Biomolecules and the Chemistry of Life Topics

Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons

Presenting, carbon (12C): And his two-doors-down friendly neighbor on the periodic table,...

Isotopes

We said that a regular atom needs to have the same number of protons as electrons, but we...

Ions

We now know that the number of protons is what defines the kind of atom or element we are dealing...

Bonds

You may ask yourself, what are all these atoms and ions doing with themselves? As it turns out, a...

Special Properties of Water

We’ll overlook the indiscretion of hydrogen bonds in light of the fact that they are partly...

Organic vs. Inorganic Molecules

Congratulations! You are officially a certified chemistry guru. We can now move on to some more...

Monomers, Polymers, and Dehydration Synthesis

Some biological molecules are relatively small and may contain a handful of atoms bound together....

Carbohydrates

Carbs are awesome, and not just because they’re responsible for some of the tastiest...

Lipids

Lipids are an eclectic bunch of biomolecules. Yet, for all their differences, each and every...

Proteins

Now that we have left Lipid Town, we move on to the big city, Proteinopolis. Proteins do all...

Nucleic Acids

Nucleic acids—our buddies deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, and ribonucleic acid, or...

Common Mistakes

1. Don’t confuse ions and isotopes. Remember, ions are charged particles. They form when...

Test Your Knowledge!

Made From Trees

Audesirk, T. & Audesirk, G. (1999). Biology: Life on Earth (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:...