flask Biochemistry
Biochemistry bridges chemistry and biology: the molecules that build cells, the enzymes that catalyze life's reactions, and the energy currency (ATP) that powers it all. Essential for pre-med, nursing, and life-science students.
What you will learn
- Describe the four biomolecule classes
- Explain enzyme function
- Relate structure to function in proteins
- Outline metabolism basics
- Explain ATP energy transfer
High School concepts
Amino Acids: The Building Blocks of Proteins
Meet the twenty standard amino acids: their shared backbone structure, zwitterion behavior, side-chain chemistry, and how they link into protein chains.
ATP: The Energy Currency of the Cell
Why ATP is called the energy currency of the cell: its structure, the hydrolysis reaction that releases energy, and how coupled reactions spend it.
Carbohydrates: From Glucose to Starch and Cellulose
Monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides: the structure of glucose, how sugars link up, and why starch and cellulose behave so differently.
Enzymes: How Biological Catalysts Speed Up Reactions
How enzymes speed up biological reactions: the active site, lock-and-key and induced-fit models, and how temperature, pH, and concentration affect activity.
Lipids: Triglycerides, Phospholipids, and Steroids
Triglycerides, phospholipids, and steroids: why lipids avoid water, how fatty acid saturation works, and how membranes and cholesterol are built.
Nucleic Acids: DNA, Base Pairing, and RNA
DNA's double helix, base pairing rules, and the three main types of RNA: how nucleotides store and transmit the instructions for building proteins.
Proteins: From Amino Acid Chains to Folded Machines
How chains of amino acids fold into working proteins: primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure, plus what happens during denaturation.