General ---------Biology ------------------Online--------------------- Ch.  2 :  The Chemical Context of Life

Chapter 2 is divided into two parts:  1.  Chemical Elements and Compounds, and 2. Atoms and Molecules.  Your textbook assumes the student has a basic knowledge of high school chemistry.  These online notes, however, contain an expanded discussion of "1. Chemical Elements and Compounds" for those who need a primer in basic chemistry.

Chapter 2 ends with a discussion on the brain chemistry of morphine and the plant chemistry of photosynthesis. This discussion of morphine and photosynthesis illustrates how what you have learned in Chapter 2 is going to be applied in coming chapters.

This Course (BSC1010 General Biology I) discusses biology at the cellular level, and is often called "Cell Biology." Almost every thing that goes on in your body occurs as a result of things that are happening inside your cells.  The cells of your body are composed of water with some other chemicals mixed in, mainly carbohydrates, fats, proteins and nucleic acid.

Why the chemistry important?

To understand how living creatures work, and to fix things that are not working, you need to understand the biochemistry occurring inside cells. For instance, assume you have hemophilia, and your blood does not clot.  The cause is an error in the nucleic acid (DNA) inside the nucleus of your cells. As a result of this error, an error in your "gene for clotting factor," your cells produce a protein (clotting factor) that does not work. To fix this problem, you need to understand the biochemistry of how the genetic code in your DNA is translated into protein clotting factors and how these chemicals react with other chemicals to cause a clot to form. 

How does this chemistry fit in with the rest of the course?

Chapter 2 The Chemical Context of Life, is the first of six chapters in Unit One of your textbook.  Unit one is titled The Chemistry of Life. The second Unit contains six chapters also and is titled The Cell.  These chapters on cells will make use of the chemistry you have learned in Unit 1.  The third Unit is titled Genetics and requires a thorough understanding of chemistry and cells, Units 1 and 2.  See "Brief Contents" from page xiv in your textbook.