Basic+Elements+in+Bio

Elena Mingora and Tyler Baker

Biochemistry is the study of living organism at the molecular level. There are six main elements in biochemistry they are Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus and Sulfur. These 6 elements are present in all living organisms and material. H, O, N and C make up 99% or less weight of living matter. They can form stable covalent bonds, but O, N and C can form strong multiple bonds. Oxygen is soluble in water and is always available to all organisms. It is also the third best electron acceptor among elements. Carbon has four valence electrons and is found in pretty much all living organisms. It can bond very well with other elements and create multiple bonds. Phosphorus bonds well but the bonds are unstable in water. It is best suited for carriers of energy for living systems. There are 4 elements called monatomic ions, The play very unspecific roles and are used to create ionic gradients and active transport. They are only selected to be used when they are present in the area.



pH is the measure of acidity or basicity of solutions. This is defined by the amount of dissolved hydrogen ions. The pH scale is not an absolute scale, it is set from standards that were determined from standard solutions whose pH is established by international agreement. Pure water is neutral with a pH of nearly 7.0. Solutions with a pH less than 7.0 are acidic while solutions with a pH greater than 7.0 are basic, or alkaline. An acid is a substance that increases the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution. An acid increases the H+ ions in a solution. Thus, the hydrogen ion activity is greater in an acid than a neutral solution. Strong acids completely dissociate in water, while weak acids only partially dissociate. A base is a substance that reduces the hydrogen ion (H+) concentration of a solution. A base has a hydrogen ion activity lower than that of water. Bases are the chemical opposites of acids. An alkali is a special type of base in which a hydroxide (OH) ion is donated.

pH in living systems[18]||~ Compartment ||~ pH ||
 * Gastric acid || 0.7 ||
 * Lysosomes || 4.5 ||
 * Granules of chromaffin cells || 5.5 ||
 * Urine || 6.0 ||
 * Neutral H2O at 37 °C || 6.81 ||
 * Cytosol || 7.2 ||
 * Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) || 7.3 ||
 * Blood || 7.34 – 7.45 ||
 * Mitochondrial matrix || 7.5 ||
 * Pancreas secretions || 8.1 ||