http://www.ck12.orgCHAPTER
(^26) Biochemistry
Chapter Outline
26.1 Carbohydrates
26.2 AMINOACIDS ANDPROTEINS
26.3 Lipids
26.4 NUCLEICACIDS
26.5 REFERENCES
Chemistry and biology overlap heavily, and the field of biochemistry studies the areas in which these two sciences
merge. Biochemists study the myriad chemical reactions that occur in living things. The picture is of an important
enzyme called cytochrome P-450. Enzymes are nature’s catalysts. They are large protein molecules that act to speed
up biochemical reactions in a very specific way. Almost every chemical reaction that occurs in a living organism
proceeds with the help of an enzyme that catalyzes only that specific reaction. There are many different types of
cytochrome-P450 enzymes, and they catalyze important reactions, such as the synthesis and breakdown of certain
hormones, the synthesis of cholesterol, and the metabolism of vitamin D. In this chapter, you will get an introduction
to the major categories of biomolecules and some of the functions that they serve in living organisms.
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