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Biochemistry PDF

The lecture by Dr. Charles Apprey covers the elemental composition of cells, including the origin of elements through processes like the Big Bang and fusion reactions in stars. It discusses the major elements found in living organisms, such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, and explains why certain elements are incorporated into cells while others are excluded. The unique properties of carbon that allow it to form a wide variety of compounds are also highlighted.

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2 views

Biochemistry PDF

The lecture by Dr. Charles Apprey covers the elemental composition of cells, including the origin of elements through processes like the Big Bang and fusion reactions in stars. It discusses the major elements found in living organisms, such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, and explains why certain elements are incorporated into cells while others are excluded. The unique properties of carbon that allow it to form a wide variety of compounds are also highlighted.

Uploaded by

godblessnimoacquah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BCH 151 :

BIOCHEMISTRY

DR CHARLES APPREY
Lecture 1 :
Elemental Composition
of Cells

.
STUDY OBJECTIVES
• In this lecture, we will go through
How elements were formed: the origin of
elements

The list of elements that make up living cells

Why some elements were incorporated in cells


while others were excluded

Why carbon forms so many compounds.


3
APPREY CHARLES
INTRODUCTION
• All living cells and organisms are made up of
elements which are intricately organized to
form recognizable structures, characteristic of
the cells or organisms.

4
APPREY CHARLES
Origin of Elements

• Elements are believed to have been formed


through the following processes

Big bang
Forms naturally
occurring elements
Fusion reactions in the stars

Artificial synthesis

5
APPREY CHARLES
The Big Bang Theory
• Explosion of an infinitely hot and dense ball of
primordial matter which led to the formation of
Hydrogen and Helium.

• Gravitational forces brought together clouds of


gas that eventually collapsed into vast galaxies
made up of billions of stars.

• All the elements other than hydrogen and helium


were formed in the Centre of these stars, and
these elements were released upon the explosion
of some of these stars.
6
APPREY CHARLES
APPREY CHARLES 7
Fusion reactions in the star
• The very high temperatures and concentrations of
reactants required for the formation of other elements
can be achieved in the core of stars.

• The very high temperatures are required to overcome the


electrostatic repulsion that exists between the positively
charged nuclei, which must fuse.

• The fusion reactions radiate heat and light, so that a star


is formed from the cloud of gas.

• At some point an enormous amount of energy is released


that leads to the explosion of the star
8
APPREY CHARLES
• Most visible stars emit light created by the
burning of hydrogen to form helium.

• The hydrogen that fuels most stars is eventually


used up: in larger stars, the hydrogen gets
exhausted much more rapidly in large stars like
the sun.

APPREY CHARLES 9
• Upon the exhaustion of hydrogen, the core
temperature of the star reduces, and the star
begins to collapse.

• The heat released by the collapse causes the


core temperature to rise to new levels until the
ignition temperature for helium is reached.

APPREY CHARLES 10
• Two helium nuclei fuse to form beryllium (8Be)
nucleus which is unstable, and so does not survive
for any length of time.
• Another helium nucleus can fuse with Be to form
Carbon (12C).
• Another fusion with helium forms oxygen (16O).

APPREY CHARLES 11
• The largest atom that can form from the
nuclear fusion reactions is iron.

• Those atoms that are larger than Fe are


formed when the neutrons resulting from the
explosion of a star are captured by the nuclei
of Fe atoms.

APPREY CHARLES 12
• The even-numbered elements are far more
abundant than those with odd number mass
numbers.

• The relative abundance of the elements is


dependent on the mechanism of formation
and the stability of the nuclei formed.

APPREY CHARLES 13
LABORATORY SYNTHESIS OF ELEMENTS
• New elements with atomic number beyond 92 (the
transuranium elements) have been synthesized this
way.

• In the process, high energy particles produced in


cyclotrons are required to use with target nuclei.

• For example, Seaborg formed the synthetic element,


Californium, by using a cyclotron to accelerate the
nuclei of C-12 to fuse with U-238.

14
APPREY CHARLES
Laboratory synthesis of elements

• At present, there are over 117 elements, but less


than a third of these elements are found in cells by
natural selection.

• The percentage of atoms in the earth


Oxygen (48.86%)
Iron (18.84%)
Silicon (13.96%)
Magnesium (12.42%)

• The percentage of carbon is just about 0.10


15
APPREY CHARLES
• Furthermore, there is similarity in the
concentration of the main ions in sea water and
that of blood plasma: such ions like Cu2+, Mg2+,
Ca2+, Na+, K+ etc.

• Almost every group on the periodic table has its


representative in living cells (chemical
democracy?)

APPREY CHARLES 16
• Major or Bulk elements which are carbon,
hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and
sulphur (CHONPS) – found in organic
compounds of the cell.

• Minor or Trace: Na, K, Mg, Ca, B, V, Mn, Fe, Co,


Ni, Cu, Zn, Si, Se, Cl, Br and Cr – found in the
fluids that bathe the cell.

APPREY CHARLES 17
APPREY CHARLES 19
Striking features of the major elements
• Majority are p-block elements

• They are able to form covalent bonds

• They are non-metals

• They have smaller atomic sizes/numbers

• They are neither too reactive nor inert.


20
APPREY CHARLES
Why is carbon so unique in its ability to form
many compounds?
• Carbon has got an ideal size, neither too small nor
too big and can form stable covalent bonds

• Carbon is tetravalent

• It has the power of catenation

• Carbon is also able to form multiple bonds, either


with itself or with other atoms.
21
APPREY CHARLES
• Si-O bonds are so stable; chains of alternating
Si and O atoms are essentially inert.

• Even though silicon is about 140 times more


abundant than carbon in the earth crust,
carbon has been preferentially incorporated in
living cells.

22
APPREY CHARLES
Nitrogen
• It has five valence electrons when it forms N-N bond,
hence, the bond energy will be low relative to that of C-
C.
• When the N-N bond is formed, there remains a lone pair
of electrons on the atoms.

• The repulsion between the lone pairs on the bonded


nitrogen atoms will markedly reduce the bond energy of
N-N bond.

• Therefore, we expect extended chains of nitrogen atoms


to be very unstable. APPREY CHARLES 23
Boron
• It has three valence electrons.

• Unlike nitrogen, it will form electron deficient


compounds

• This will tend to limit the stability of boron


compounds.

24
APPREY CHARLES
Reasons why other elements were not
incorporated

• Artificial nature of some elements

• Inert nature of some elements

• Toxic nature of some elements

• Radioactivity of some elements


25
APPREY CHARLES
NB:
• Even though some elements are non-essential to
life, they may be valuable with regard to the
quality of life.

Lithium compounds like Li2CO3 is for the treatment


of schizophrenic conditions.

Platinum and gold complexes are anticancer and


anti-arthritis preparations respectively.

Kaolin which contains aluminium has anti-


diarrhoeal properties.
26
APPREY CHARLES
• Checkout this YouTube Videos on the Stellar
Hypothesis
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6JnZjwXs68&list=RD_6JnZjwXs6
8#t=539
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXmX92H_2u8&list=RD_6JnZjwX
s68&index=2
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNDS0M4uMgw&index=3&list=R
D_6JnZjwXs68
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAZHvchPp0Q&index=4&list=RD
_6JnZjwXs68
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXCuaRsLz4s&list=RD_6JnZjwXs6
8&index=5

27
APPREY CHARLES

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