BIOCHEM 3G03 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Cell Nucleus, Alanine, Reductionism
10 Oct 2016
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Document Summary
Only a small subset of known elements are found in living systems: most abundant: c, n, o, and h; then. Ca, p, k, cl, na, and mg: trace elements are also present in small quantities. Biological molecules are constructed from h, n, o, p, and s. Chemical reactivity of biomolecules is limited, relative to the reactivity of all chemical compounds. Cells contain 4 major types of biomolecules: amino acids, amino (-nh2) and carboxylic acid (-cooh) groups. Atp: nitrogenous groups: adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine or uracil, lipids, no single structural similarity, diverse collection of molecules, all poorly soluble in water bulky structure. Cells also have few other small molecules that do not fit into the 4 groups, or are constructed from molecules belonging to more than one group. Information encoded into sequence, not 3d shape: however, some still fold into unique shapes, polysaccharides, tend to contain only one or a few different types of monosaccharides.
