BIO 362 Cellular Chemistry

I. Macromolecular building blocks of cells

A. Overview
1. quick review of atomic structure and different types of bonds – know the difference
between covalent bonds (polar and nonpolar), ionic bonds, and hydrogen bonds
2. carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and proteins are polymers composed of individual
molecules (monomers) linked by covalent bonds
a) Condensation reactions versus hydrolysis reactions
3. Lipids are not true polymers, and will be discussed later
B. Proteins
1. Structure
a) Basic unit = amino acids
(1) R group on amino acid confers unique properties to each amino acid
(2) NOTE: PLEASE MEMORIZE THE 4 GROUPS OF AMINO ACIDS
(ACIDIC, BASIC, POLAR UNCHARGED, AND NONPOLAR UNCHARGED).
b) Assemble into peptides and proteins via peptide bonds
c) Must fold properly in order to be functional
(1) 4 levels of protein structure
(2) types of covalent and non-covalent bonds that stabilize protein
structure
(3) specialized proteins called chaperones help other proteins to fold
properly
C. Nucleic acids
1. Structure
a) basic unit = nucleotide
b) polymerize via phosphodiester bonds
c) complementary binding via hydrogen bonds
2. Functions of nucleic acids in cells
D. Carbohydrates
1. Structure
a) Simple sugars = monosaccharides
b) Polysaccarides = monosaccharides linked by glycosidic bonds
(1) Structure (and hence function) of polysaccharides are defined by
what monosaccharides they contain, and how those monosaccharides
are linked (e.g. - vs. glycosidic bonds)
2. Functions of carbohydrates
E. Lipids – note: we will come back to this topic later

II. Flow of energy in cells

A. Cells do work of various kinds, which requires energy
1. Types of work
2. Energy comes from one of 3 sources, usually: sunlight, stored chemical energy
(e.g. ATP), or stored potential energy in concentration gradients
B. Whether or not a given cellular process is thermodynamically favorable depends on the free
energy change associated with that process: DG = DH-TDS
1. G<0  reaction proceeds spontaneously (is exergonic)
2. G>0  reaction is not spontaneous (endergonic)
C. Enzymes lower the activation energy of reactions, and sometimes couple endergonic
reactions to exergonic reactions

NOTE: This is a brief overview of chapters 2-4 of the text. We will not cover all of these chapters
explicitly during lecture because much of it is background material you should already know from
your General Biology and General/Organic Chemistry courses. You are responsible for the readings.