) coal           (b) graphite – used in pencils, or golf clubs

(c) diamond   (d) buckyball

(e) nanotube  (f) graphene

Carbon with oxygen

What happens when carbon bonds with oxygen?

CO    carbon monoxide    

It prevents your red blood cells from carrying oxygen

Extremely tiny amounts of CO exist naturally and safely.
But when larger amounts form they quickly become deadly.

CO forms when we burn fuel, but there is not enough oxygen to produce carbon dioxide (CO₂). That can happen when we use a stove or internal combustion engine, in an enclosed space.

CO₂  carbon dioxide

Forms during cellular respiration, the process by which cells get energy from burning sugar.

CO2 is a waste product made by animal life. We excrete it through our lungs.

Organic molecules

are based on Carbon and Hydrogen (with a few other atoms)

C = Carbon                           H = Hydrogen

O = Oxygen                            N = Nitrogen

S = Sulfur                              P = Phosphorus

Glucose – a simple sugar

Glucose is the most common source of energy for animals. It is made by plants during photosynthesis.

Chemical formula for glucose:   C₆H₁₂O₆

This is a simple way to show the glucose molecule

http://montessorimuddle.org/2013/11/11/following-the-energy/

This is a ball-and-stick model of the same molecule

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-glucose-molecule-image11063520

Learning Standards

Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks: Biology

8.MS-PS1-1. Develop a model to describe that (a) atoms combine in a multitude of ways to
produce pure substances which make up all of the living and nonliving things that we
encounter, (b) atoms form molecules and compounds that range in size from two to
thousands of atoms, and (c) mixtures are composed of different proportions of pure
substances.

Clarification Statement: Examples of molecular-level models could include drawings, three-dimensional ball and stick structures, and computer representations showing different molecules with different types of atoms.

HS-LS1-6. Construct an explanation based on evidence that organic molecules are primarily composed of six elements, where carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms may combine with nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus to form monomers that can further combine to form large carbon-based macromolecules.
Clarification Statements:
• Monomers include amino acids, mono- and disaccharides, nucleotides, and fatty acids.
• Organic macromolecules include proteins, carbohydrates (polysaccharides), nucleic acids, and lipids.

Disciplinary Core Idea Progression Matrix: PS1.A Structure of matter

That matter is composed of atoms and molecules can be used to explain the properties of substances, diversity of materials, how mixtures will interact, states of matter, phase changes, and conservation of matter.