Running head: CHEMISTRY APPLIED

Chemistry Applied: What Happens to What You Eat

Skyler Clark

Salt Lake City Community College CHEM 1010 043 F13 Online 11/26/2013

CHEMISTRY APPLIED

Chemistry Applied: What Happens to What You Eat

Life is a miracle. The debate of what or who caused this miracle will continue, but after years of research, we finally have discovered and put names to many of the things that we can observe. Those things that we are witness to, and can verify as fact, we call Natural Laws; and anything that we cannot verify as indisputable fact we explain through research as scientific theories (Zumdahl, 2011). Its the theories that intrigue scientists the most. Everything that happens around us is a scientific event that could be studied for a lifetime. We have become very organized over the years spent studying what is occurring in our world. We have developed international terms, measurement systems, and reporting methods so that science around the world can be accelerated. Even the process that is now taught in all secondary and some grade schools throughout the worldphotosynthesis took years to discover. This discovery was credited to many scientists, but largely to a Dutch scientist, Jan Ingenhousz (McCarthy, 2008). It took scientists years to uncover and outline this concept to the point we understand it today, but without doubt there is more to learn. This isnt to say we arent making progress; today studies are on-going for a process to use rust, the product of oxidation-reduction reactions in an artificial photosynthesis process (Angewandte Chemie, 2013). Not only have we discovered more about our planet, but we are finding ways to displace some of the negative effects we have on it. Through it all there remains a sad fact. The subject we know relatively the least about is the human body. The human body is its own miracle. There are many things one could investigate regarding human functioning, but one of particular importance is our own version of photosynthesisdigestion. Through the digestive process there are many important chemical

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compounds without which life would not exist. Without key chemical compounds in our bodies we would not be able to filter harmful substances, breakdown foods, or absorb their nutrients. Digestion is a complex process, but it, like photosynthesis, is a process we understand to some degree. From the moment a person begins to think about food, the digestive process starts. When one sees food, the body sends signals to the hypothalamus and medulla oblongata. These signals cause the release of acetylcholine (CH3COO(CH2)2N+ (CH3)3), a neurotransmitter, which in turn activates the salivary glands. This is an entirely chemical process that takes place through the transfer of energy through different neurotransmitters, all telling the body to prepare for food (Campbell, 2002). The salivary glands release saliva and a small amount of amylase, which helps to breakdown complex carbohydrates into more simple sugars. In addition, saliva also contains glycoproteina mucus which helps soften food and form into what is called a bolus. This process, occurring in only seconds, takes place even before a person begins to eat. This is often the reason starchy foods such as potatoes or rice taste a little sweet when they are chewed. Digestion is a continuous process, beginning before the food enters the mouth, but does take a further step during mastication (Silverman 2002). When food enters the oral cavity mastication breaks food down in to manageable pieces that are then swallowed to allow further processing. While still in the mouth saliva begins the chemical breakdown of the bolus. Saliva is mostly water but coupled with certain enzymes is an effective prepping agent in the digestive process. Neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine carry signals to the esophageal muscles which release and contact in quick succession, pushing the bolus into the stomach, this process is called peristalsis. This phenomenon is just one example of the continuous chemical processes that must occur for each and every muscle to contract and release. Without these important chemical

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compounds, motion would not be possible. This procedure continues throughout the entire digestive process. Via peristalsis, the masticated bolus moves into the separate parts of the stomach for continued breakdown. Muscles and sphincters open into the fundus, body, and antrum of the stomach where further chemical processes occur. The fundus is the section of the stomach where most of these major chemical processes begin (Barron, 2009). Gastrin is a hormone which initiates as well as maintains the breakdown of the food throughout the separate sections of the stomach. When gastrin is released, it causes the body to produce gastric acid, an aqueous solution of HCl, KCl, and NaCl. These compounds denature or unfold proteins to prepare them for further breakdown in the digestive process. The fundus is where the food is ground and mixed; after time the food reacts with this acid in a lower concentrationaround 30% before the food, now called chyme moves into the body of the stomach (Ibid). The body of the stomach is where the main physical digestion takes place with more concentrated levels of HCl as well as pepsin, a key digestive protein (Asimov, Isaac). The food then moves into the antrum, where enteroendocrine cells also known as G cells, release further gastrin to increase the production of gastric acids, relaxing the stomach muscles and allowing the food to move throughout the stomach. After a time in the stomach, having gone through these processes, the chyme moves into the duodenum through the pyloric sphincter. The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine, about ten to twelve inches in length. The duodenum serves as the principle site for iron absorption as well as the absorption of other various nutrients. In the duodenum the chyme reacts with bile produced from the liver to neutralize the acidity of the chyme. There are also three pancreatic juices: amylase, trypsin, and lipase that are released from the pancreas to begin the breakdown of the nutrients in the food. Up to this point the processes of digestion were mostly to breakdown chyme into a manageable

