BIOCHEMISTRY. Methane--make it or break it

Overview

All living things are formed mostly of carbon compounds called organic compounds. The category of organic compounds includes both natural and synthetic compounds that contain carbon. Although a single, precise definition has yet to be identified by the chemistry community, most agree that a defining trait of organic molecules is the presence of carbon as the principal element, bonded to hydrogen and other carbon atoms. However, some carbon-containing compounds such as carbonates, cyanides, and...

Bond energy is the energy required to break a bond homolytically. These values are usually expressed in units of kcal/mol or kJ/mol and are referred to as bond dissociation energies when given for specific bonds or average bond energies when indicated for a given type of bond over many compounds. Firstly, the bond dissociation energy for a single bond is weaker than that of a double bond, which in turn is weaker than that of a triple bond. Secondly, hydrogen forms relatively strong bonds with...

A bond is formed between two atoms by sharing two electrons. When this bond is broken by supplying sufficient energy, either two electrons can be taken up by one atom forming ions by the cleavage called heterolysis, or the two electrons are shared by two atoms, with one each creating radicals by the cleavage called homolysis.

All chemical reactions begin with a reactant, the general term for one or more substances entering the reaction. Sodium and chloride ions, for example, are the reactants in the production of table salt. One or more substances produced by a chemical reaction are called the product. Chemical reactions follow the law of conservation of mass, which means that matter cannot be created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction. The components of the reactants—the number of atoms and the...

The first law of thermodynamics holds that energy can neither be created nor destroyed—it can only change form. An organism's essential function is to consume (ingest) energy and molecules in the foods we eat, convert some of it into fuel for movement, sustain our body functions, and build and maintain our body structures. There are two types of reactions that accomplish this: anabolism and catabolism.
Anabolism is the process of combining smaller, simpler molecules into larger, more...