Unit 2 Reflection

This unit, titled "Chemistry for Biologists" gave us a basic understanding of chemistry as it relates to biology, the study of life. We learnt about the basic structure of all matter, the atom. Exploring deeper into the structure of the atom, we learnt about protons, neutrons, and electrons, where protons and neutrons are roughly equal in mass, but an electron is 1/1840 of the mass! Atoms can bond with each other either in an ionic bond (transfer of electron(s)) or a covalent bond (sharing of electron(s)). I feel strong in this area, and I understand atoms, elements, and how atoms bond with other atoms. We studied "the big 4" macromolecules (giant molecules formed during polymerization): carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and amino acids. We needed to understand both their structure and function. Carbohydrates look like rings of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, and can be either monosaccharides, disaccharides, or polysaccharides, depending on how many of these "rings" are chained together. Proteins are made of amino acids and have four levels of structure: primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary. Nucleic acids are formed from nucleotides, which are made up of a nitrogenous base, a 5-carbon sugar, and a phosphate group. I think that the structure of carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids is an area of strength for me, but the structure of lipids is a weak point. I understand lipids are long chains of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, but I can't really visualize the general structure. In class, we also discussed and performed experiments about enzymes and how they work best in their optimal pH and temperature.

Learning about the basic chemistry to understand life science was a great experience for me because it helped me understand the science behind many routines we have in our everyday lives. For example, we are told often to eat certain foods because they have protein in them and are good for us. However, before this unit, I did not know how amino acids were broken down and then rearranged to create new proteins.

During this unit, I found enzymes very interesting. I want to learn more about what reactions they speed up in our bodies and why we cannot live without them.