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Unit 1 · 5 lessons

Biochemistry

The chemistry that makes life possible: how bonds, water and functional groups shape biological molecules, how cells build and break carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids, how enzymes speed up and regulate reactions, and how membranes control what enters and leaves a cell.

  • 51 practice questions
  • 46 flashcards
  • 1 interactive lesson
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Lessons

  1. 1The Chemistry of Life: Bonds, Water and Functional GroupsAtoms, isotopes and radioisotope tracers, ionic and covalent bonds, electronegativity, hydrogen bonds and the properties of water, pH and buffers, the six functional groups of biological molecules, and the four reaction types that cells run: condensation, hydrolysis, redox and neutralization.10 questions
  2. 2Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins and Nucleic AcidsMonomers, polymers and the glycosidic, ester, peptide and phosphodiester linkages that join them; sugars from glucose to cellulose; fats, phospholipids, steroids and waxes; amino acids and the four levels of protein structure; nucleotides, DNA, RNA and ATP; and the standard food tests for identifying each class.10 questions
  3. 3Enzymes: Structure, Mechanism and RegulationHow enzymes lower activation energy, the active site and substrate-enzyme complex, lock-and-key versus induced fit, cofactors and coenzymes, the effects of temperature, pH and concentration, competitive, non-competitive and allosteric regulation, feedback inhibition, planning a catalase investigation, and enzymes in food, medicine and industry.Interactive10 questions
  4. 4Organelles, the Fluid Mosaic Model and Membrane TransportWhat each organelle does and how the endomembrane system works as a production line, the fluid mosaic model of the membrane, passive transport by diffusion, osmosis and facilitated diffusion, tonicity in animal and plant cells, active transport by the sodium-potassium pump, endocytosis and exocytosis, the potato-core osmosis investigation, and modern advances such as GFP labelling and targeted cancer drugs.10 questions
  5. 5Viruses, Cancer and Cell-Targeted MedicineHow HIV binds, enters and hijacks a helper T cell and how each class of antiretroviral drug blocks one step, why hepatitis C can now be cured with direct-acting antivirals, and how monoclonal antibodies are made and used against viruses, cancer and inflammation.11 questions