Chemicals and Reactions for Life

The atoms and molecules involved in biochemical reactions.

All organisms require energy and nutrients to carry out their

life processes.

Nutrients are large organic molecules that have been formed

from simpler inorganic molecules.

How do we know what elements make up materials?

One method is to burn, or combust, the material and observe the materials given off and the
material that remains.

We know that some groups burned the roots of the spring

onion.

What evidence do we have?

The burned roots looked _______________________.

If you may have observed water vapour steaming from

the roots.

The smell is the typical acrid odour of burning nitrogen-

containing proteins.

This is evidence that the roots contain molecules made of atoms of;

_________________________
__________________________ and _____________________
__________________________

Organic material burns in oxygen to form ____________ _________________ and

__________________ .
Proteins are organic molecules that also contain the element _______________________
and sometimes sulfur.

Inorganic material does not burn to form carbon dioxide and water.

From this we can deduce that all organic material contains at least the atoms;

_____________________________________ and _______________________________

Carbohydrates like glucose and starch also contain oxygen atoms.

Proteins contain ___________________ , ___________________ , __________________ ,

and ___________________ atoms.

Modelling simple and complex molecules

Equipment: One Molecular model kit per student.

Procedure: For this laboratory session you will work in pairs. Follow the instructions closely.

Modelling the chemical reaction of Photosynthesis.

The black spheres represent carbon, the red oxygen and the white hydrogen.

1. Each student make one molecule each of;

a. carbon dioxide, CO2
b. water, H2O
2. Draw each molecule, both as a drawing of the model and a chemical structure.
Show the atoms and the bonds within the molecule.

Carbon dioxide CO2 Water H2O

Carbon dioxide CO2 Water H2O

3. Each student make one molecule each of;

a. of oxygen O2
b. glucose C6H12O6
c. Draw each molecule, both as a drawing of the model and a chemical
structure. Show the atoms and the bonds within the molecule.

Glucose C6H12O6 Oxygen O2

Glucose C6H12O6 Oxygen O2
 4. Write the word equation for photosynthesis. Show the energy involved in this
reaction.

_______________________________________________________________________

5. State the Chemical Law of Conservation of Matter.

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

6. Using the Law of Conservation of Matter and the molecular models for CO 2, H2O
show how C6H12O6 and O2 are formed.

a. Draw this photosynthesis reaction using the molecular models.

b. Write the balanced chemical equation for photosynthesis. Show the energy
involved in this reaction.

_______________________________________________________________________

7. Of course in the leaves of a green plant this reaction is happening at the nano-
scale. There are compromises with this model.
Explain the limitations of this model of photosynthesis in terms of the energy
changes and where the reaction occurs.

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
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Modelling the chemical reaction of Aerobic Cellular Respiration.
The black spheres represent carbon, the red oxygen and the white hydrogen.

1. Using the model glucose molecule and the model oxygen molecules break them down
into carbon dioxide molecules and water molecules.

a. Draw the reaction in the space below.

b. Write the word equation for aerobic cellular respiration. Show the energy
involved in this reaction.

_______________________________________________________________________

c. Write the balanced chemical equation for aerobic cellular respiration. Show the
energy involved in this reaction.

_______________________________________________________________________

2. Explain what the term aerobic cellular respiration means.

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

3. Research aerobic cellular respiration. Questions to answer are;

a. In what organisms does aerobic cellular respiration occur?
b. Where does aerobic cellular respiration occur?
c. What is the purpose of aerobic cellular respiration?
d. What other materials are required for aerobic cellular respiration to occur?
Anaerobic cellular respiration

4. Our cells still require energy to function, even when oxygen is in limited supply. Under
what conditions could our cells be lacking in oxygen?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

5. When this happens the cells make wastes other than carbon dioxide and water.
a. Write the equation for anaerobic respiration in humans.
b. Make the models if you have time.
c. Write the names of the materials beneath the models in the figure below.

+ energy

6. Write the word equation for anaerobic cellular respiration. Show the energy involved in
this reaction.

_______________________________________________________________________

7. Write the balanced chemical equation for anaerobic cellular respiration. Show the
energy involved in this reaction.

_______________________________________________________________________
Some other Biochemical Reactions.
Fermentation in bacteria and yeasts

Before we study fermentation lets look at some more organic molecules so that you have an
understanding of how they may react and form new substances.

8. Use the molecular model kits to make and draw the molecules stated in the two boxes
below. Write the chemical formula for each molecule

methane, CH4 ethane, CH3CH3

9. Make the molecule ethene, draw it and write the chemical formula.
ethene, CH2CH2

10. These three organic molecules are used as fuels. State the ways methane and ethane
molecules are similar.

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

11. State the ways ethane and ethene molecules are similar.

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

12. State the ways ethane and ethene molecules are different.

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
 The great chemist Mendeleev working in the late 1800s realised the
importance of ethene to industry.

He said the ethene molecule was too useful to just burn for fuel.

He realised that if we could break one of the double bonds then we

could add other functional groups (groups of atoms) and so make new
Di
mitri Mendeleev
useful chemicals.
aged 21 in 1856

You can model this

13. Make a water molecule and use the ethene molecule.

Break one end of one of the double bonds.
Break a hydrogen atom from the water.
Add the -OH functional group to the broken ethene bond.

a. Draw the new molecule, write the chemical formula and name it.

b. What other substance was made in this reaction? _______________________

c. Write the word equation for the reaction between ethane and water.

_______________________________________________________________________

d. Write a balanced chemical equation for the reaction between ethane and water.

_______________________________________________________________________

14. Make a methanol molecule using a methane molecule and a water molecule. Draw the
new molecule, write the chemical formula and name it.
a. What other substance was made in this reaction? _______________________
b. Write the word equation for the reaction between methane and water.

_______________________________________________________________________
 c. Write a balanced chemical equation for the reaction between methane and
water.

______________________________________________________________________
Some other Biochemical Reactions.
Synthesising proteins

Proteins are important structural molecules in bodies. They contain the elements
________________ , _________________ , ________________ and ________________ .

Our atmosphere is composed of the

following molecules:
nitrogen (78%),
oxygen (21%),
argon (1%),
carbon dioxide (0.04%) and
trace amounts of other gases
including methane. Lower
altitudes also have quantities
of water vapour.

Draw an InfoGraphic to show this.

1. Make a molecular model of nitrogen gas, N 2. Draw the molecule, both as a drawing
of the model and a chemical structure. Show the atoms and the bonds within the
molecule.

Nitrogen N2 Nitrogen N2

Nitrogen gas cannot be used by plants and animals to make proteins. A clue as to why this is
so is in the number of bonds holding the two atoms together. Describe the bonds between
nitrogen atoms and explain why nitrogen molecules are difficult to pull apart.

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Some organisms have evolved to break these bonds and so help nitrogen move through the
food chain so that plants and animals may build proteins
STOP HERE
15. Now both bacteria and yeasts have evolved methods of respiration that uses glucose
molecules without the need for oxygen. They release the energy from glucose in the
process of anaerobic respiration.
a. Bacteria release energy from glucose by forming methanol as a waste product.
Draw this chemical reaction. Write the balanced chemical equation for
anaerobic respiration in bacteria.

glucose ---> methanol

Note that methanol is poisonous and we must never drink it.

b. Yeasts release energy from glucose by forming ethanol as a waste product.
c. How many