BIOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
UNIT 10 ASSIGNMENT A
Understand the structure and function of biological molecules and their importance in maintaining
biochemical processes.
INTRODUCTION
We will be demonstrating an understanding of biochemical processes and the effects of
disrupting these processes. They will be discussions on the different structures and functions
of water, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids; and their importance in
maintaining biochemical processes.
WATER
Water is very important for maintaining many of the biochemical processes in the body,
water makes up 70% of fluids in the body as it is in all processes, e.g. photosynthesis, exists
in plasma, changes turgidity in plants or causes lysis.
Water (H2O) is a polar molecule that has an electronegative oxygen and electropositive
hydrogen; this means the oxygen nucleus attracts electrons more strongly than hydrogen
does. The sharing of electrons between H—O—H therefore there is an unequal charge
causing the unequal electrical dipoles. Water is shaped in a rough tetrahedron shape with a
bond angle of 104.5o
[1]
PROPERTIES OF WATER
Water is dense;
Unlike most molecules water becomes dense when the temperature decreases, there is a
temperature at which its density exceeds that at higher or lower temperatures. In fact, water
just above the freezing point is heavier than water at the freezing point. Therefore, it moves
towards the bottom, freezing begins at the surface and the bottom is last to freeze. Organisms
living at the bottoms of fresh-water lakes are, hence, protected from freezing.
Water is also high surface tension;
Water has the highest surfaces tension of any known liquid, like a stretched membrane, the
surface of a liquid tends to contract as much as possible. This phenomenon is called surface
tension. Water has the highest surface tension (of 72.8) of any known liquid. And it is the
reason why water rises to unusually high levels in narrow capillary tubes. This has great
significance in physiology.
UNIT 10 ASSIGNMENT A
Understand the structure and function of biological molecules and their importance in maintaining
biochemical processes.
INTRODUCTION
We will be demonstrating an understanding of biochemical processes and the effects of
disrupting these processes. They will be discussions on the different structures and functions
of water, carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids; and their importance in
maintaining biochemical processes.
WATER
Water is very important for maintaining many of the biochemical processes in the body,
water makes up 70% of fluids in the body as it is in all processes, e.g. photosynthesis, exists
in plasma, changes turgidity in plants or causes lysis.
Water (H2O) is a polar molecule that has an electronegative oxygen and electropositive
hydrogen; this means the oxygen nucleus attracts electrons more strongly than hydrogen
does. The sharing of electrons between H—O—H therefore there is an unequal charge
causing the unequal electrical dipoles. Water is shaped in a rough tetrahedron shape with a
bond angle of 104.5o
[1]
PROPERTIES OF WATER
Water is dense;
Unlike most molecules water becomes dense when the temperature decreases, there is a
temperature at which its density exceeds that at higher or lower temperatures. In fact, water
just above the freezing point is heavier than water at the freezing point. Therefore, it moves
towards the bottom, freezing begins at the surface and the bottom is last to freeze. Organisms
living at the bottoms of fresh-water lakes are, hence, protected from freezing.
Water is also high surface tension;
Water has the highest surfaces tension of any known liquid, like a stretched membrane, the
surface of a liquid tends to contract as much as possible. This phenomenon is called surface
tension. Water has the highest surface tension (of 72.8) of any known liquid. And it is the
reason why water rises to unusually high levels in narrow capillary tubes. This has great
significance in physiology.