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substance. At this point the body begins to absorb the needed vitamins and nutrients for use and other bodily functions. The second section of the small intestine, the jejunum, is where the chyme comes in contact with intestinal juices maltose and peptides which break down amino acids and glucose. The human digestive process differs greatly from that of plants, but the principal is the same. We absorb nutrients to give us energy and excrete the excess. After being broken down into glucose and amino acids, the chyme moves into the ileum, the third and final section of the small intestine. Vital nutrients are finally removed from the chyme through microstructures which line the walls of the ileum. These microstructures, villi, are fingerlike projections which increase the surface area of the ileum and therefore cause more efficient nutrient absorption. These nutrients are then attached to blood cells which are carried in the blood via the hepatic artery to the liver for further filtration and processing (Balija, 1999). The nutrients transported to the liver are treated by hepatic cells which make up about 60% of liver tissue. These cells produce bile and other chemical compounds to react with the nutrients in order to filter out unwanted chemicals from the body such NH4 (Cassel, 2007). Without these vital cells we would die within a short period, likely a single day. One can see why the chemical processes are important to our daily life. The products of these chemical reactions are urea which is transported to the kidneys for excretion, produce blood proteins and remove ingested toxins such as those from synthetic drugs and alcohol. Another important group of cells are called Kupffer cells, these cells remove damaged red blood cells, neutralize viruses, and filter unwanted debris from dead cells. When one understands these vital processes performed by the liver or any other organ in our digestive system, one also comes to understand the importance of eating nutrient rich food and abstaining from drugs or other harmful substances which could cause adverse chemical reactions leading to the destruction of these vital organs.

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Another important accessory organ to the digestive system is the pancreas. The pancreas is where the chemical compounds, that make digestion possible, are formed. There are three main chemical compounds formed by the pancreas. Three of the main pancreatic juices are amylase, lipase, and trypsin. Amylase is an enzyme that reacts with starches to produce sugars. Amylase is also found in saliva, but it is secreted in much higher concentrations in the pancreas. This enzyme is then used in the small intestine for nutrient breakdown. This enzyme functions as a precursor to other enzymes which further breakdown nutrients into simple sugars such as glucose. Amylase was also the first enzyme to be discovered, and was found by Anselm Payen in 1833 (Hill and Needham 1970). Lipase is the key enzyme in the breakdown of lipids. Lipase also acts as a transporter for the processing of dietary lipids in most organisms. There are ongoing trials involving lipase and the treatment of obese persons, the theory being that decreased lipase could be a main cause in familial obesity. This further highlights the importance of a healthy diet. Alcohol abuse often leads to a decrease in production of lipase, which many scientists agree is the reason that many alcoholics are overweight (Finer 2010). Trypsin, the third enzyme produced in the pancreas, is the main catalyst in the breakdown of proteins. Trypsin reacts with the chyme to form peptides which are further hydrolyzed into amino acids by other proteins. Without these three key enzymes working together in the nutrient breakdown of our foods, no other human processes would be possible. Upon completion of the nutrient absorption which takes place in the small intestine, the chyme moves into the first section of the large intestine called the cecum, via the ileocecal valve. Within the large intestine the chyme is simply stored for a long period of time to allow for a further and more complete breakdown of the nutrients. This is instigated by further saccharides or sugars. These saccharides are also responsible for extracting fluids and salts to form fecal

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matter. The chemical process involved for removing salts from the chyme involves transporting sodium cations from the large intestine and into the blood stream. The removal of salts also causes osmosis; because the blood has a higher concentration of salt than the large intestine, water travels to the sodium rich blood (TAMU 2008). If the chemical process is in some way altered this can cause constipation or diarrhea. Again, the correct chemical compounds in the right place, at the right time, contribute to make life flow smoothly. The absorption of H2O, by the large intestine leaves a drier residue called feces. The feces travel through the ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid sections of the large intestine by peristalsis (Wong, 2007). The rectum, a muscular structure, collects the feces. The feces are then transported out of the body through two anal sphincters, one voluntary, and one involuntary. These important chemical processes such as filtering harmful substances, breaking down foods, and absorbing nutrients, make life possible.

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Bibliography Angewandte Chemie (2013) Angewandte Chemie: International Edition. Vol. 52:42, p.1091111171. Print Asimov, I. (1980). A short history of biology. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. P.105. Print. Balija, M .(1999) Laparoscopic visualization of the cystic artery anatomy. World J Surg. 1999 (7):703-7.Print Barron, J. (2009) Your stomach part 1. Digestive Health Newsletter. The Baseline of Health Education. 2009. Print Campbell, N. (2002). 48. Biology(6th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pearson Education, Inc. p. 1037. Print. Cassel, I. (2007) You liver the bodys chemical factory and detoxifier. Idaho Observer. March 2007. Print Finer N, James P, Kopelman G, Williams G. (2000). One-year treatment of obesity: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study of orlistat, a gastrointestinal lipase inhibitor. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders : Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity 2000, 24(3):306-313 Print. Hill R. and Needham J. The chemistry of life: eight lectures on the history of biochemistry. London, England: Cambridge University Press, 1970. Print.

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McCarthy, (2008). Jan Ingenhousz. Biography. Macroevolution.com. Web. Retrieved 24 November 2013. Silverman, R. (2002). The Organic Chemistry of Enzyme-catalyzed Reactions, 2nd ed. London, England: Academic Press. 2002:p.1 Print. TAMU (2008). Digestive system. Texas A&M University. Peer.tamu.edu. Web. Retreived 24 November 2013. Wong, J. (2007). Carbohydrate digestibility and metabolic effects. American Society for Nutrition. 2007 Vol. 137:11 Print. Zumdahl, S. (2011). Introductory chemistry: a foundation. Cengage Learning Mason OH:2011. Print.