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01 TITLE OF LECTURE
Dr. Professor || Month Year Biochemistry
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Ch 1 Biochemistry and Medicine  Despite the focus on human biochemistry in this text,
biochemistryconcerns the entire spectrum of life forms, from
viruses, bacteria, andplants to complex eukaryotes such as
Legend:
human beings.
Remembe  Biochemistry, medicine, and other health care disciplines
Previous Trans
r Lecturer Book areintimately related. Health in all species depends on a
Trans Comm
(Exams) harmoniousbalance of the biochemical reactions occurring in
     the body, whiledisease reflects abnormalities in
biomolecules, biochemical reactions, or biochemical
Biochemistry and Medicine processes.
 Advances in biochemical knowledge have illuminated many
A. Biomedical Importance
areas ofmedicine, and the study of diseases has often
 Biochem and medicine enjoy cooperative relationship revealed previouslyunsuspected aspects of biochemistry.
o Emphasizes that life depends on biochemical reactions  Biochemical approaches are often fundamental in
and processes illuminating thecauses of diseases and in designing
appropriate therapy. Biochemicallaboratory tests also
represent an integral component of diagnosis andmonitoring
B. Discovery of fermentation in cell-free system/test-tube of treatment.
model
 A sound knowledge of biochemistry and of other related
 Louis Pasteur: fermentation can only occur in intact cells basicdisciplines is essential for the rational practice of
 Buchner brothers discovery in 1899 medicine and related health sciences.
o Fermentation can proceed in the absence of an intact  Results of the HGP and of research in related areas will have
cell aprofound influence on the future of biology, medicine, and
other health sciences.
 Led to an avalanche of researches which initiated
 Genomic research on model organisms such as yeast, the
biochemistry fruit fly D.melanogaster, the roundworm C. elegans, and the
zebra fish providesinsight into understanding human
C. Biochemistry and Medicine Have Provided Mutual diseases.
Advances
 Biochemistry impacts these two concerns of workers in
health sciences:
o Understanding and maintenance of health
o Effective treatment of disease
 Biochemistry illuminates aspects of health and disease; study
of health and disease opened up new areas of biochemistry
 Some examples:
o Archibald Garrod’s study of rare disorders which he then
designated as inborn errors of metabolism
o Study of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in
cancer cells  attention to control of normal cell growth

D. Biochemical Processes underlie Health

 Biochemical research impacts nutrition and preventive
medicine
 Most diseases have a biochemical basis
o Diseases as manifestations of abnormalities (in genes
etc) which adversely affect one or more biochemical
functions
 Impact of the Human Genome Project (HGP) on
biochemistry, biology and medicine

SUMMARY
 Biochemistry is the science concerned with the molecules
present inliving organisms, individual chemical reactions and
their enzymecatalysts, and the expression and regulation of
each metabolic process.Biochemistry has become the basic
language of all biologic sciences.
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[SUB] 1.01 TITLE OF LECTURE – Dr. Professor
Ch 2 Water and pH
D. Water is an excellent nucleophile
A. Biomedical Importance 1. Many metabolic reactions involve group transfer
 
 2. Water molecules exhibit a slight but important
tendency to dissociate
B. Water as an Ideal Biological Solvent 
1. Water molecules form dipoles
 E. pH is the negative log of hydrogen ion concentration
 1. Functional groups that are weak acids have great
2. Water molecules form hydrogen bonds physiologic significance
 Hydrogen bond – a hydrogen bound to O or N can interact
with an unshared electron pair on another O or N 
o Influences the physical properties of water such as high 2. Henderson Hasselbalch Equation describes behavior
viscosity, surface tension, and boiling point of Weak Acids and Buffers
 These bonds are relatively weak and transient – lasting few 
picoseconds 10-12 3. Solutions of Weak Acids & their Salts Buffer
o Easier to rupture hydrogen bond (with about 4.5kcal/mol)  K
than to rupture covalent O—H bond
4. Changes in pH
 These bonds enable water to dissolve many organic
biomolecules  X
o Their functional groups participate in hydrogen bonding 5. Acid Strength depends on molecular structure
(e.g. aldehydes, ketones, amides as hydrogen  X
acceptors; alcohols, carboxylic acids, and amines as 6. pKa values depend on the properties of the medium
hydrogen acceptors and donors) 
C. Interaction with Water influences structure of
Biomolecules
1. Covalent and noncovalent bonds stabilize biologic
molecules
 Covalent bonds (sharing of electrons) are strongest force
which hold molecules together
o Noncovalent bonds may be lesser in magnitude but still
make significant contribution to structure, stability and
functional competence
 These forces involve interactions both within the molecule
(intra) and between it and the water as surrounding
environment (inter)

2. Biomolecules fold to position POLAR and CHARGED

groups on their surfaces
 Most biomolecules are amphiphatic (rich in charged or polar
groups AND hydrophobic character) in simpler terms both
hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions present
 Hydrophobic side chains in the interior; hydrophilic portions in
contact with water
o This pattern maximizes charge-dipole, dipole-dipole,
and hydrogen bonding interactions
o Minimizes contacts between water and hydrophobic
groups
3. Hydrophobic interactions

4. Electrostatic interactions

5. Van der Waals Forces
 van der Waals forces – distance dependent interaction
between atoms or molecules
6. Multiple forces stabilize biomolecules
 gg

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[SUB] 1.01 TITLE OF LECTURE – Dr. Professor

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