Chemistry in Living Organisms

Alkanes are sometimes referred to as paraffins, a word derived from the Latin parum affinis, meaning "little affinity." This term aptly describes their behavior, for alkanes show little chemical affinity for other substances and are chemically inert to most laboratory reagents. They are also relatively inert biologically and are not often involved in the chemistry of living organisms. Alkanes do, however, react with oxygen, halogens, and a few- other substances under appropriate conditions. 

The chemistry of living processes is complex, and many carbon-based molecules found in living organisms have extremely complicated stmctures. Because of this complexity, chemists have developed line structures, which are compact representations of the stmctural formulas of carbon compounds. Line structures are constructed according... 

Another important distinction between organic chemistry and the chemistry of living organisms (biochemistry) is that the former is carried out almost entirely in non-aqueous media, whereas the latter occurs essentially in approximately 56 M H20. 

Kalapos, M. P. (1999). Methylglyoxal in living organisms Chemistry, biochemistry, toxicology and biological implications. Toxicol. Lett. 110,145-175. 

The bonds have a cation at one end and an anion at the other. This excludes the majority of organic compounds but does not exclude the polar bonds that many organic compounds form. The model thus covers the bonds found in inorganic compounds, their solutions, and melts, but it also extends to acid-base bonds found in other systems, particularly the important aqueous chemistry of living organisms. 

Stanislao Cannizzaros main research interests were in the chemistry of carbon compounds found in living organisms. Cannizzaro did much to dispel the then widely held belief that the laws governing those chemicals were different from the laws governing chemicals not found in living organisms. 

BIOINORGANIC CHEMISTRY. Study of the mechanisms involved in the behavior of metal-containing molecules in living organisms, e.g., biological transport of iron, the effect of copper on nucleic acid and iiucleupruleins, molybdenum, and manganese complexes, etc. 

Catalysts are of enormous importance, both in the chemical industry and in living organisms. Nearly all industrial processes for the manufacture of essential chemicals use catalysts to favor formation of specific products and to lower reaction temperatures, thus reducing energy costs. In environmental chemistry, catalysts such as nitric oxide play a role in the formation of air pollutants, while other catalysts, such as platinum in automobile catalytic converters, are potent weapons in the battle to control air pollution. 

The ultimate goal of chemistry is to understand the world around us on a molecular level, and a knowledge of biochemistry—the chemistry of living organisms—is a crucial part of that goal. In this chapter, we ll look at the main classes of biomolecules proteins, carbohydrates,... 

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