Unit 2 Reflection
This unit was all about the chemistry of life. It explained, in detail, the biochemistry of the things that interact around us. It first talked about the smallest bits of matter in the world. It talked about the atom and the subatomic particles within it. It talked about how most atoms combined with others to form chemical bonds, forming small molecules like water, to very complex, large molecules necessary for life such as in proteins, complex carbohydrates, and lipids. Next, it talked about water and the properties of it. It said how water molecules are are polar, formed with hydrogen bonds, and had a perfect neutral pH level. It was also a very good solvent and had the property of high adhesiveness and cohesiveness. After that, it talked about the chemistry of carbon and macromolecules, which are polymers, formed together by joining smaller monomers together. The four groups of organic compounds found in living things are carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins. These organic compounds are referred as biomolecules, which are later explained through its functions and structure. Then, at last, Unit 2 told us about the chemical reactions and enzymes that are made in our bodies everyday. It said how enzymes require a certain pH level and temperature in order to function at its maximum efficiency, and that each individual enzyme has its own individual pH level and temperature in which it will function at maximum performance. It also talked about the energy in reactions, and the activation energy, and how it is reduced through the use of enzymes, which basically acted as organic catalysts for chemical reactions to occur in.
The themes and essential understanding is how chemistry has to do with biology, and why many biologic functions carried out daily are reliant on chemistry. I learned, through the labs that I completed, how enzymes can dramatically change the effects of chemical reactions and reducing the activation energy required. I also learned that bleach easily breaks down cells by destroying the cell membranes and cell wall. It also faded fabric, and that the 50% concentration of bleach is the best for jeans. The sweetness of monosaccharides and certain disaccharides are much more sweeter than polysaccharide.
My successes in the unit was the way to understand facts intuitively and, whenever there was something I didn't understand, I was able to ask Mr. Orre and get my questions answered. My weaknesses were that certain things about the lab were not easy to plan out, and it was difficult to focus to the teacher when I was in front of a computer. These skills could be based on the fact that I really like science and I am quite curious and ask a lot of question. It also shows my inability to focus and register information until they are fed to me multiple times. I learned many things in this experience such as that I understand more about the world such as why people ice bites from snakes, freeze things in the refrigerator, and drink protein before or after going to a workout.
Lastly, I would really like to learn more about how this works to an elemental level. I wanted to understand how these individual amino acids could be recombined into new protein, and exactly how the body transfers over the individual amino acids from eating, and make new protein. I wonder these things, and I like to understand things to a very elemental level, from the bottom to the top, and biology and chemistry allows me to do that.
The themes and essential understanding is how chemistry has to do with biology, and why many biologic functions carried out daily are reliant on chemistry. I learned, through the labs that I completed, how enzymes can dramatically change the effects of chemical reactions and reducing the activation energy required. I also learned that bleach easily breaks down cells by destroying the cell membranes and cell wall. It also faded fabric, and that the 50% concentration of bleach is the best for jeans. The sweetness of monosaccharides and certain disaccharides are much more sweeter than polysaccharide.
My successes in the unit was the way to understand facts intuitively and, whenever there was something I didn't understand, I was able to ask Mr. Orre and get my questions answered. My weaknesses were that certain things about the lab were not easy to plan out, and it was difficult to focus to the teacher when I was in front of a computer. These skills could be based on the fact that I really like science and I am quite curious and ask a lot of question. It also shows my inability to focus and register information until they are fed to me multiple times. I learned many things in this experience such as that I understand more about the world such as why people ice bites from snakes, freeze things in the refrigerator, and drink protein before or after going to a workout.
Lastly, I would really like to learn more about how this works to an elemental level. I wanted to understand how these individual amino acids could be recombined into new protein, and exactly how the body transfers over the individual amino acids from eating, and make new protein. I wonder these things, and I like to understand things to a very elemental level, from the bottom to the top, and biology and chemistry allows me to do that.
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| The scale of complexity in a protein |
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| How water acts as a solvent |
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