Biochemistry
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Biochemistry is the study of chemical reactions involved with living beings. Biochemical studies include DNA, adrenalin, blood, proteins, hormones, and all other components of life, reproduction, and genetics. The study of biochemistry is very diverse and involves enzymes, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, sugars, proteins, and lipids.
Enzymes are special types of protein that act to speed up a chemical reaction in a living thing. The function of enzymes is to start, speed up and help chemical reactions, and lower the activation energy.
Nucleic acids are polymers of nucleotides. Nucleotides are made of three things: a sugar, a phosphate, and a nitrogen base. Nucleic acids are the building blocks for living organisms. DNA is a common type of nucleic acid. Nucleic acids join up together into a chain called a double helix.
Carbohydrates include sugars and starches. The simplest carbohydrate are the monosaccharides, meaning "single sugar". Examples of monosaccharides are glucose, glactose and fructose. Monosaccharides can be combined into chains by dehydration synthesis. Polysaccharides are very large molecules made from many nitrogen units joined together. Examples are starch, glycogen, and cellulose.
Proteins are polymers of amino acids. There are twenty different types of amino acid. When amino acids attach to each other, they from a peptide bond. A dipeptide bond is when two amino acids bond together, a tripeptide has three, and a polypeptide has three or more. [[ Lipids]] are fats, and waxes. Saturated lipids contain single bonds, and are found in butter and lard. They are often solid at room temperature. Unsaturated lipids have one or more double bonds. The human body stores lipids as an energy source. When the body needs a large amount of energy, lipid molecules are broken down to release that energy.
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