Biochemistry is all about the structure of biological molecules and their functions.
We are barely dipping a toe in the water of the huge area of study that comprises biochemistry in the context of what we need to know for A level chemistry – a basic understanding of the chemistry of amino acids in relation to their amine and carboxylic acid functional groups, protein structure, the structure of DNA and RNA, and cycling back to how proteins are are synthesised in cells.
The chemistry of fats, oils and soap
Fats and oils are both triesters of propane-1,2,3-triol. The difference between them lies in the structure of the alkyl chains.
Find out how to harden vegetable oils, identify trans-fats and how to make soap …
Amino acids and polypeptides
Amino acids are the building blocks of polypeptide chains which fold into 3D protein structures.
We are going to look them in the form of zwitterions, their behaviour as buffers, how they assemble into polypeptides and how we can hydrolyse peptide bonds.
Understanding the structure of proteins
The primary structure of a protein is simply the sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain, but these polypeptide chains are folded and stacked both in regular arrangements and in a seemingly random manner to form the secondary and tertiary structures of a protein.
It is this chain folding that gives a protein its 3D shape and is key to the biochemical activity of the protein …
What is optical isomerism?
Optical isomerism is a type of stereoisomerism in which the optical isomer has a chiral centre and does not possess a plane of symmetry.
There is a lot of terminology to get your head around, and you need to be confident in drawing 3D structures of molecules with their mirror images.
Everything you need to know is right here!
How do enzymes catalyse reactions?
Enzymes are proteins that catalyse virtually all the biochemical reactions happening in the body, increasing the rate of reaction by at least a million-fold.
They provide an alternative pathway for the reaction with a lower activation energy, just like non-biological catalysts.